Dandy Peak lies south of Dandy Mountain by Stampede Pass. To the south stands Snowshoe Butte across the Green Watershed. Meanwhile, the distinct Meadow Mountain rises to the west, the source of Cedar Creek.
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Dandy Peak at a Glance
Access: Stampede Pass
Round Trip: 5 miles
Elevation Range: 3660′-4400′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Chinook Pass to Stampede Pass
I wanted to include the peak when we visited Dandy Mountain but shied away because of snowmobiles. We drove to Chinook Pass this morning, hoping to snowshoe somewhere. But we turned around after seeing persistent clouds and flurries.
So, we drove two hours to Stampede Pass. Road 54 was decent until past the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, with many potholes strewing the road to Mosquito Creek. It slowly improved as we gained elevation.
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Dandy Peak via Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
Three other cars were at the pass when we reached the PCT trailhead. It started to drizzle after we began walking, but it didn’t last long. Even so, the trees would likely keep us from being soaking wet.
We enjoyed hillside views as the trail went in and out of Kittitas and King Counties. At 4500′, we went into the clearing and saw today’s goal across Sunday Creek. The top looked woodsy, so I didn’t think we’d see anything.
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Road Walk Plus Some Scramble
Past the county line was the four-way crossing. Then we left the PCT to go south on an unnamed snowy road despite being in the shade. So I put on microspikes for traction before it cleared up below the ridge.
The views widened at the road’s end, with Dandy Peak only half a mile away. Shortly, we entered the trees and went south on a faint path, at times hard to follow. It led us east of the crest and bypassed down trees.
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Dandy Peak Summit
The high point sat on the southeasternmost end of the ridge. But to my surprise, the south side was mainly tree free. The viewpoint farther down the ridgeline had better views, where we spent most of our time.
Mount Rainier would’ve been behind Kelly Butte if it weren’t for the clouds. Snowshoe Butte and Snaggle Tree Peak south of Sunday Creek were also visible. The powerline clearing below parallelled the water.
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Outro
I thought about visiting Little Muffin on the way back. But the weather looked like it could worsen at any moment, and so I ditched the idea. Then we spent even more time on this summit before heading out.
As we walked down the road, the loud noise of cowbells soon caught my attention. It was some other hiker with their pup across the basin. Hmm, I could get those loud bells for the dogs too.
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