Duchess of Kent by Duke of Kent and Mount Kent / 肯特公爵夫人

  • Reading time:9 mins read

Duchess of Kent and Duke of Kent share a rocky ridgeline by Mount Kent. Though short in height, the obscure peak harbors expansive views of South Fork Snoqualmie River Valley to the north. Meanwhile, McClellan Butte lends itself to the dramatic landscape above Alice Creek Basin.

Duchess of Kent in plain sight
Duchess of Kent in plain sight

See more trip photos here.

Duchess of Kent at a Glance

Access: NF-9020 end of the drivable road
Round Trip: TBD
Elevation Range: 2200′-4703′
Gear: helmet
GPS Track: not available
Dog-Friendly: on the road

The Preface

Alas! Fall has bestowed upon us earlier than we expected. In three months, it was our first Friday night not to sleep at the trailhead. Glad to be close to home after many weeks in distant places.

I’m still going through summer trips and forever catching up on blog posts. But hopefully, posting our most recent outing would motivate me to speed up the process.

End of the road
End of the road

See more trip photos here.

Late Start on Duchess of Kent

As a last-minute decision, we went back to Alice Creek Basin. I had banked on the late morning rain, so the pup and I set off early this morning. I wanted to visit the second and last loyalty of the dukedom of Kent.

But our early start ended up being late by the Cascades standard. I drove to the end of the drivable road, and we started walking. Soon, at 500′ past the Alice Creek bridge washout, we went uphill at the fork.

Like morning dew
Like morning dew

See more trip photos here.

Road Walk

Having snow would have helped walking on the rocky and brushy roadbed. But the path conditions seemed to have worsened since our previous visit. Or it could be the lack of foot traffic.

We both became damp very soon. But it wasn’t because of the rain but the wet vegetation in the previous night’s drizzles. We couldn’t avoid it but continue up into the 3080’ clearing.

Light at the end of the brush
Light at the end of the brush

See more trip photos here.

Duchess of Kent West Slopes

Later, we came to the bottom of the northwest ridge as the road faded into a large alder swatch. So we moved onto the rocks on the northwest slope to bypass most of the dense brushes.

We went up on the ridge, and meanwhile, through the steep and broken ridgeline. But we always bypassed the outcrops from the south. Shortly after, we went onto the west slopes at 4200′.

Broken ridgeline on Duchess of Kent
Broken ridgeline on Duchess of Kent

See more trip photos here.

The Final Stretch

At 4400′, we came up to the cliffs and moved south along the rock wall. Then we aimed at the main northwest-facing gully. One report implied that the party had gone into a steep ravine to the notch between the summits.

We must’ve overshot the gully and went up on the south peak first. Then from the 4520′ saddle, we reached the north summit shortly. The pass separated the Duchess of Kent from the three pinnacles on the south.

The final stretch on Duchess of Kent
The final stretch on Duchess of Kent

See more trip photos here.

Duchess of Kent Summit

The high point had unobstructed views of the Snoqualmie River Valley. In turn, it had a more open landscape than the Duke of Kent, which sat 150′ higher to the southwest. But it’s equally beautiful nonetheless.

Other visible high points were McClellan Butte, Mount Defiance, Granite Mountain, Hibox Mountain, Kaleetan Peak, and Mount Roosevelt. But Bandera Mountain and distant peaks stayed in the clouds.

Northern panoramic view over I-90
Northern panoramic view over I-90

Outro

The pup and I enjoyed an extended and rain-free visit before leaving. Glad the 11 AM rain didn’t show up until a few hours later.

See more trip photos here.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Kim A Sturts

    Do you have the GPS track of this that I could check out?

    1. onehikeaweek

      Hi Kim,

      Happy Monday and thanks for reaching out! Yes of course. I’ll send you my track via email.

      Cheers,
      John

    2. onehikeaweek

      Hi Kim,

      I’m embarrassed to say that I do not have a track for this peak after checking my archive. I believe I got the beta from https://www.yellowleaf.org/. Feel free to contact me and I can fill you in on the details.

      Cheers,
      John

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