Devils Backbone was last weekend‘s backup trip. But because of the windy forecast, we stuck to the initial plan. Plus, it would’ve also added two extra hours of unplanned driving time to come here.
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Devils Backbone and Angle Peak at a Glance
Access: NF-5504
Round Trip: 7.5 miles
Elevation Range: 3800′-6735′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
Road 5504
The drive started with NF-5501 just off Entiat River Road. Then at the three-way junction, we went onto NF-5504. I was glad to be able to get close to the southwest ridge at 3800′. Soon, we scrambled up to the ridgeline. The map shows a trail here. But I didn’t see one.
The partly sunny forecast improved overtime. It was windy higher up both on the way up and coming back down. But the weather was significantly better than last week. Much of the snow on the main ridgeline had melted since Eric’s report.
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Devils Backbone Southwest Ridge
For the most part, we were able to stay on the ridgeline. But sometimes we bypassed outcrops from the west. At 6000′, we moved left and went into a broad, steep gully. The snow had softened from direct sunlight.
I didn’t put on snowshoes sooner. So I stepped through soft snow up to the knees in several places. The pups followed closely behind for a wheel. Later, we made it up to the west of the summit at 6600′. Then it was just a short walk up to the top.
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Devils Backbone Summit
This summit was somewhat woodsy. But the views were generally excellent. There was the taller Stormy Mountain to the southeast. Plus, the Tyee Ridge dominating the southwestern skyline. Low-hanging clouds were on the western horizon. But the peaks over on that side were still visible.
To the south, I could also see The Enchantments. Plus, to the north, the high points in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness were also visible. I even saw a sliver of Lake Chelan down by Twentyfive Mile Creek.
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Next Stop, Angle Peak
We savored the views for an hour. Later, I finally put on snowshoes. Soon, we made our way over to Angle Peak. There was enough snow coverage on the ridge. So it allowed us to traverse more efficiently.
Along the way, we went through places with steep drop-offs on the north side. But we easily avoided them by going through the rocks from the south. We light scrambled some. Then it was another simple walk-up to the summit.
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Angle Peak Summit
I looked around the flat and broad summit. But I had a hard time believing that it was a peak. The high point didn’t even look definitive. Nevertheless, views to the east were decent. But the dense forest filled in the rest of the summit.
I was curious to see out to the west. So we continued walking through the trees. Later, we went up to a bridge bump at 7040′. Its steep north side overlooked Bear Lake. Then we went down onto the western saddle. So I could have a closer look at the water. We then turned around here.
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Outro
On the way out, we stopped just before Angle Peak. Then we went down on the south rib west of the peak. From there, we had a direct view of the southwest ridge of Devils Backbone.
Later, at 5,400′, we moved southeast through heather and shrub slopes. Then we came out onto the roadway at 4000′ by the creek. Half a mile of road walk later, and we were back at our car.
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