Mount Rudderham by Crosby Mountain is the highest point on the ridgeline above Lake Elizabeth. It ranks #2 in the Index-Tolt area before Mount Phelps. Moreover, the east-west trending ridge starts from Tolt Reservoir, two miles west of Skykomish.
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Mount Rudderham at a Glance
Access: Lake Elizabeth
Round Trip: 6.2 miles
Elevation Range: 2840′-5576′
Gear: helmet
Route Info: Marcus Peinado, Greg Slayden
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
Mount Rudderham (Red Mountain Benchmark)
There are nine Red Mountain massifs in Washington State. Two, including Mount Rudderham, sit inside King County. But the other is the famous one in the popular Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Views of the long ridgeline from Palmer Mountain, Crosby Mountain, and Mount Stickney are pretty decent. The peak sits just one mile above the road. So I extended the trip by adding Salmon Red and Red Mountain West.
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Money Creek Road
It was the farthest west I’d driven on the road. I went as far as mile 2.5 for the climbs to Bing Peak and Crosby Mountain the other two times. It was smooth sailing until one mile before Lake Elizabeth.
The first of the three dips in the roadway was the worst in a compact car. I moved slowly over the rocks with a culvert underneath. But the one protruding stone still caught the underside.
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Lake Elizabeth Trail
Afterward, I reached the lake at mile 7 from the turnoff, half a mile before the road’s end. Then I parked at the pullout near the unsigned trailhead. Walking by the hidden entrance took a couple of times to find it.
The small lake at the foothills of Mount Rudderham had a decent path encircling it. And that’s the only trail here. Since the water is just off the beaten path, I’d imagine it’s a hot spot on a nice day.
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Mount Rudderham South Route
It rained earlier on my way here. So I wore my shell and put a rain cover on the pack to keep dry from the wet vegetation. Then at a quarter of a mile northeast of the lake, I left the path by the vine maple.
I bypassed the dense brush a couple of spots lower down. Then the semi-open forest allowed me to find a path with the least resistance. Soon, I stumbled into a boulder field gully at 3500′ and followed the rocks.
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Boulders All the Way
I was ecstatic to be on the rocks instead of the brush on the adjacent ridge. Then I worked my way up the gully and crossed my fingers for a brushless climb. Afterward, the boulders veered northeast at 4800′.
Shortly, the rocks ended at 5000′ by a headwall. I clearly remembered Marcus and Greg mentioning a rock step on the west ridge. So I decided to go around the cliffs from the south for a smoother climb.
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Final Stretch on Mount Rudderham
Soon, a grass ramp by the headwall took me farther south. Then I climbed up 200′ through the open forest. Before long, I was by the 5200′ rock field and soon reached the south ridge 150′ below the top.
The contour lines showed a moderate east face. But there’s a steep dropoff above the mild terrain below. So I stayed on the crest to avoid the krummholz on the west and reached the bouldered summit shortly.
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Mount Rudderham Summit with Smoky Views
The sun was out for a bit earlier. But peaks like Crosby Mountain, Mount Index, and Lennox Mountain were still visible despite persistent smoke. It looked like Mount Phelps was in the way of McClain Peak.
I didn’t expect to be up here this early. So that meant I still had time to visit Salmon Red and perhaps Red Mountain West. But without route info for either of the two, it would be exploratory.
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Salmon Red Climb
I avoided the rock step on the west ridge by briefly going south on the steep slope. Then I moved west while hugging the rocky ridgeline. Later, I went around the 5100′ west shoulder to be back on the crest.
Soon, I reached the bottom of Salmon Red’s steep east ridge. I wasn’t sure if I’d run into cliffs there, but I went up and checked it out anyway. In the end, it was a straightforward route without any hiccups.
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Salmon Red Summit Views
Salmon Red was halfway between my other two goals for the day. The summit looked pointy when I saw it from Mount Rudderham earlier. But to my surprise, it was roomier, with enough room for an army.
The views didn’t improve as the smoke permeated the otherwise sunny sky. But here, I could see Crater Lake clearly at the southern foothills. Before long, I made my way down the west ridge.
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En Route to Red Mountain West
Coming off Salmon Red’s west cliffs wrapped in spiky krummholz was tricky. But I managed to bypass most of it from the north on a steep, slick ramp. Soon, I was back on the mild terrain through the open landscape.
The open traverse to the bottom of Red Mountain West was quite enjoyable. I even stumbled upon a game trail in the grass at one point. The path then took me through the north of the brushy crest for a bit.
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Red Mountain West Summit Views
Terrain steepened at 4800′, but I stayed on the crest for the rest of the climb. The top offered an open view to the north, with a basin below the short dropoff. But trees had taken up the southern half of the summit.
Despite the early afternoon sun, it stayed hazy all around. Otherwise, views of Mount Index, Mount Phelps, and Wild Sky Wilderness peaks would’ve been grand. Alas, maybe some other lifetime I will return to see it!
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Leaving Red Mountain West
Rather than returning via the ridge, I decided to loop through Crater Lake. So I could check the hidden alpine lake as well. But I didn’t know it’s also the source of the South Fork Tolt River?! Oh, the more you know.
From the top, I dropped 200′ onto the south ridge. Then I went east through the meadow and re-entered the trees shortly. Afterward, I stumbled upon some flagging, leading me south by several waterfalls.
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En Route to Crater Lake
I later lost the ribbons amid the brush. So I downclimbed via the streambed for a short while. But soon, the dropoffs forced me back into the thickets, where I spotted flagging over a more defined trail.
The path ended down by the washout. Then I scrambled out to the north shore with several fire pits. From Salmon Red, the west shoreline looked feasible. Indeed, a faint trail there took me through the rocks to the south end.
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Outro
I saw the tip of Mount Rudderham as I walked around the lake. Then I took a break to savor the last view of Salmon Red by the outlet. Soon, I crossed the stream and followed the trail back into the trees.
The trail dropped 300′ on the south and then angled east to meet the roadway. From there, it’s half a mile back to Lake Elizabeth. But I wondered why the prospectors never named the prominent pass.
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