Forum Index > Trip Reports > Van Epps Peak - 7.23.2015
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ragman and rodman
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ragman and rodman
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PostFri Jul 24, 2015 10:04 pm 
This is a 5 star summit... accessed via a 1 star road... and the 1 star for the road is probably 1 star too many. Road 302 (or is it Road 160 that becomes 302?) is definitely a 4WD road. I was barely able to coax my Toyota Rav4 for the 2.5 miles to where we parked at the junction of roads 302 and 301. We did Scatter Peak in 2008 and I was able to drive my Isuzu Trooper to the same parking spot using 301... and while both roads are bad, 302 is much better than 301. Here is a link that will get you to where we parked at the junction of roads 301 and 302. From our parking spot (4040') at the junction of roads 301 and 302 we walked 302 for a half-mile... then found and followed the N. Fork Fortune Creek Trail to a junction (5840') with the County Line Trail... which we followed for 10 minutes to Van Epps Pass (5900')... where we found an obvious path that led us up Van Epps' west ridge to the summit (7039'). Fantastic views in every direction... my photos will explain better than words. Leaving the summit, we continued along the ridge toward Ingalls Peak for a half-mile before starting a descending traverse over to Lake Ann (6200') on boulders, scree and meadows... where we found the County Line Trail that led us back to Van Epps Pass... then traced our steps back to the car. 8.8 miles roundtrip, gaining 3322 feet of elevation. If you have a really high-clearance vehicle, Road 302 goes all the way to Van Epps Pass. Lake Ann was lower than usual... however, there were quite a few water sources available on both the County Line Trail and the N. Fork Fortune Creek Trail. Photos, trailhead directions and downloadable GPS track for our trip to Van Epps Peak. ..

"Teanaway 70" Peaks List... a guide to hiking and scrambling in the Teanaway Area. ----------------
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RichP
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PostFri Jul 24, 2015 10:30 pm 
That looks like a nice one. up.gif Thanks for the report.

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Get Out and Go
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PostFri Jul 24, 2015 10:51 pm 
Excellent perspective on surrounding peaks. up.gif Looks like a great hike now or in autumn even. tongue.gif

"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go." (Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart) "Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry. Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky." (Thanks, Tom Petty)
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MtnManic
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PostSat Jul 25, 2015 11:47 am 
At least in your photos, the road doesn't look as bad as the road from Trinity to Spider Meadows TH. Is that a fair assessment? Very nice photos, btw. Looks like a fun trip.

Backpacking: limited to one pack at a time. Cameras: limited to as many as I can carry.
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ragman and rodman
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PostSat Jul 25, 2015 12:18 pm 
MtnManic wrote:
At least in your photos, the road doesn't look as bad as the road from Trinity to Spider Meadows TH. Is that a fair assessment?
If you are referring to the Chiwawa River Road leading to the Phelps Creek Trailhead for access to Spider Meadows, the Chiwawa River Road is a super highway compared to Road 302 that we used. That being said, it has been 5 years since I drove the Chiwawa River Road to the Phelps Creek Trailhead... so the road conditions may have deteriorated since 2010.

"Teanaway 70" Peaks List... a guide to hiking and scrambling in the Teanaway Area. ----------------
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the Zachster
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PostSat Jul 25, 2015 7:47 pm 
Looks like a beautiful summit and trip. Great photos! I'd love to check it out, please let me know if you're going back... hockeygrin.gif embarassedlaugh.gif My kidneys are hurting just thinking about that road!

"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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FredV
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PostMon Nov 09, 2020 8:01 am 
Thanks for the route beta. We went up to Van Epps Peak yesterday. The road in is indeed terrible with rocks, needed to coax my high clearance vehicle both up and down. Several inches of snow up the ridgeline above Van Epps Pass. Used microspikes for traction. The sun was nice but had cold winds near the summit. Encountered jeeps way up in the forest on an extreme off road vehicle road. The route from the summit to Lake Ann looked too dicey with the snow so we made a loop by returning on the jeep roads.

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