Mount Cavanaugh sits under a mile west of Lake Cavanaugh by Frailey Mountain. Silo Mountain rises to the north by the Cultus Mountains. Moreover, near the west is Blackberry Mountain inside the notable Walker Valley ORV Area.
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Mount Cavanaugh at a Glance
Access: Lake Cavanaugh Road @ Lake Creek gate
Round Trip: 5.2 miles
Elevation Range: 920′-1987′
Essential Gear: none
Route Info: Rich P
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Alex Kehm
Hiking Near Lake Cavanaugh and Frailey Mountain
Cody, Connor, and I visited the Walker Valley ORV Area near the west last winter. But ever since Frailey Mountain, I’d been itching to return to check out the nearby hills. So today, there was just enough time for a short hike before tending to other businesses.
The walk was entirely on logging roads and with a somewhat brushy finish. I ducked under the gate by the bridge over Lake Creek that was too high to hop over. But we first waited for the only hiker and their two energetic dogs to exit before we chatted briefly.
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Strolling Through the Logging Roads
After a fall-like start, views soon expanded in the clearing of the distant peaks. Then, at mile 1.5, the viewpoint looked out to Lake Cavanaugh and the snowy peaks in the distance. Views stretched as far as Whitehorse Mountain, plus Glacier Peak, over 45 miles away.
Continuing through the main path, we soon reached the ridge in three-quarters of a mile. A right onto a cut-off trail took us through light brush past the berm onto an old road. It was a short walk to the flat summit of Mount Cavanaugh amid the second-growth forest.
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Mount Cavanaugh Amid Second-Growth Forest
The summit once boasted panoramas after undergoing logging in 2009. However, the grand views from the old days have faded into the new growth many years later. Nonetheless, I poked around the top and got glimpses of the Cultus Mountains and Frailey Mountain.
The tiny, south-facing opening by the trail fork offered sights of Mount Washington (Skagit) and Stimson Hill. We didn’t explore the south half of the ridgetop as it looked woodsy from where we were. But before returning to the car, we enjoyed another short break at the viewpoint.
See more trip photos here.