Sorcery Mountain by Mount Price via Horseshoe Lake / 巫術山

  • Reading time:9 mins read

Sorcery Mountain rises north of Mount Price in Middle Fork Snoqualmie. It perches over five lakes on the north and west, including Horseshoe Lake. Moreover, the peak gets a front-row view of Big Snow Mountain.

The summit of Sorcery Mountain
The summit of Sorcery Mountain

See more trip photos here.

Sorcery Mountain at a Glance

Access: Dingford Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 8 miles
Elevation Range: 1400′-5273′
Gear: snowshoes, microspikes
Route Info: NorthBen
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance

Sorcery Mountain in Middle Fork Snoqualmie

As I looked for more obscure places in Middle Fork Snoqualmie, I found Sorcery Mountain. It looked like it’d be a great place to avoid the mass. And that was the case despite the closeness to the trail.

I wasn’t sure if the road would be accessible this time of the year. But thanks to NorthBen‘s recent trip report, I knew driving through it would be doable.

Dingford Creek Trailhead
Dingford Creek Trailhead

See more trip photos here.

Dingford Creek Trail

Road conditions worsened once we turned onto NF-5620. The roadway had two deep ruts, which I could go through slowly in a small car. Three vehicles were in the lot when we arrived in the late morning.

The first time we hiked the Dingford Creek Trail was en route to Mount Price last year. Today, we found snow and ice soon after crossing the waterfall gully. Then we left the path east of Goat Creek and headed north uphill.

Winter starts here
Winter starts here

See more trip photos here.

Horseshoe Lake

We followed days-old boot tracks into the trees. Meanwhile, we hugged east of the creek and soon stumbled upon a trail past the initial thickets. Then we stayed on it until it faded under massive down trees.

Microspikes came in handy in slick snow until I switched to snowshoes at 3600′. By then, postholing had become annoying. It was still brushy in places with light snow but wasn’t as irritating as if there weren’t any.

Crossing the frozen Horseshoe Lake to Sorcery Mountain
Crossing the frozen Horseshoe Lake to Sorcery Mountain

See more trip photos here.

Sorcery Mountain West Ridge

Soon, we took a break by the serene Horseshoe Lake Basin. Then we made a beeline to the peninsula over the frozen water. Afterward, we returned to the trees and worked our way up the west ridge.

En route, we crossed old snowshoe tracks and avoided cliffs from the north side. Soon, we stumbled upon several outcrops that looked impassable at first. But we could climb over them using hidden ledges and vegetation.

Today's crew on the west ridge
Today’s crew on the west ridge

See more trip photos here.

Summit Ridge Traverse

Before long, we were on the southwest end of the ridgetop. The summit was still 100′ away on the other side of the crest. Soon, we dropped 20′ before walking through dense shrubs straight for the high point.

We went through the boulders and reached the snowy summit. Big Snow Mountain was virtually in our faces when we arrived. But it was the closest we were to the mountain without being on it.

Traversing and problem solving
Traversing and problem solving

See more trip photos here.

Sorcery Mountain Summit Views

This peak was a vantage point to view the big mountains and lakes in the basins. Many familiar peaks to the south included Mount Thomson, Red Mountain, Lundin Peak, and Snoqualmie Mountain.

I also saw Bryant Peak, Chair Peak, Kaleetan Peak, Caroline Peak, Preacher Mountain, and Treen Peak. Oh my! Moreover, Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak joined the lineup on this crisp and clear day.

Familiar peaks to the south
Familiar peaks to the south

See more trip photos here.

Leaving Middle Fork Snoqualmie

It turned out warmer and calmer than the forecast, in the high 50s and windless. We stayed a while before retracing our steps down to the lake. Soon, we followed our tracks and the trail out to the car.

The front passenger light was on when we reached the car. Then a nearby driver asked if the battery had died and needed a jump. In the dark, we soon realized we had met through Instagram a few years back. Small world!

Back to Horseshoe Lake
Back to Horseshoe Lake

See more trip photos here.

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