Post by Philip on Jul 4, 2015 9:00:14 GMT -9
I just did an overnighter behind Bells Flats that took me into the ridges between Center Mtn and Crown Mtn. I did a lollipop loop going in and out via the 4th of July Pk trail, and then walking the bench in front of the range behind Bells Flats to get between Center and Crown. If you know the 4th of July Peak trail, this is an easy way to get into the alpine and offers some of the easiest and most rewarding hiking on the road system. The flowers are out, the animals are fat and happy and lounging around in the alpine. It's a great time to be up there.
This shows the route I took. It was a 26 mile loop with about 9k' of climbing. I camped at the far point in the loop. I took crampons and an ice ax, and did wear the crampons briefly, though I probably did not need them. There were some steep grassy climbs and sidehills, but none of the terrain was technical. Other than crossing one valley which had a short section of brush, it was incredibly pleasant hiking and I only encountered one single biting bug.
Hiking out the 4th of July Peak trail from the end of Sargent Creek Road. The salmonberries are encroaching on the trail in a few sections, so if you don’t already know the trail it can be hard to follow:
The deer population was looking good:
Every bowl behind Bells Flats had at least one bear in it. I counted 10 over the two days.
The bench running along the front of the peaks above the Flats offers spectacular hiking. As long as you hug the base of the mountains you can contour-line south towards Center Mountain (the snowy range in the background) with minimal effort:
Here I crossed over into the Kizhuyak watershed and hiked down this pretty little valley. About half way down I climbed up and over the peak on the left:
From the saddle on that mountain looking southwest towards Crown. I crossed the drainage and climbed into the little hanging valley on the right side of the image. This was the only place I encountered a short brushy section.
I’ve heard that as bucks age, their antlers grow lower and wider:
Camping on the middle ridge between Center and Crown (the north peak of Crown is poking up above the tip of the tent):
Goats walking past camp:
On the way home, hiking past the back side of 4th of July Peak with Bells Flats visible in the upper right:
This shows the route I took. It was a 26 mile loop with about 9k' of climbing. I camped at the far point in the loop. I took crampons and an ice ax, and did wear the crampons briefly, though I probably did not need them. There were some steep grassy climbs and sidehills, but none of the terrain was technical. Other than crossing one valley which had a short section of brush, it was incredibly pleasant hiking and I only encountered one single biting bug.
Hiking out the 4th of July Peak trail from the end of Sargent Creek Road. The salmonberries are encroaching on the trail in a few sections, so if you don’t already know the trail it can be hard to follow:
The deer population was looking good:
Every bowl behind Bells Flats had at least one bear in it. I counted 10 over the two days.
The bench running along the front of the peaks above the Flats offers spectacular hiking. As long as you hug the base of the mountains you can contour-line south towards Center Mountain (the snowy range in the background) with minimal effort:
Here I crossed over into the Kizhuyak watershed and hiked down this pretty little valley. About half way down I climbed up and over the peak on the left:
From the saddle on that mountain looking southwest towards Crown. I crossed the drainage and climbed into the little hanging valley on the right side of the image. This was the only place I encountered a short brushy section.
I’ve heard that as bucks age, their antlers grow lower and wider:
Camping on the middle ridge between Center and Crown (the north peak of Crown is poking up above the tip of the tent):
Goats walking past camp:
On the way home, hiking past the back side of 4th of July Peak with Bells Flats visible in the upper right:
