Catkin Peak and McCall Mountain lie north of Dirtyface Mountain by Lake Wenatchee. They rest on the south end of Chiwawa Ridge above Twin Lakes. Meanwhile, Chiwawa River Valley spans east into Glacier Peak Wilderness.
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Catkin Peak and McCall Mountain at a Glance
Access: NF-6300-511
Round Trip: 8.4 miles
Elevation Range: 2780′-5760′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Big Meadow Creek Road (Road 6300)
After yesterday’s last-minute trip, I planned Balt Peak today but couldn’t due to the snow. Soon, I found two reports of the nearby Catkin Peak. But the group starting from Chiwawa River Road was vague about their route from Road 6306.
Instead, I checked out Road 6300, which was in great shape to the fork with Road 6304. Beyond that point were several long ruts that looked like the result of ORVs over the wet roadway. Soon, we turned right onto NF-511.
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Catkin Peak East Route
I drove half a mile on NF-511 and parked below the snow around the corner at 2800′. Soon, we walked up to Road 6307 and turned left. Then I put on snowshoes as we welcomed the warmth of the morning sun.
The slide-alder-infested road ended shortly, and we went northwest in the trees. After crossing a small creek to the north, we stumbled upon an old trail with flagging. The path took us through areas of down trees before dwindling.
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South Ridge Traverse
From 4200′, we went up a steep incline before reaching the south ridge at 4800′ to go north. Before long, the clouds rolled in, and it flurried as we moved higher. So I wasn’t sure if we’d see anything today; first-world problem.
Flurries soon turned into snow higher on the hill. But at least we could hide under the trees if it worsened. Meanwhile, the wind blew in all directions but finally calmed down when we reached the summit.
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Catkin Peak Summit Views
Clouds had overtaken the valleys, so we walked to the north side to stay out of the wind. Despite low clouds, I could still see the distant peaks. Fifth of July Mountain, Rampartt Mountain, and Basalt Peak sat across the valley.
Most trees were on the west to see anything. Amazingly, the sky cleared half an hour later, and soon, it was sunny again. Yes! We stayed a little longer to photograph the mountains before moving on to our second goal.
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Onward to McCall Mountain
The gentle west slopes went through the open forest, where we dropped 400′ to the saddle. The east flank of McCall Mountain was mild until the final 100′. Then it suddenly steepened below the ridge.
We went through dense trees on the south ridge in the final 200′. Views were spotty throughput until the top. Despite the strong breeze, the wind chill didn’t feel as awful now that the sun was blasting.
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McCall Mountain Summit Plus Outro
The weather improved with better views, but the clouds remained over the northern peaks. I saw Mount David, where we spent a long day climbing over a decade ago. But trees on the south side were in the way of the vistas.
Back at the saddle, we bypassed Catkin Peak to the south ridge at 5000′. We joined our hard-earned tracks in the snow from this morning. Soon, we returned to the east side before seeing the trail again.
See more trip photos here.