Tiffany Mountain by Old Baldy is the tallest in the East-Central Okanogan Range. Its nearest taller neighbor sits 18 miles away to the north. Moreover, Freezeout Ridge via Freezeout Trail offers a scenic and leisurely hike.
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Tiffany Mountain at a Glance
Freezeout Slam = Tiffany Mountain + Middle Tiffany Mountain + Rock Mountain 7971
凍結滿貫=蒂芬妮山+中蒂芬妮山+石山7971
Access: Freezeout Ridge Trailhead
Round Trip: 14.6 miles
Elevation Range: 6560′-8245′
Gear: helmet
Route Info: wildernessed
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
The drive to Summer Blossom Trailhead through Copper Ridge last week was rough. So this week, I wanted something relaxing and enjoyable, at least the driving part. Then I looked to Gilbert Peak in Goat Rocks Wilderness.
The initial plan was to make the famous climb a long day trip. Then, we’d still have another day to climb Tiffany Mountain the morning after. But we needed to change plans at the last minute due to unforeseen conditions.
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South Fork Tieton Road Closure
Late at night, I unexpectedly drove to the gated South Fork Tieton Road by the NF-750. Then I looked at the map and saw it was a seven-mile walk to the Conrad Meadows Trailhead. So, no, thank you.
Without a backup plan, I decided to visit Tiffany Mountain on Saturday. So we spent the next six hours driving north to Winthrop. During that, we slept by the highway, and at 5 AM, we started moving again.
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Freezeout Ridge Trailhead
At last, we drove through Winthrop at 8 AM to Road 37. It was bumpy, but even more so below the pass, but still manageable in a small car. We reached Freezeout Ridge Trailhead in under an hour from the city.
Soon, we made our way up the trail toward Whistler Pass in the warm weather. At the first trail fork, we went south on the North Summit Trail to Clark Peak. Since it was close by, I decided to include the peak on the agenda at the last minute.
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Clark Peak Summit Views
The actual high point wasn’t visible until we were up on the east ridge. We quickly bypassed a notch from the south when we came to it on the ridgeline. We soon finished the climb with a short scramble.
The summit was a great vantage point to see our other three goals side by side. It was smoky, just off west of Eightmile Creek. The haze had come from the Diamond Creek Fire that started one month ago.
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Back to Whistler Pass by Tiffany Mountain
Back on Whistler Pass, we hiked north on North Summit Trail to Honeymoon Pass. The map showed the 7300′ fork with Tiffany Lake Trail 200′ higher. So we ended up scrambling down to the basin.
Soon, we joined the Tiffany Lake Trail through the old burn in North Fork Salmon Creek Basin. It’s been incredibly arid throughout, without a drop of water. So, the tiny stream was our only oasis since leaving the car.
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Rock Mountain 7919 Summit Views
From Honeymoon Pass, we hiked north straight up to Rock Mountain 7919. The lone radio facility marked the top of this remote high point. Soon, I directed my attention to the massive wildfire smoke spanning the west skyline.
It had grown pretty windy, so we left after a quick break to leave the wind gusts. Then Middle Tiffany Mountain, our next stop, was across the 7500′ joining saddle. It didn’t take long before we reached another remote high point.
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Middle Tiffany Mountain Summit Views
The summit had views similar to Rock Mountain, so we didn’t stay long. I would’ve liked to spend more time checking out other places in the area. But we still needed to reach our final goal, Tiffany Mountain, before sundown.
The gurgling croak of Ravens echoed through the basins as we reached back at Honeymoon Pass. I had thought of climbing via the northwest saddle, but I wasn’t sure if it was doable for the pup. Besides, we needed more water from the basin.
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En Route to Tiffany Mountain
Soon, we made our way back to North Fork Salmon Creek Basin. We quickly retraced our steps to Whistler Pass after finding the North Summit Trail fork.
We went up the southeast ridge on a faint path and reached the top shortly after. Lots of boulders and sand piles had scattered the summit. Tiffany Mountain also boasted a broad top with views abound.
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Sunset Views Plus Outro
We stayed on top for a long while to watch the sunset before leaving. The evening light had glistened Rock Mountain and Middle Tiffany Mountain across the basin. So we enjoyed the extensive and beautiful views around us.
It was to believe that the equinox was only under one month away! I was beginning to miss those nine o’clock sunsets.
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