Cottlers Rock in Cowlitz State Wildlife Area rises above the 23.5-mile-long Riffe Lake. Below the north is the City of Morton, with a population of just over 1,000. Then to the northwest stands Fling Mountain, a stone’s throw away.
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Cottlers Rock at a Glance
Access: Peterman Hill Road
Round Trip: 4.2 miles
Elevation Range: 1840′-2760′
Gear: none
Route Info: Rich P
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Alex Kehm
Mount Saints Helens from the Road
It was the farthest south I’d driven on Highway 7, which starts in Morton. Going west on Highway 12, we turned east onto Peterman Hill Road for 4.5 miles. Soon, we started walking from the closed gate under the morning sun.
The dry road took us uphill, heading northeast, and we found snow above 2400′. Soon after we started, I saw the incredible Mount Saint Helens crater behind us. Then I’d see it a few more times before the second gate at under 1.5 miles.
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Summit Trail
The road would’ve taken us straight to the summit from the gate. But I opted to take the trail by the entrance for something different. Despite the woodsy pathos, there were several spots with glimpses of Mount Adams.
Half a mile from the gate was the clearing below the summit with an open view. As the trail dipped, we scrambled uphill and soon reached the road. It crossed the indistinct high point, lined with trees on both sides.
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Cottlers Rock Summit Ridge Plus Exit
Since there were no views here, we went to try our luck at the tower half a mile east. En route, Mount Rainier‘s crater was our only view on the ridge. Before long, we were by the tall structure surrounded by more trees. Grrr!
After retracing our steps to the four-way crossing, we shortcut south back on the trail. It took only a few minutes to return to the entrance. Then it was several photo stops before lazying our way down to the car.
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