Tieton Peak in Goat Rocks Wilderness via Bear Creek Mountain / 泰頓峯

  • Reading time:13 mins read

Tieton Peak by Ives Peak ranks #7 in Goat Rocks Wilderness after Old Snowy Mountain. The east ridge joins Bear Creek Mountain via Devils Horns. Meanwhile, Gilbert Peak, the highest point in the area, rises to the south.

Tieton Peak from Bear Creek Mountain
Tieton Peak from Bear Creek Mountain

See more trip photos here.

Tieton Peak + Bear Creek Mountain + Devils Horns at a Glance

Environs = Bear Creek Mountain + Devils Horns
周圍地區=熊溪山 + 魔鬼角

Access: Bear Creek Mountain Trailhead
Round Trip: 14.2 miles
Elevation Range: 5960′-7768′
Gear: helmet
Route Info: Dustin Wittmier
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance

The Preface on Tieton Peak

The pups and I were in the area three months earlier, visiting Snowgrass Flat. Today, the black dog and I came in from the east to climb Tieton Peak. Starting at 6000′ meant gaining under 2000′ but over rolling terrain past the first peak.

As we drove east on Highway 410, I realized we hadn’t explored the area to the south much. So far, we’ve only visited Mount Aix, Shriner Peak, and Goat Peak. Meanwhile, flames continued to sputter from Goat Rocks Fire at night.

Before sunrise
Before sunrise

See more trip photos here.

Bear Creek Trail

To get a head start on the long day ahead, we began walking at 5 AM. I parked half a mile before the trailhead by the short, eroded section. Shortly, we arrived at the empty parking lot and continued past Section 3 Lake.

The flat trail took us through the would-be-gorgeous meadows in the dark. We gained 500′ in the first three miles before the path shot up 1000′ in the last mile. During this, the sun rose as we made the final bit to the top.

This way to Tieton Peak
This way to Tieton Peak

See more trip photos here.

Bear Creek Mountain Summit Views

It was a somewhat breezy but otherwise calm morning. Perhaps it’s the remoteness, but I’d expect to see cars at the trailhead when we left. But I thoroughly enjoyed the solitude and the peace during the whole trip.

Morning light over Mount Adams to Johnson Peak looked especially warm. Mount Rainier, shrouded in the smoke from the wildfire, was hazy. Meanwhile, a sea of lowland hills I couldn’t name strewed the expansive east.

Northwest panorama from Bear Creek Mountain
Northwest panorama from Bear Creek Mountain

See more trip photos here.

En Route to Devils Horns

Back at the switchback, we continued southeast on the initially gentle ridge. Then we’d be without a trail to and back from Tieton Peak. We mainly stayed on the increasingly rocky crest but bypassed outcrops from the south a few times.

After Point 7090, we walked down to the saddle with Devils Horns. En route, we moved through various distinct rock types along the gentle ridgeline. Then we traversed lots of scree and serrated slabs to be below the summit.

Traversing the ridge to Devils Horns
Traversing the ridge to Devils Horns

See more trip photos here.

Devils Horns Summit Views

The dog waited by the bushes as I moved up through the visible crack on the south face. There were solid holds but with terrible rocks around them. But it was direct and the least committing route to reach the airy summit.

Tieton Peak was another 1.5 miles away, not including the twists and turns needed to reach it. Behind us, Bear Creek Mountain looked flat and underwhelming. But Devils Washbasin looked like it’d be a fun camp spot.

Tieton Peak from Devils Horns
Tieton Peak from Devils Horns

See more trip photos here.

Final Stop, Tieton Peak

After reuniting with the pup, we went west below Devils Horns’ pinnacles. In hindsight, we should’ve dropped a few hundred feet more to bypass the loose rock gullies. But by then, it was easier to move through quickly.

We later fumbled in a short span of dense forest over steep slopes. So I made a mental note to avoid it from lower down on the way out. Soon, we reach Tieton Peak’s east saddle at 6700′, with Mount Rainier still in the haze.

Taking the road less traveled
Taking the road less traveled

See more trip photos here.

Final Stretch

We looked into every nook and cranny for tiny streams, but there hadn’t been any water since Bear Creek. We finished the last drops before going up to Devils Horns. It was also late in the season to find any snow patches.

The final 1000′ rise over the gentle east ridge felt the longest. But it was much more straightforward than the sections that came before. After seeing our goal from 7400′, we followed a faint path along the crest to the top.

The final stretch
The final stretch

See more trip photos here.

Tieton Peak Summit Views

Klickton Divide, which houses Gilbert Peak, Ives Peak, etc., lined the southern horizon. It’s also the only dramatic landscape around here. It could be the smoke, but things in other directions looked lackluster in comparison.

I wanted to stay a little longer, but the lack of shade made it somewhat uncomfortable. The dog didn’t look like he enjoyed it since he didn’t sniff around much like usual. So we left after only staying 20 minutes.

West panorama from Tieton Peak
West panorama from Tieton Peak

See more trip photos here.

En Route Back to Bear Creek Mountain

The four-mile ridge travel to Bear Creek Mountain wouldn’t be as long on a trail. After coming off the vast east ridge, we stumbled upon a dying stream in the meadow. The dog started rolling around as if giving thanks to the water god. Oh, the little things.

I made sure to stay much lower below Devils Horns. Then we traversed up to the east saddle over hard dirt and some talus. Back on Point 7090, I noticed a faint path on the north, and we followed it to the other side.

One last look at Goat Rocks Wilderness
One last look at Goat Rocks Wilderness

See more trip photos here.

Leaving Tieton Peak Plus Environs

I don’t remember the last time I saw sand among scraggly terrain. But a stretch on Bear Creek Mountain’s south saddle reminded me of the beach. We took a break before returning to the trail and rounding the peak.

New bootprints on the trail suggested activities during the day. We took a needed water break and walked under three miles back to the car. But before the trailhead, we checked out Section 3 Lake we missed in the dark.

Finding our way home
Finding our way home

See more trip photos here.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from One Hike A Week / 每週一行

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading