Burnt Mountain was our first time in the area in three years. Then the year before that, I went up Tolmie Peak south of here. Last weekend we went up to Lookout Mountain by Bellingham.
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Burnt Mountain at a Glance
Access: NF-7810
Round Trip: 9 miles
Elevation Range: 2800′-5440′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Road 7810
On a good day, most of the peaks around Mount Rainier would yield decent views if not woodsy. So Burnt Mountain was my attempt to spend more time down here during the offseason.
The old roadway from the parking area to the first bend had turned into a trail. Beyond the switchback, it was a monotonous road walk to the road’s end at 3600′.
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Carbon River Valley
The endless views into the valley eased the boredom. Then there was also Mount Rainier slowly poking out from behind the ridgelines. So the scenery made the road walk more tolerable.
Later we went onto the minor south ridge at the road’s end. It was directly overhead, and so it was hard to miss. Then we scrambled up through the dense forest to the ridge at 4400′.
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Burnt Mountain Ridge Traverse
From there, we took another service road and went east. Then snow appeared in just a couple hundred feet. Later the road ended on the north side of the ridge.
Afterward, we scrambled up to the ridge crest. From there, we found a faint trail by an opening in the forest. Soon, Mount Rainier was now in full display.
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The Final Stretch
Later we came out onto yet another road at 4900′. From there, we could either cross the roadway and continue on the ridgeline. Or we could follow the path around the south of the crest.
So we picked the first option to avoid more road walk. At least for the rest of the ascent. Then that put us on the 5040′ saddle and up to the summit.
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Burnt Mountain Summit
Burnt Mountain sported a woodsy summit. So we had zero views there. So we walked around and hoped to find openings through branches. That way, we could look into the east.
That didn’t work. So we dropped 100′ from the top. Then we rested in the shade on the sloped. At least we could still enjoy the magnificent view of Mount Rainier and nearby peaks.
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Outro
The road below the top went around to the east. So I had thought about following it to get more views. By then, it was too warm and slushy. So I ditched the idea and left.
Later we arrived back at the road’s end at 3600′. Then we shortcut through the logging debris and down to the road at 2700′. So that spared us from more road walk.
See more trip photos here.
