Winter Scramble - Red Mountain (Salmon La Sac)

Trip Report

Red Mountain (Salmon La Sac)

We started at the trailhead at 8:00 AM, located just before the bridge. A Sno-Park permit is required at this location, and enforcement is active.

There is a fully functional porta-potty at the trailhead that was stocked, clean, and well maintained.

The route began with approximately 1.7 miles of road walking before reaching the Red Mountain trailhead. Snow on the road was packed down by snowmobilers from previous days. With no fresh snow and no refreeze, microspikes were not needed.

After turning onto the Red Mountain Trail, snowshoes were immediately required. Snow depth in the lower elevations was approximately 2 to 3 feet. Visible snowshoe tracks from Michelle Peterson’s trip about 10 days earlier helped with navigation, though trail breaking was still required. Sun exposure softened the snow, which made route-finding straightforward.

We made good time up to the first road section, stopping briefly for blue bag breaks and views of Davis Peak across the valley.

Trail breaking required sustained effort. We rotated leads (thanks Juliet and Daryl) and continued climbing to around 5,000 feet while still under tree cover. This allowed us to assess snow conditions and avalanche risk. The snowpack showed evidence of multiple freeze–thaw cycles, resulting in generally firm conditions even on sun-exposed slopes.

View of Lemah on the way up

In several areas, there was a thick crust with heavy snow on top and a solid base underneath. Overall snow levels were noticeably lower than in previous years and significantly lower than just 10 days prior.

At approximately 5,600 feet, the terrain steepened. Some members took out ice axes and helmets, while others continued using poles and snowshoes. Snow in this section was hard-packed, and exposed rocks along the ridge allowed us to avoid unsupported snow edges.

At 5,880 feet, we reached the north peak at 12:30 PM. From there, Daryl and I continued to the main peak and returned, as views were similar and we were approaching our 1:00 PM turnaround time. It had already been a long day for part of the group.

The descent required careful travel. Hard-packed snow combined with steep terrain made descending in snowshoes difficult, and ice axes and helmets were used.

At approximately 5,700 feet, we moved into open slopes. While these slopes are typically avalanche terrain under less favorable conditions, stability was excellent on this day. Plunging was efficient and safe, with no rollerballs or terrain hazards observed. We descended roughly 800 feet in about 30 minutes.

We re-entered the trees and continued the descent back toward the trail. Fatigue was setting in, and we reached the forest service road at approximately 3:00 PM

By the time we returned to the road, it had been groomed. We stayed to one side of the groomed track and made it back to the cars by 3:40 PM.

We stopped at the Safeway in Cle Elum for gas and food, then returned to Seattle by approximately 6:30 PM. Traffic was heavy due to weekday congestion and the closure of I-5 north.

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