lake chelan sawtooth wilderness. selected hikes and peak climbs


			Last update: April, 2008

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The Methow Mountains are a sub range of the North Cascades of Washington State, separating the Methow watershed from Lake Chelan.

The Forest Service refer to this area as the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness. Not only is that cumbersome nomenclature, but Fred Beckey himself, along with other oldtimers used to call them the Methow Mountains, a quick, precise name that I like to reinstate here.

This horseshoe shaped spine of rugged peaks are relatively lofty, with many summits over 8000', and wonderfully untravelled by hikers. The trail system is extensive and diverse, from well maintained to challenging obscure paths, created by adventurous fishermen looking for hidden mountain lakes. Now that the focus is on lakes, let's mention the identity of the highest named body of water in Washington, the austere Libby Lake at 7618' .

They are also very close to our home. But most hikers from the Puget Sound area are presented with the obvious conflict of having to blindly drive past many other, possibly more spectacular areas before finally getting here. This fact keeps our Methow Mountains very quiet.

The Methow Mountains described on this website is roughly defined as shown on
this map, with Twisp River and all her steep tributaries as the obvious geographical apex.

Navarre Way Trail

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Methow Mountains

Finally emerging from almost 4000' of shady climbing into this! A not to be missed occasion to dry out sweaty layers. North Navarre peak above the cloudbank of the Lake Chelan trench.

From the crest at 7800' looking down at the frozen Sunrise Lake. Most hiking maps, and even USGS 7.5' topos, illustrate a trail leading down to the left shore from this vicinity. On several occasions we have scouted for this illusive path, yet have not located it. The route would go, trail or no trail, it looks like.

Bessy carrying her food and blankets with the low valley of the Stehekin River in the background.
The big hulk of a mountain on the right skyline must be Logan, correct?

Sunrise at the 7400' camp on the ridge high above Safety Harbor Creek. Bessy hunting for spilled crumbs sporting the latest in doggy fashion.

Holden? Bonanza? Never been there and only guessing.

Not much of a snow-dog, Bessy mostly were anxious to get back home to the warm hearth.

Fresh snow from a few days back blanketed the high ridges and peaks. This far east in the Cascades there's still shrubbery at 8000', here mostly Whitebark Pines, stunted, dwarfed and gnarly.

On the Lake Chelan side of the crest, after reaching a pass, the route descends into the upper Prince Creek drainage. But we are here just briefly, barely long enough to remember how lovely those meadows are in the early summer, before ascending what I believe is called the Golden Staircase. The top once again reaches into the 8000' realm. On this trip we only sporadically aligned with the summer route, off course, and when we did it made very little difference!

The ubiquitous self portrait, here at the high point of the red line shown on the previous image.