Greenway Mountain by Change Peak overlooks Chester Morse Lake of Cedar River Watershed. Zig Zag Trail via Hall Creek offers a direct way to the summit. Meanwhile, to the west perches Rattlesnake Ledge above Green Valley.
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Greenway Mountain at a Glance
Access: Hall Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 8.7 miles
Elevation Range: 1240′-4440′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
Route Info: Joanne Najdzin
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
A New Way to Greenway Mountain
It was our third visit to Greenway Mountain in eight years. The times before, we started from Mount Washington Trailhead to the top of Change Creek around Change Peak. Then we’d hug the ridgetop and walk the service road.
But we took the excellent Zig Zag Trail via Hall Creek Trailhead this time. It’s a path I didn’t know existed until this trip while looking at the nearby trails! Say what?! But using a new route to an old stomping ground is refreshing.
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Zig Zag Trail
We walked half a mile on Hall Creek Trail to Hall Creek Trestle, part of the Palouse to Cascades Trail. Then Zig Zag Trail went straight up the slope at the road fork. As the name implies, the path went through many switchbacks.
The lower path was mainly dry before snow patches appeared at the trail’s top. Soon, views expanded midway up the steep route. Places like Mount Si and Mailbox Peak were visible through the dense forest.
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Road 9023
After gaining 1200′ over .75 miles, we reached Road 9023. Judging by the tire marks, there were recent activities. More snow appeared beyond the end of the drivable roadway. It was freezing in the shade despite being sunny.
I put on snowshoes in continuous snow before reaching the Hall Creek Trail fork in under a mile. Though on the map, I couldn’t find the path for some reason. Soon, we walked over a mile to Road 9023-410.
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Upper Basin
By now, walking the road had become tedious. At the same time, I didn’t feel like making two long switchbacks to the ridge. So from the fork, we left the path and continued to the top of the boulder basin.
We went through the massive snowy talus in the basin with an open view behind us. Then we scrambled south in the dense trees over icy slopes. Then we went through several steep places below the road at 4200′.
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Greenway Mountain Summit Views
Above the trees, we walked half a mile in the precious sunlight to the top of Greenway Mountain. The northern half of the summit was woodsy without views. But we spent most of our time there dodging the wind gusts.
Despite the sun, it was subfreezing due to the wind chill. Like before, we enjoyed the vast southern vistas and savored the warmth. There were also partial views in the other directions by peeking through tree branches.
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Outro
Hall Creek Basin didn’t see much sun today. And we would soon lose all the heat once we returned to the woods. Glad that I decided to bypass the road since it had shaved off quite a bit of distance each way.
I had thought about exploring Hall Creek Trail. But I still couldn’t find the trail fork on our way down. Later we saw a few folks at the end of the drivable roadway. It sounded like they had come up through Mine Creek. And now for the steep exit.
See more trip photos here.