Haystack Mountain by Mount Persis and TOC Rock perches above Skykomish River. The top offers a near-sweeping view even with its short stature. The direct way is now via the trestle in Big Eddy Park due to land right.
See more trip photos here.
Haystack Mountain at a Glance
Access: Big Eddy Park (access info)
Round Trip: 9 miles
Elevation Range: 240′-2715′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
Route Info: Chandler Haberlack, Nancyann
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: on the road
North Cascades – Chelan Permit From Weyerhaeuser
May 27, 2021: I received the below message in an email from Weyerhaeuser regarding the purchasing of permits:
This email is to notify you that Weyerhaeuser is currently under contract to sell the North Cascades – Chelan Recreational Permit Area to Hampton Resources, a forest products company, in July of 2021.
Due to the pending change in ownership, Weyerhaeuser will not be offering 2021-22 recreational permits for North Cascades-Chelan permit area on our website.
Weyerhaeuser Recreation
See more trip photos here.
Haystack Mountain
The SummitPost.org entry no longer reflects current access requirements. The quickest way used to be from NF-6200 past Proctor Creek. But trying to go that way now would add an extra four miles each way from Highway 2.
We spent the bulk of our time on the road. But not before having to cross the railroad tracks to the south. Then we went through a section of brambles to the roadway at 200′ above. A few yards east was a fork in the road.
See more trip photos here.
Walking the Road
The roadway was in great shape due to the number of logging trucks moving through the area. A few side paths seemed to lead to nowhere. Some of them even had debris piles marking the road’s end.
We walked a quarter of a mile west before slowly losing elevation. At the lowest point, we were back at the same altitude, one mile from the car. Then the road stayed flat for another mile or so past that point.
See more trip photos here.
Logging Terrain
The amount of logging debris on the hillsides was devastating. It’s always sad to see the aftermath of deforestation. Google satellite view also showed clearcutting up to a few hundred feet below the top.
It’d been cloudy all morning with spotty views since we left the car. We slowly lost sight of Haystack Mountain as we neared the north side. Shortly past Duffey Creek, we turned left at the next fork onto the steep road.
See more trip photos here.
Duffey Creek Basin
We found continuous snow at 1400′, where recent tire marks had ended. Then I put on snowshoes after gaining another 200′ altitude. Soon, the clouds cleared with a direct view of today’s goal.
Later in the upper basin, we crossed Duffey Creek to the east. Then we reached the 2100′ saddle at 2.8 miles up from the junction back at 500′. From the pass, the view of Skykomish River Valley was misty.
See more trip photos here.
Haystack Mountain South Route
From there, we turned north and continued to carve out a path. Meanwhile, lower Mount Persis behind us slowly appeared. Then minutes later, we reached the south slopes as the road rounded the ridge.
The road would soon end north of Haystack Mountain, but that was enough from e today. So we left the path, dove into the trees, and went up to the east ridge. After a short distance going up the west put us on top.
See more trip photos here.
Haystack Mountain Summit
On a good day, the striking view of Mount Persis would be to the southeast. We had some east views earlier from the east ridge. But even when it’s clear, only a sliver of Mount Index would be visible.
The forested northern half of the summit didn’t give much to see. But I was happier about not being in the clouds! We had a pleasant visit in the breeze and the warm temperatures.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
Any reasonable person would’ve gone back the way they came. But I wanted to bypass the road on the way out. So we dropped onto the northwest side, which I would only try going this way with the snow.
It wasn’t pleasant to cram through the second growth, so it’s not a way I’d recommend. Later we caught the end of a road at 1200′. Then it led us down to the fork above the brambles we went through earlier.
See more trip photos here.
this area is now closed due to access restrictions
No problem! To obtain a recreation permit, check out Weyerhaeuser’s website for more information. I’ve also included a link in my post. Happy hiking!