Mount Transistor by Flag Mountain and Lion Rock is east of the vast Teanaway Backcountry. It’s also part of the Mission-Naneum Range north of Kittitas Valley Wind Farm. First Creek off Highway 97 offers the quickest way of the various paths.
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Mount Transistor at a Glance
Access: NF-3506
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 2240′-3942′
Gear: none
Route Info: Scott Rice
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
I found Mount Transistor last year while exploring off-season outings. So we continued east to plan B after ditching my initial plan near Snoqualmie Pass. We later parked at the discreet pullout by the highway.
I’d driven past this area en route to Blewett Pass many times. We had also been to a few places close by, including Lion Rock on Table Mountain. So I was happy not to veer too far off the beaten path today.
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North Route
We went through the gated entrance and hiked half a mile along the north of First Creek. Soon, Road 3506 took us down to the creek, where we crossed to the south. Using Scott’s route, we took the first left fork and continued.
The main roadway stayed flat through Mount Transistor’s northern flank. Then at mile 2.5 from the car, we left the path east of an unnamed pond and headed south. Soon, we went up a snowy talus and some brush to the ridgetop at 3800′.
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Mount Transistor Summit Views
We crossed the old road into the trees and soon came upon another one. Then it was only half a mile west to the broad summit with a panoramic view. There I saw into east Teanaway plus the vast Kittitas Valley.
The wind farm on the south was the main interest, with Manastash Ridge farther south across the valley. Clouds hovered over the taller Teanway peaks like Three Brothers and Miller Peak. But overall, views stretched for miles.
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Outro
Instead of going back the way we came, we continued down the west ridge. Soon, we were at the national forest boundary by the gated private property. So we went north through the forest and reached another road at 3600′.
The road stayed on public land down to the west of Mount Transistor. It later made a turn north with a constant view to Teanaway, including the nearby Lookout Mountain. Then it was three miles of an uneventful walk back to the car.
See more trip photos here.