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Trip Report    

Alpine Scramble - Silver King

Perfect day for this gorgeous trip!

  • Road suitable for all vehicles
  • The PCT north from Chinook Pass is in very good condition with only a couple of down trees that we got over easily.  No water until Sheep Lake.  The trail toward Crystal Lakes is also good, deep ruts in sections, but no problems.  A couple of small snow fields that were tracked out and melting fast, no spikes needed.  Great weather with clear skies, not too hot, cool breezes.

Get there early!  When we arrived around seven a.m. the lot already had several cars and it was overflowing when we returned, as were all the other available parking areas around there, including Tipsoo Lake.  People were cruising around for spots opening up.  No TP in the restrooms. 

Lots of wildflowers: beargrass, lupine, phlox, paintbrush, many others I don't have names for.  Hummingbirds were buzzing around and one deer was spotted along the PCT.  We also heard marmots and a couple of pikas.   Eye-popping scenery from Chinook Pass all the way to the summit!

This was a wonderful trip with a great group of Mountaineers!  I highly recommend this route in the summer to access Silver King instead of going by way of the Crystal Lakes trail.  Note that this peak is also known as Crystal Mountain.