Perry Creek Route

Approach

Take Hwy 9 North and head East on SR92 to Granite Falls. Then, turn left on Mountain Loop Hwy and drive 26 miles, past Silverton. Then turn left on NFD 4063, and drive for about 1 mile to the trailhead on this paved road. (As of August 2004, the Perry Creek Trail sign from the MLH still has not been replaced. The sign was knocked over sometime in the winter of 2003.) NOTE: Do not park right up at the trailhead. Use the end of the parking area to turn around and park farther down along the right side of the road where there is a wider shoulder. Park as far down the shoulder as reasonably possible to allow room for other people to park.

Route Description

This route starts from the old Perry Creek Trail 711 (2100 ft. elevation), built by miners in the late 1800's, and ends 1.8 miles at Perry Creek Falls, gently climbing to 3280 ft. Continuing along the right edge of the upper creek, you will reach a very large log jam. This is very easy to cross in the summertime, but be careful in the winter or early spring as it can be very icy, or can be under swift water flow. (NOTE: Many people miss the route continuation on the other side of the log jam, and mistakenly head up through the open Twin Peaks basin area, which is not advisable unless there is consolidated snow, and as an alternate route to avoid route finding issues through the dense woods.) Once on the other side of the log jam, you enter dense woods and head up steep switchbacks up the the Stillaguamish ridge, that run for about 1.15 miles to a trail fork at 4960 ft. [N48 05.304 W-121 27.298] and gains roughly 1730 ft. elevation near the top of the Stillaguamish ridge. At the fork, the trail (left) heading West is the Stillaguamish Peak route. The middle trail runs only 150 ft. to a small campground at [N48 05.322 W-121 27.274] that gives great view of the Mt. Forgotten summit massif and Whitehorse Mountain in the distance to the north when visibility permits.

Take the trail to the far right that heads Northeast, hugging the Stillaguamish ridge. The next 1/8 mile or so along this trail skirts very closely in between trees in what will seem to be off course or confusing in the winter or early spring season. (The section of the route between Perry Creek Falls and the Stillaguamish ridge can present interesting route finding challenges in the winter or early spring.) At the top of the ridge, the treeline will open up to a wide open shoulder / meadow area, and finally revealing the summit massif that you may have already forgotten about by that time.

From the north end of the shoulder, the trail drops very steeply at 5150 ft, almost disappearing at [N48 05.481 W-121 26.951] on the east side of Mt. Forgotten saddle. This section can be awkward during the summer when there is no snow. Some of the loose scree and dirt may have you look for an occasional vegtable belay when going through awkward sections, but it will be brief. The trail continues traversing near the top of the saddle, and two talus fields for about .5 miles, then opens to an upper bench.

From here, make a sharp left turn and the north side of the summit will be in view. There will be two little gullies that head up to summit. (The gully on the farther side may be obscured from view.) Take the little gully closest to the saddle. The final summit approach is very steep and climbs about another 425 ft. to the summit. DO NOT take the gully on the far Northwest side, unless you really enjoy unstable talus and frequent rock fall. The true summit is very exposed and there is only enough room for about two people.

Essential Gear

trekking poles in the summer, ice axe in winter or early spring

Miscellaneous Info

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Images

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