North Navarre Peak and Bryan Butte sit on the south end of the vast Sawtooth Ridge. Both places are accessible via Summer Blossom Trail. Best of all, either peak offers grand views of the taller neighbors to the north.
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North Navarre Peak and Bryan Butte at a Glance
Approach: Summer Blossom Trailhead
Round Trip: 6.2 miles
Elevation Range: 4760′-7963′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
Last weekend, the pup and I climbed Marsupial Peak and Gilbert Mountain above North Creek Basin. Then this week, we came to visit North Navarre Peak and Bryan Butte on the south end of Sawtooth Ridge.
North Navarre Peak was our final goal on the extensive Sawtooth Ridge. Since it was a short trip, we included the nearby Bryan Butte for more exercise. But the crux turned out not to be the climb but the road.
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Cooper Mountain Road
The 38 miles from Chelan to Summer Blossom Trail were far less appealing than the trail name. Cooper Mountain Road climbed steadily lower down before hugging the ridgeline. We drove past several high points en route.
The final miles on Grade Creek Road were full of deep ruts; it was shocking to make it in a small car. The estimated 2.5-hour drive took an extra hour and burned more fuel. So I had doubts about making it back on a near-empty tank.
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North Navarre Peak Climb
We started walking in the late morning over the excellent Summer Blossom Trail. We had hiked the trail’s north end a month ago via Deadmans Pass. It was one weekend before my trip to the Picket Range.
From Navarre Pass, another 150′ of a leisurely walk took us up to the top. But the high point had trees that blocked the panoramic view. So after tagging the summit, we spent the rest of our time on the west edge.
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North Navarre Peak Summit Views
This broad summit offered excellent views to the north, including the extensive Sawtooth Ridge. We also saw glimpses to the northwest– Merchants Basin, Horsethief Basin, and Safety Harbor Basins.
South Navarre Peak also looked impressive from this angle. Since we had come up here sooner than expected, we lounged around before leaving the top. Our second and final stop on this trip was Bryan Butte.
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Bryant Butte Climb
I decided to include Bryan Butte to make the long drive worthwhile. So we later left the trail back at 6900′ and went northeast in the meadow. Then at the top of Falls Creek Basin, we climbed up the steep southwest ridge.
We fought through dense growth below the top before reaching the bouldered summit. The 180-degree view included Merchants Basin plus Sawtooth Ridge. But the tall peaks to the north were now too far to see clearly.
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Outro
We took more time to bypass the ruts on the drive back to Chelan. The low fuel light came on before we were even halfway down the ridge. So I kept the inReach handy if we needed to stop for any reason.
But we made it down to the city in time to refuel. The last thing we needed was to wait for help in the backcountry!
See more trip photos here.