North Spectacle Butte rests above Ice Lakes beside the notable South Spectacle Butte. Because of its modest stature, the peak didn’t make it on Washington State’s first 100 highest peaks list. However, it had earned a spot on the second 100 highest.
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North Spectacle Butte at a Glance
Ice Slam = Chilly Peak + Ice Box + North Spectacle Butte
冰點滿貫=寒冷峯+冷藏庫+北奇觀孤峯
Access: Phelps Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 22 miles
Elevation Range: 3520‘-8112′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: no
The Preface
We very much enjoyed our trip to the Entiat River Valley last weekend. Then, the pup and I drove up to Phelps Creek Trailhead on Friday night. Hunting season has begun, so seeing many big trucks here was no surprise.
The road to Phelps Creek Trailhead was as rocky, if not rockier than I remembered. Half a mile before the end of the roadway, a portion had disappeared into the dust. In turn, it was almost impassable in my compact car.
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Carne Mountain Trail
We’ve also included Chilly Peak, Ice Box, and Freezer for this trip. I’d anticipated spending an entire day moving through the long ridgeline. So we started bright and early the following morning.
I was in the area three years earlier, climbing Mount Fernow and Copper Peak. After a short walk on Phelps Creek Trail, we took the first right onto Carne Mountain Trail. Before long, we were up in the 6100′ basin.
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Rock Creek Basin
We hiked past a corral in the meadow, with three grazing horses on full alert of our arrival. Soon, we were on Carne Mountain’s south saddle and took a break. Chilly Peak, our first stop, was right across Rock Creek Basin.
Andy, a deer hunter, later came up to the pass. Then we chatted for a while about his hunting trip. He had been in the basin and mentioned the lack of water. Seeing I didn’t carry enough, he offered the rest from his jug.
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North Spectacle Butte via Chilly Peak
We walked down to Box Creek and Rock Creek’s dividing ridge and north into Rock Creek Basin at 7000′. Then we dropped 200′ to the tiny stream below the talus for more water. It’d be our last source until Box Creek Basin.
We moved east steep heather and scree to reach the west gully at 7200′. A strenuous traverse through the choss then put us on the north saddle. Soon, a short climb through boulders put us at the top.
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Chilly Peak Summit Views
From the top, I scouted out our next goal–Ice Box, which still looked far away. To the north were Mount Maude and Spectacle Buttes, the main attractions. Meanwhile, Buck Mountain held up the west end in the haze.
We went back to the gully after a restful half an hour. Then we made a rising traverse northwest, aiming for Point 7919’s east saddle. Soon, we bypassed the high point from the north and down to the 7500′ pass.
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North Spectacle Butte via Ice Box
While on a break, I noticed a bear cub on the snowfield north of the pass. It slowly moved away when it heard the pup’s bear bells. So I quickly grabbed the dog and left the scene before the mama bear appeared.
To bypass Point 7800, we first dropped 100′ on the south slopes. Soon, we rounded the ridge up to the north saddle. We moved north while staying on the crest before the rock bands and buttresses forced us to bypass via the rocky west.
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Ice Box Summit Views
Soon, we reached Ice Box’s south saddle at 7600′ and finished the final 500′ up to the top. Views slowly improved as we moved closer to the top of Ice Creek Basin. The haze persisted, but it wasn’t as bad as our recent trip to Pasayten Wilderness.
I had planned to reach Upper Ice Lake before nightfall, which was only two hours away. But the ridge to Freezer didn’t look suitable for traversing, so we dropped onto the steep west slopes. Soon, we joined Carne High Traverse Trail in Box Creek Basin at 6900′.
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A Night at Upper Ice Lake
We passed Chipmunk Creek Basin and left the trail at 6800′. Then we went north up to Freezer’s west rib two hundred feet below Maude-Freezer saddle. Soon, a steep path took us to the pass with an excellent view into Ice Lakes Basin.
The area felt empty, but we saw a tent just before crossing the lake’s outlet. We soon reached our old camp spot and turned in shortly after dinner as it started to get windy. But it was still much warmer than the forecast.
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North Spectacle Butte Climb
There was a 40% chance of rain and snow after 11 AM. So, we left early for our final goal–North Spectacle Butte to avoid the bad weather. We dropped 350′ to Lower Ice Lake from camp and crossed the water by the outlet.
We made it up to the east-trending gully at the northeast edge of the basin. The route also offered direct access to the west saddle. Soon, we were on the steep, rocky west hillside to finish the last 600′ of the climb.
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North Spectacle Butte Summit Views
The top was flat and broad, just like it looked from other places. The view of South Spectacle Butte on the other side of the saddle was quite impressive. Buckskin Mountain to the north looked much farther in person.
Mount Maude, Seven Fingered Jack, Mount Fernow, and Cooper Peak stood to the immediate west. They looked pretty impressive in person despite the haze. Meanwhile, the wind persisted before we reached the top.
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The Bonus: Freezer
I remembered seeing a trail on Lower Ice Lake’s north shore earlier, so we took it en route back to camp. It was much more direct than going the other way. After packing, we exited at 11 AM and were glad the rain never came.
After dropping our gear on the Maude-Freezer saddle, we walked a short way to Freezer. The top offered great views of Ice Lake Basin, plus Chilly Peak and Ice Box to the south. Many of Washington’s highest peaks were also visible.
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Outro
After a short break, we made our way back to the pass. We soon hiked out via Leroy Basin for a loop trip. Right below the basin, we met two campers and two hunters. I chatted with them about their adventures before moving on.
It later rained past 3 PM before we reached Phelps Creek Trail. So we quickly walked the last four miles back to the car.
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