Blag Mountain in Derby Canyon sits in a network of maze-like service roads. Meanwhile, it rests on the south edge of the South Entiat Mountains. At its foothills lie Peshastin Pinnacles State Park, featuring unique sandstone spires and slabs.
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Blag Mountain at a Glance
Access: Derby Canyon Road
Round trip: 7 miles
Elevation Range: 840′-3881′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Wenatchee River Valley
We had a do-over on Revolution Peak last week. Then this weekend, we visited Blag Mountain east of the Cascades. This part of the state tends to stay dry when the mountain weather is dire.
We were just across Derby Canyon on Humility Hill a year ago to the date. At that time, we also tried going up there two weeks earlier. But I couldn’t go far enough on the snowy road.
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Derby Canyon Road
Half a mile before the Derby Canyon/NF-125 road junction was the snowmelt. The water had taken over the roadway. Then it created a long stretch of mud bed. Two big dips filled with mud made the path look impassable.
So I parked the car before the pile of mess. I also didn’t want to walk through mud. So the pups and I crossed the unnamed creek to the south side. Then we went up a minor rib and reached NF-125 at 2400′.
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The Road Walk
We first went around Point 2847 from the south. Then we made a left at the junction onto an abandoned road. Our goal was to scramble up Blag Mountain’s west ridge. So we could cut through long switchbacks on the roadway.
In another half a mile, the road ended abruptly at 3000′. From here, I could see the bazillion service roads on the north side outlined by the snow. It was dizzying. Then we went up on a steep, minor rib and went out onto the upper roadway at 3500′.
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Blag Mountain Summit
Later from the junction with NF-317, we left the roadway and went north onto the west ridge at 3800′. The last part of the ridge walk was in decent snow. We stepped in a few times. But nothing significant to have needed snowshoes.
It’s been sunny and warm all morning, like in the forecast. It was just a bit breezy. Though, shortly after we reached the top, clouds in the Icicle Creek Canyon area slowly came our way. Soon, it snowed for half an hour. What the wuuuh mid-April?
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Outro
The bad weather moved north over our heads on the way down. Then the sun was out again. At 3700′, we quickly plunged stepped down the steep rib. Before long, we were at NF-125, just a few hundred feet above the fork with Derby Canyon Road.
I had hoped not to go through the mud on the way back. But we did. So we wrestled our way through the mess for the next half a mile. Soon, we were right back to the starting point.
See more trip photos here.