Arrowhead Mountain by Jim Hill Mountain and Rock Mountain / 箭頭山

  • Reading time:5 mins read

Arrowhead Mountain by Jim Hill Mountain is south of Rock Mountain on Nason Ridge. It’s also a stone’s throw away from Stevens Pass. To the east lies the vast Chiwaukum Mountains, including the notable Big Chiwaukum.

Arrowhead Mountain summit up ahead
Arrowhead Mountain summit up ahead

See more trip photos here.

Arrowhead Mountain at a Glance

Access: Highway 2 south pullout by BNSF Railway trestle
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 2800′-6030′
Gear: snowshoes, ice ax
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance

The Preface

I spent the evening looking for a suitable sunny day scramble for all of us. Then I stumbled across a trip report on Arrowhead Mountain by HikerJim on WTA. One of my favorite reporters who had done the climb two years earlier.

Knowing I’d get my panoramic view on top, pups and I set off on the climb. The mountain sat directly south of Rock Mountain, which Cooper and I climbed last summer.

BNSF freight train in the AM
BNSF freight train in the AM

See more trip photos here.

Northeast Ridge Traverse

The terrain was steeper than I had expected. It felt as though I was climbing up the pyramids, not that I’d been on one. But since it was my first snowshoe trip in deep snow, we took many breaks along the way.

From pullout by Highway 2 to the northwest ridge was as steep as going from the crest to the summit. It was also the first time I’d summited a peak in snowshoes, yippee. So it took a lot of work carving out a path for the three of us.

Today's Arrowhead Mountain crew
Today’s Arrowhead Mountain crew

See more trip photos here.

Arrowhead Mountain Summit Views Plus Outro

The sun was still high in the sky when we reached the top at 3 o’clock. So it took us six hours since we left the trailhead at 9 AM. The climb had exhausted the dogs, and the yellow pup napped while I took pictures of the peaks.

Glad to have brought my long lenses to capture distant peaks. After taking photos, I fed the dogs, took our summit group shot, and left the mountain in slush. The walk down by the train tracks wasn’t too exciting.

Panoramic view
Panoramic view

See more trip photos here.

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