Gopher Mountain and Choral Peak are two high points by Anthem Peak. The peaks are close to each other to tackle in one trip. Entiat River Trail and Anthem Creek are the most direct of the various routes.
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Gopher Mountain and Choral Peak at a Glance
Choral Slam = Gopher Mountain + Choral Peak
聖歌滿貫=地鼠山+聖歌峯
Access: Entiat River Trailhead
Round Trip: 18.1 miles
Elevation Range: 3160′-8243′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
Entiat River Trail
Many wildfires in recent years have contributed to the Entiat River Road closure at mile 32. But luckily, the Forest Service reopened the roadway this year. So the timing was perfect for us to tackle Gopher Mountain and Choral Peak.
Early Saturday, the pup and I started on the excellent but dusty Entiat River Trail. Then at the first trail fork, we made a right onto Anthem Creek Trail–#1435. There was even more dust as we walked up the path.
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Anthem Creek Trail
The forest service had removed lots of down trees from the two-year-old fire. But later, at 4400′, the trail faded under massive debris and brush. The path reappeared at 5000′ but with more small logs to bypass.
Later at the next fork, we walked downhill on Duncan Hill Trail–#1434. Soon, we crossed Anthem Creek, our first water after we left Entiat River Trail. But I was happier to see that the fire had spared this area.
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Anthem Creek Basin
Shortly at the first clearing, we came across large tree debris burying parts of the trail. Then at 6400′, we hopped through a massive rock field and steep heather. The headwall from Choral Peak’s south ridge was directly overhead.
Ravens swirled above us in the 7040′ open basin, with Anthem Creek quietly flowing through the grassland. I scouted out a campsite and dropped off most of the gear. Then we headed for the 7500′ pass.
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Gopher Mountain Climb
Before the trip, I couldn’t find reports of climbing Gopher Mountain via Anthem Creek. So the plan was to go through Choral Creek if we couldn’t make it into Choral Lake from Choral Peak. But to my surprise, north of the pass was nothing more than a steep talus.
Later we dropped 300′ to the lake. Then we went around the buttress of Point 7130. Before long, we were going up on steep choss and heather, aiming for Gopher Mountain’s western saddle. But the scree from 7200′ to the pass was slow going.
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Gopher Mountain Summit Views
Smoke from last weekend’s trip seemed to have affected my breathing. I stopped to catch my breath every few minutes. We made the final 400′ to the top as clouds moved into the area. Meanwhile, a mountain goat watched us from above.
Soon, clouds had taken over the mountaintops. But glad I got to see Choral Peak before we left the top with everything else now in the mist. Going down the scree took no time as we plunge-stepped through most of it.
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Choral Peak Climb
We took a break by Choral Lake and then returned to the pass. Then the summit was only another 400′ above the east ridge. At 150′ below the top, steep terrain forced us to bypass the outcrops from the south with exposure.
The clouds had shortened our visit to signing the register and taking our selfies. We soon returned to the pass and reached camp 15 minutes before sunset. Then temperatures dropped overnight as the wind moved into the basin. Alas, fall had arrived.
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Outro
Climbing both peaks on day one meant a relaxing exit the next day. We enjoyed a quiet breakfast by the creek and hung out for a while in the morning. Then we dillydallied our way out as the sun came into the basin.
It grew warmer fast in the late morning. When we went back to the car past noon, it was in the high 70s.
See more trip photos here.