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The forecast wasn't great so we went east. Glad we did. We avoided crowds. We camped with our rig at Klipchuck and day hiked to Driveway Butte and Pt. 5545. The trail starts on an old skid road, which is a pretty steep beginning. The trail gains almost 2,200' in nearly 2 miles. The terrain is mostly treeless all the way to the saddle (5,000'), giving great views of Silver Star all the way up. After the saddle, the trail hugs the NE side of Pt 6607 and crosses McGee Creek. This section of trail was a little muddy and there were a few burned logs to cross. Bugs were few and the flowers were out.

new growth in the snag forest

burned forest the whole way

flowered hillside

The trail steepens when it arrives at the base of Driveway Butte. It is relatively short and the trail is in good condition. Wonderful views of the Pasayten and Silver Star is so interesting. We also got nice views of Mazama, the Methow River Valley and the Okanagan.

Mazama

Silver Star peeks over saddle

growth on the rock

remnants of lookout

Lost River Valley

Methow River Valley

Steveski heads downski

interesting snag

Benchmark

artifacts

On the way back, we turned left (east) on a side trail at the saddle that goes to Pt. 5545. Steve wanted to bag that one, and I was game for some extra Strava kudos. What a great view of Silver Star! If you’re pressed for time, just heading up here instead of Driveway Butte is a good alternative.

snag and Silver Star

flowers

cu Silver Star

Methow River Valley

pano from Pt. 5545