Dandy Mountain lies north of Dandy Peak by Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It perches over Meadow Creek at the south end of Keechelus Lake. Moreover, Stampede Pass via Interstate 90 offers the quickest way to the mountain.
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Dandy Mountain at a Glance
Access: NF-5480 (Meadow Creek)
Round Trip: 4.5 miles
Elevation Range: 2520′-4360′
Gear: snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
It was my second time in the Stampede Pass area. The first time was nine years ago, almost to the day when I went up to Loser Ridge. But I want to return to explore more of the area when the roads are clear of snow.
I planned to use today to recoup after yesterday’s outing, But the Easter morning sunshine made it tough to stay in bed. We came to Dandy Mountain as a backup plan when Meadow Mountain was a no-go.
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Starting by Keechelus Lake
Lost Lake Road was still under the snow the last time I was here. So I didn’t know all these potholes were underneath back then. But they made the 1.5-mile drive to the south end of Keechelus Lake very unpleasant.
I suspected Meadow Mountain was still unreachable, and I was right. The snow berm awaited us by the NF-5483 fork when we arrived. But it made sense that most come during the summer when the road is dry.
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Plan B: Dandy Mountain
With the spotty cell signal, I saw that Dandy Mountain was only 1.5 miles away. I was too lazy to drive elsewhere and parked by the snow berm east of Meadow Creek. Then we snowshoed south on the spur road.
Soon, we left the road at the powerline clearing and continued south. We took advantage of the thin vegetation from the snow to move more quickly. But it grew denser higher up as we approached NF-5484.
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En Route to Stampede Ridge
The dense trees above NF-5484 didn’t look fun. Looking around for a better way, I noticed a small gully by the road bend. From below, the semi-open forest appeared to be a better option than the road.
We climbed the steep gully for 400′ before going onto a spur road on top. Then we took a break to enjoy our first view of Keechelus Lake across the basin. Soon, we continued up the road for another way into the forest.
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The Road to Dandy Mountain
The less brushy northwest side gave direct access to the ridge. From the snowmobile tracks ridgetop, the views to the north were excellent. Soon, we took NF-5400-332 and walked southwest toward the top of Dandy Mountain.
We walked half a mile on the road, which hugged the crest below the east. Then it took only minutes to reach the top through the light brush. Despite snowmobile activities, the broad summit remained untouched.
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Dandy Mountain Summit Views
The only opening on top faced the north, while views to the other directions were spotty. But by peeking through trees, I could still see the top of Mount Rainier. It majestically rose through the thick clouds to the south.
The vast Keechelus Lake for sure was today’s main attraction. Then over the water were many familiar places above Snoqualmie Pass. Snoqualmie Mountain, Mount Thomson, and Red Mountain were among them.
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Outro
The 2.25 miles each way meant we’d have a fast descent. We soon followed our tracks back on the spur road to the gully. Then I took a minute to savor the last views before diving back into the trees.
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