There is a steep road climbing up from Hart’s Pass (around 6100′) and climbing up the ridge towards Slate Peak. The last half mile of the road is closed off, so you walk up the road to the abandoned fire watch tower and the flat topped summit (the military blew the top of the mountain off in the 1950’s to build an early warning radar site).
From the summit, at around 7400′, you get a spectacular 360 degree view of the North Cascades and the Paysaten Wilderness. It was also very windy and we were dressed for the much warmer conditions at lower elevations.
The photo shows the last section of road with the small parking lot at the gate. To the right running through the meadow area is a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (running from Mexico to the Canadian border). In the middle distance you can see the burned area of that includes the Meadows Campground area. The snow peak towards the left is Silver Star. (Back in the early 70’s I climbed it as part of a climbing course.)
(Note of caution: the road to Hart’s Pass is very narrow (single lane in places) and very rough with washed out areas and a lot of rocks. Not a good choice for a low slung passenger car … and it’s closed for RV’s and trailers. There is also one section with a significant drop on one side… not a road for people with vertigo issues.)
Camera: Nikon D810 Lens: Nikon 28-300mm set at 78mm ISO 100 1/500sec f/11
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