Flag Mountain by Table Mountain and Lion Rock perches above the small community of Liberty. To the south spans the vast Kittitas Valley. Then on the west, Stuart Range stretches over Teanaway Backcountry.
See more trip photos here.
Flag Mountain at a Glance
Access: NF-111
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 2800′-3834′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
I often feel nervous about a place like Liberty due to the vague private property boundaries. Land ownership frequently changes, which the maps don’t always show. But I decided to go for the views on the only sunny of the week.
I drove past the town center and private streets before turning onto the muddy NF-111. Then I parked the car by the “private property” sign before crossing the road. Then we traversed northeast up the brushy slopes.
See more trip photos here.
Flag Mountain Summit
Once on the southwest ridge, the climb over open terrain was pretty straightforward. En route, we hugged the crest and crossed NF-117 once. It ended up being a moderate ridge walk straight up to the summit.
After a short break savoring the views, we continued east on NF-123 over snow patches. Soon, continuous snow appeared at the fork with NF-116, but it’d be gone in a few weeks. It later turned slushy on the way back.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
We barely walked up Snowshoe Ridge before I decided not to continue. I wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to savor more views. So we turned around and returned to the Flag Mountain summit for the rest of the trip.
The wind was tolerable enough to stay and enjoy views for a while. We had clear views of Table Mountain, Lion Rock, Stuart Range, and Teanaway peaks. I also saw the top of Mount Rainier to the south and Liberty by our feet.
See more trip photos here.
