Mineral Top sits by Stumptop and Mineral Lake in Pleasant Valley. This area south of Alder Lake holds several hills with a similar “-top” naming. As with other nearby places, visiting two or more in one setting is doable when time permits.
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Mineral Top at a Glance
Access: Mineral Creek Road South
Round Trip: 4.9 miles
Elevation Range: 1440′-1960′
Gear: microspikes
Route Info: John Stolk
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface
This morning’s forecast didn’t look favorable in the Cascades but better compared to last week. So we returned to Pleasant Valley in the hope of beating the lousy weather post 11. This time we visited the tree farm south of Mineral Lake.
West Fork Timber Company manages the timber resources here, unlike the other nearby hills. I dug online but couldn’t find a website for the business. Nevertheless, a sign by the gate suggested non-motorized access only.
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Mineral Creek Road South
We walked south on the clear Mineral Creek Road with the view of Point 3095 straight head. Soon, the sound of Mineral Creek was within earshot as we neared the fork at under a mile. Then we turned right and continued.
Beyond the fork was another gate with recent snow on the other side with fresh tire tracks. Then at the next crossing, we made a right uphill. More snow showed up after switchbacking at the road bend.
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The Final Stretch
Soon, I put on microspikes in half a foot of snow for traction. Then we walked in the trees with spotty views to the east and south. The road later turned west as we strolled past several unmapped roadways.
About .3 mile from the summit was a clearing with log debris piles. We’d later stop by to check out the north view, including Mineral Lake and Towertop. Soon, we reached the woodsy top adorned with tire tracks.
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Mineral Top Summit
The opening to the southwest showed a sliver of Mount Goodie above the road’s end. I poked around the trees in the hope of finding more views. But Storm King Mountain was the only other one I saw through branches.
Before leaving the top, we walked down to the road’s end at 20 feet lower. I thought it might lead to a spur path looped around, but it was only a dead end. So we walked back to the summit and left shortly.
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Outro
We took a quick break back at the clearing to check out Mineral Lake and Towertop. But only part of the lake was visible because of our low elevation plus the vegetation along the way. So we didn’t stay long.
Back at Mineral Creek Road, we checked out Mineral Creek by the roadway. The dogs took a dip while I looked at the map. It turned out that the water feeding the Nisqually River came from at least 15 miles upstream!
See more trip photos here.