Three Fools Peak by Mount Winthrop overlooks the PCT near Holman Pass in Pasayten Wilderness. Hozomeen Mountain rises near the west above Ross Lake. Meanwhile, Slate Peak via West Fork Pasayten River offers the shortest route.
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Three Fools Peak at a Glance
Lakeview Slam = Powder Mountain + Three Fools Peak + Soda Peak + Shull Mountain
Environs = Slate Peak + Rusty Pyramid
湖景滿貫=粉末山+三愚人峯+蘇打峯+沙爾山
週圍地區=石板峯+鐵鏽金字塔
Access: West Fork Pasayten River Trailhead
Round Trip: 51.5 miles
Elevation Range: 4800′-7920′
Gear: helmet
Route Info: Adam Zukowski, Eric Eames
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
Saturday, July 17
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Slate Peak + Powder Mountain + Woody Pass Camp
Three Fools Peak Above West Fork Pasayten
We were en route to Andrews Creek Trailhead when the Cub Creek 2 Fire broke out. So we left the line of cars and looked at some backup plans before driving to Hart’s Pass. It would be our first time going through the West Fork Pasayten River.
The valley sits 400′ higher, losing 2400′ at Holman Creek Trail. In contrast, we’d drop 2000′ in the middle fork drainage to Eureka Creek Trail and longer by a mile. Over three days, we climbed Powder Mountain, Soda Peak, Rusty Pyramid, and Shull Mountain.
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A Side Trip to Slate Peak Above Slate Pass
After a night near Hart’s Pass, we drove past Slate Pass to the road’s end by the gate. From there, Slate Peak was only a short, 10-minute walk. We soon checked out this readily accessible roadside attraction before leaving.
We spent a few minutes on the misty peak before going down to the trailhead on the south side. Like the middle fork, we lost altitude as soon as we started walking. Shortly, I saw our weekend goals up the valley.
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Hiking the West Fork Pasayten River Trail
We started the quiet walk with broad views to the north. But since we hadn’t been here before, I couldn’t identify our peaks from a distance. The decent trail had tree debris in several places as it slowly dipped into the trees.
Before reaching the West Fork Pasayten River at mile four, the path dropped 200′ to the water. It then hugged the river for another mile before switching to the west. Before the crossing, there was a big, established group camp.
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Through the Massive Windfalls to Holman Pass
More trees showed up past the shallow river, but most crisscrossed the path. Oregon Creek had the worst log debris piles, making us reroute in a big circle. Beyond that point, we went over and under more windfalls.
Soon, a group of trees across the Holman Creek Trail fork forced us to reroute again. Overall, the first mile to Holman Pass via more rubble was the most painful. It would later thin out as we approached the pass through the grassland.
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Continuing North on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
The Holman Creek Trail and the PCT met on the broad, flat Holman Pass. After passing several campsites, we turned right onto the PCT with spotty views. Later, we met a hiker on their way back from the border by the first stream.
The trail slowly went uphill, and we saw Shull Mountain east of Canyon Creek. Soon, the terrain widened as we strolled through the green but dry Rock Lakes Basin. Then we reached Rock Pass, 14 miles from the car.
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Exploring Powder Mountain via Rock Pass
After a power nap in the shade, we crossed the top of Canyon Creek Basin to Point 7081’s south saddle. I had planned to climb Shull Mountain from there. But after some checking, I knew it wasn’t feasible for the pups.
I decided to save the mountain for the last day and go to Powder Mountain today instead. Soon, we went over north of Point 7081 and up the mountain’s rocky southeast side. Before long, we were standing atop the summit.
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Viewing Pasayten Wilderness on Powder Mountain
Shull Mountain’s north face looked pretty gnarly. Meanwhile, Shull Lake at the bottom seemed like an excellent camp spot. From here, I scoped out the route to our following two goals: Three Fools Peak and Soda Peak.
