Devils Peak in Pasayten Wilderness by Robinson Mountain rises above Robin Creek Valley. The latter is the taller, more notable neighbor two miles to the east. Best of all, the peak’s closeness to Slate Pass makes it doable in a day.
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Check out this post for Devils Peak off Mountain Loop Highway.
Devils Peak at a Glance
Access: Buckskin Ridge Trailhead at Slate Pass
Round Trip: 8.5 miles
Elevation Range: 5680‘ -8081′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the trail
Devils Peak in Pasayten Wilderness
My initial plan was to go up Mount Rolo on day one. Then we’d camp somewhere by Robinson Pass to climb Devils Peak in the Pasayten Wilderness on day two. Afterward, we’d go back to Slate Pass.
But on the map, the 478A trail junction looked very close to Slate Pass. So I decided to go back to the car after climbing Mount Rolo. Plus, I would have a lighter pack, and we could move more efficiently.
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Buckskin Ridge Trailhead at Slate Pass
Like yesterday, we needed to make our way back down to the top of the Middle Fork Pasayten River Valley. Already, I wasn’t looking forward to going back up to the pass for the third time.
Soon, the looming Devils Peak over Robinson Creek Valley caught my eyes. The top of the peak gleamed in the morning sun. Later we took the faint path at the first trail bend. But it wasn’t the way to Trail 478A.
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En Route to Robinson Creek Trail
Though, the faint path dwindled shortly. Then we were right back in the basin below Slate Pass. Then we tried finding the 478A turnoff and couldn’t find the reported cairn.
So we walked past the hidden fork at some point. But fortunately, I spotted the trail after we backtracked a short distance. Then it didn’t take long to hike down to Robinson Creek Trail.
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Through the Larch Meadow
Later we left Robinson Creek Trail and went uphill in light brush and down trees. As we neared the 6400′ bench, the sudden wolf howling in the distant west had us on edge. But the sound slowly faded as we moved farther south.
We continued traversing south from the larch meadow. But first and foremost, our goal was to bypass the southwest-facing buttress. So we could reach the talus field on the side of the cliffs.
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Bypassing Southwest Buttress
Somehow we got ourselves into a small section of waist-high, dense shrubs. Many larches strewed the steep slopes, and most of them had already turned the vibrant gold color.
Just on the other side of the larches was the buttress. Then we had no choice but to bypass it at 7000′ through loose choss.
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Through the Talus Field
On the other side of the buttress was the massive talus field I saw from the trail earlier. So it took a while to reach the 7400′ notch on the other side. But I was glad that nothing moved as we hopped through the rocks.
From the access notch, we had our first look at the entrance to the steep gully. We also saw views beyond the misty Robinson Creek Valley. The cascading ridges were simply breathtaking.
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Devils Peak South Gully
But to move into the south gully, we needed to go through more choss first. This peak sure had no shortage of it! So the pup and I took turns going up through this section to be safe.
Things began to look more promising beyond the gully. All we needed to do was a bit more scrambling over solid rocks and ledges. Soon, we had made it up to the summit ridge.
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Devils Peak Summit Views
At last, a short ridge traverse had put us on top. But just then, it began to drizzle. Soon, the low-hanging clouds obscured views to the north, including Mount Rolo from the day before.
Though, views were more pleasing in all the other directions. The grand Robinson Mountain next door was virtually in our face. But the top of the taller peaks, like Mount Ballard, was still in the clouds.
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Outro
The weather looked like it would worsen. So we left the top after a short and sweet visit. But later, the sky had cleared up a bit when we went back to the access notch.
To my surprise, the sun came out again at the larch meadow. There we retraced our steps back to the trail. And soon, we were making our way back up to Slate Pass in an afternoon of sunshine.
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