Nursery Peak by The Cradle rises south of Sixtysix Hundred Ridge and Black Jack Ridge. It’s been on the laundry list for a while as it’s also an excellent vantage point for views. Of all route options, North Scatter Creek Trail provides the most directly way to reach this peak.
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Nursery Peak at a Glance
Access: North Scatter Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 3320′-6962′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
North Scatter Creek Trail
The trail was in decent shape but with lots of down trees in the lower elevation. Later the terrain steepened right after we went through the last group of windfalls. Those ended up being a little tough to bypass.
Later the terrain flattened right before we re-entered the forest with continuous snow at last. It was much firmer in the trees so postholing wasn’t an issue at all. We were also able move much more quickly.
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Going Around Tucquala Peak
After we came out of the trees, we moved in the direction of the summer trail. Then we went around Tucquala Peak from the east. In hindsight, we should have dropped lower onto the 6240′ saddle for a smooth traverse.
We were too high on the slopes, and had to go down the other side through a steep gully. On the way in, it was hard to gauge the incline. But on the way back, we figured out a better route to bypass Tucquala Peak.
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Southwestern Slopes
Later we dropped to the saddle of Meadow Creek and French Creek. In doing so, the actual crux was regaining the 1000′ of elevation lost. But once we crossed the pass, we only went through a short brushy section to be in the upper basin.
From there, the route looked straightforward. Later we took the steep southwest and went straight up to the top. Postholing was never a problem, but I put on snowshoes for traction through the sketchy places.
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Nursery Peak Summit Views
The windy summit gave us views that were as grand as any other peaks in excellent weather conditions. The pup and dodged the gusts on the east by staying behind the bushes. We hung out until after the wind had died down.
To the northwest was today’s main attraction–The Cradle. Most nearby mountains and ridges were visible on this gorgeous day. So I was able to see Stuart Range, Jack Ridge, Blackjack Ridge, and Mount Daniel.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
I kept glancing over at Tucquala Peak on the way back. But we couldn’t have gone back up there soon enough!