The plan was to camp on Woody Pass below the north ridge. But after losing time trying out the gullies, none was suitable for the dogs. So we retraced the steps to Rock Pass and went through the PCT and Rock Creek.
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En Route to Woody Pass by Three Fools Peak
The sky soon darkened after reaching Rock Pass. Shortly, we went north on a faint trail from the pass to avoid losing altitude in Rock Creek. But the scree off Powder Mountain’s east face has long buried the path.
Back at the pass, we quickly got on the PCT down to 5800′. It soon took half a dozen switchbacks to the top of the basin as we walked past one tent. I kept the dogs on leash, fearing they’d take off to check out the campers.
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A Night Chilling Out on Woody Pass
Finding a decent camp spot away from the trail took some time. But farther off the beaten path was more grass and uneven ground. Then we settled on the only place by a larch tree that offered some privacy.
The pass didn’t have running water but the nearby ice sheets. But seeing ice around in the middle of a warm summer was fascinating. After melting snow, we ate a quick dinner before crashing inside the tent.
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Sunday, July 18
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Three Fools Peak + Rusty Pyramid + Soda Peak + Holman Pass Camp
First Stop of the Day: Three Fools Peak
We continued north on the PCT for under half a mile in the morning. Three Fools Peak was the most direct, without much route-finding, of our goals. Before leaving the path, we chatted with a few thru-hikers going to the border.
We walked up the gentle west slopes as views expanded. Along the way, we stopped a few times to savor the sights of the familiar peaks. Soon, grass turned into rocks as we ascended the final few hundred feet.
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Viewing More of Pasayten From Three Fools Peak
To the south was the dramatic view of Powder Mountain’s north side. But I only saw the top of Shull Mountain from here. Then I turned to see the way to our next goal: Soda Peak, over two linear miles away.
The stunning sights included Jack Mountain, Picket Range, and Crater Mountain to the west. But I didn’t recognize Castle Peak until I checked the map. It took a second to know I was seeing Hozomeen Mountain.
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Leaving Three Fools Peak via Coney Basin
The southeast gully looked doable, but I wasn’t sure how the pups would fare. However, it was the most direct way without returning to Rock Creek. We played by ear, moved through the choss, and landed in Coney Basin safely.
If we added all the turns, we would reach Soda Peak in at least three miles. But we needed to go through two high points plus Rusty Pyramid first. Then, we’d either bypass or go over the false peak before the summit.
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Exploring Rusty Pyramid via Three Fools Peak
The water we got below the gully would be our last source for some time. Soon, we moved east through the green meadow up to Point 7204. Coney Basin looked like another idyllic camp spot away from the beaten path.
We traversed the crest and easily avoided krummholz and rock steps en route. Then, right below Point 7354, we bypassed the rocky ridgeline from the south. Before long, we were atop the sandy high point.
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Taking a Side Trip Over Rusty Pyramid
From here, Rusty Pyramid was only .25 mile across the joining ridge. So we continued down the crest and up the other side to the peak without stopping. Views were as good here as anywhere else in the area.
Soda Peak was one more mile away. After a quick break, we dropped onto the east ridge and stayed mainly on the crest for the traverse. But sometimes, we needed to move to either side to bypass outcrops.
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Final Stop of the Day: Soda Peak
We ran out of water a while ago. Plus, snow along the ridge was too far down for the pups to reach. But I knew there had to be running water on Soda Peak’s south side. It’d be our best option should we exit that way.
From the false peak, it was only half a mile to Soda Peak. As the crest became increasingly rocky, we slowly moved to the south side. Then, it was the typical choss and big rock piles to steer through to the top.
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Savoring the Afternoon Views From Soda Peak
Soda Peak was the farthest east and north from our primary goals. We’d go west only because we still had Shull Mountain. Otherwise, I’d consider heading east to West Fork Pasayten River and exiting southbound.
Castle Peak and other prominent high points continued to steal the show. Several goals to the north were also among them. From here, I noticed Cedar Creek Fire‘s smoke spewing from behind Robinson Mountain.
