Forum Index > Trip Reports > Rooster Mountain 10 sept 2017
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
kitya
Fortune Cookie



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA
kitya
Fortune Cookie
PostMon Sep 11, 2017 2:52 pm 
Normally road walk doesn’t really need a trip report, but seeing as there is some confusion about how to find Rooster mountain, I thought I could give a brief description and maybe my GPS track will help someone. I was lazy to drive far this week and so something easy and close to home was an attractive option. Rooster Mountain has no chickens, nor does it look like one, but complements nearby Goat and Dog mountains into a nice barnyard setting. Parking is at the end of now almost completely paved and smooth Middle Fork road. It is possible to drive 0.3 more miles to the actual trailhead on Tailor river road (and some people do that), but road is washed out in a couple of places and unless you drive a tank it is just not worth it. Follow old logging road now Snoqualmie river trail to a Quartz creek road turn off (signed) and next follow Quartz creek road as much as possible. Quartz creek road is obvious and easy to follow at first, but eventually become more and more overgrown. There are a couple of turn offs (leading to potentially even less visited and more interesting destinations), but they are even more overgrown and thus easy to avoid. In 2011 forest service did some decommissioning work on the road, and while they unfortunately didn’t do full slope restoration, they have installed a bunch of tank traps, so be prepared for that. Eventually road completely disappears, and you come into very brushy and wet area. There is a kind of trail (probably temporary) that someone macheted through the alder and I’ve made a mistake of trying to follow it, but eventually gave up as it looks like trail is doing the traverse, instead of going up. Perhaps this trail goes to the viewpoint mentioned in ‘Hiking with my Brother’. Fighting with brush is annoying, but blueberries are tasty and there are A LOT of them. I think the best idea to make your way through steep brush straight up. It was very wet, but also very short. Whatever you do, it is just a few feet before you come to a longish looking (but not too long) steep open scree slope that can be used as a ramp to gain your way all the way up to the ridge (perfect pika habitat with a lot of pikas). From the ridge there is a forest view to Mowitch lake and it is the about the same view as you get from the summit too. From the ridge go right - up (and down) about 0.3 miles through more brush until you find a tree with hanging summit register and true rocky summit block (requires a little class 3 scrambling). Going left from the ridge could be even more interesting as there are other small weird summit lakes on the way, but I’ve not explored this option. Going back, you get to enjoy the same boring road walk through sad looking logged second growth forest. However, swim in the Tailor river just before trail end was nice and refreshing and it is nice to explore something in Middle fork valley without seeing any other person. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1970808086

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
RichP
Member
Member


Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 5628 | TRs | Pics
Location: here
RichP
Member
PostMon Sep 11, 2017 9:41 pm 
kitya wrote:
but complements nearby Goat and Dog mountains into a nice barnyard setting.
That reminds me that I still need to do this one to complete that trifecta. There are lots of options in the Middle Fork where you won't see another soul.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
kitya
Fortune Cookie



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA
kitya
Fortune Cookie
PostTue Sep 12, 2017 10:07 am 
RichP wrote:
There are lots of options in the Middle Fork where you won't see another soul.
Yeah, this is true, I kind of forgot about some of them smile.gif Almost any hike I ever did in the area are rainy-foggy-snowy and blend into same thing in my mind.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trip Reports > Rooster Mountain 10 sept 2017
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum