Gifford Pinchot National Forest Sleeping Beauty Mountain Hike Hike 71
Length: 2.8 Miles round trip Elevation Change: 1400' Elevation gain Season: Summer thru Fall Difficulty: Difficult Permit: No Pass Requirement Features:
Talk about bang for your buck, this
little hike is a real gem tucked away
in a mostly logged area. The trail
begins off Forest Road #040, which is
just a short ways off FR #88.
This trail begins climbing very
steeply right at the beginning and
doesn't actually let up until you
reach the ridge line next to the
summit. The entire hike is within
dense forest, and that shouldn't
matter as you will be too busy
trying to breathe, so you wont
notice the lack of scenery.
At about a mile you will level out
on the ridge and after you get your
heart rate in control, you can
follow the trail up the extremely
steep north side of the peak.
In places the trail has been carved
into the mountain to make it possible
to reach the top without technical
gear.
Oh, but when you reach the top, what
a reward. After you wipe the sweat
from your eyes they will drink in
more beauty than they can hold. You
will be able to see all the local
Cascade Volcanos, including Mt Rainier
to the north, Mt Adams just a short
distance away to the northeast, Mt
Hood to the south in Oregon, and of
course good ol Mt St Helens to your
west.
A Virtual Hike in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