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Leaving Soda Peak via Rock Creek Trail
I didn’t want to put the pups through the ridge traverse again. So we dropped onto the south down the gentle terrain. Even if Rock Creek Trail were in bad shape, it’d still be faster than going over the ridge.
I glanced back at Soda Peak in the basin. It sure looked like a more pleasant way to climb the peak if we weren’t climbing Three Fools Peak. Soon, through brush and open forest, we reached Rock Creek Trail.
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Return to Woody Pass by Three Fools Peak
The trail was in much better shape than I had pictured. En route, we only needed to contend with a handful of down trees in the trees. Past the debris by Coney Creek, it was smooth sailing to the PCT fork and Woody Pass.
I wanted to sleep on Holman Pass tonight, close to Shull Mountain. Meanwhile, the thought of rising 800′ to Rock Pass wasn’t my idea of relaxation at the end of the day. So we quickly packed, ate, and left the area before dark.
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Spending Our Second Night on Holman Pass
As the sky darkened, we quietly walked past a group of campers by Rock Creek. The one campsite back in Goat Lakes Basin looked enticing. Then, it was another three miles before we returned to Holman Pass.
I later remembered that the pass had no water. So we walked down Holman Creek Trail for a while, hoping to find trickles in the grassland. But there was none, and so we waited until the next day.
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Monday, July 19
Overview > Day 1 > Day 2 > Day 3
Shull Mountain + Exit
Shull Mountain, the Main Focus of the Day
The next day, we headed west from the pass on Devils Ridge Trail. But we first chatted with two nearby campers thru-hiking the PCT. Then, we went through piles of large tree debris on our way to Canyon Creek.
Soon, the path ended by the creek, where we took a break to enjoy the precious water. However, due to tree debris, we quickly lost it on the other side of the water. We scrambled a bit before finding it again under a big fallen log.
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Crossing Canyon Creek via Devils Ridge Trail
The trail continued to harbor many windfalls. Meanwhile, views in the trees were scarce, with occasional glimpses across the valley. Canyon Creek was our last place for water, as we found none along the buggy trail.
We later met a PCT thru-hiker rerouting on the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) because of trail closures. After a brief chat, we parted ways before he went to Holman Pass. Soon, we left the trail as it continued south to Sky Pilot Pass.
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Making the Final Stretch on Shull Mountain
After rising 600′ through the forest, we went into the green meadow below the south peak. We walked up to the east bench with the broad south view. From the small pond on the north, we went over Point 6522 to the north side.
We soon went north-northwest while working our way through scree and snow. But as the terrain steepened higher up, it forced inside a narrow gully above a ravine. After looking for ways to bypass the overhang, I asked the pups to wait.
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Last Wilderness Views From Shull Mountain
After a few tricky moves, I safely passed the class 4 crux. It soon was all choss before grass and rocks reappeared below the summit. Before long, I stood on the vast summit, marveling at the seemingly equally tall south peak.
I checked out the serene Shull Lake to the north before reuniting with the pups in the gully. Views from here were just as gorgeous as the other high points. It was the southernmost peak we’ve visited this weekend.
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Return to Holman Pass and West Fork Pasayten
We took our time downclimbing through the gravel-covered slabs by the ravine. Once we were back at the snow, it was a milder train down to the meadow. It took a short time before we reached the trail, returning to Holman Pass.
I enjoyed the scenery in the upper-left corner of Pasayten Wilderness. But the warm weather and the down trees had made the hiking less pleasant. I ensured I got enough water before the pass since we’d be without any until Pasayten River.
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End of the Trip to Three Fools Peak et al.
It’s ten miles of an uneventful walk back up to Slate Peak. I contemplated exiting through the PCT to see different scenery and spicing things up. But the rolling terrain after a long trip wasn’t too enticing despite having views.
We didn’t see anyone else walking the Pasayten Trail during our time here. Perhaps the down trees and the smoke had turned most away. Before leaving the river, we napped at the group camp before finishing the trip.
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