Hike of the Week: Grassy Top
 |
| A Hiker enjoys the high-country meadows of the Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Roadless Area |
Grassy Top
Views from this peak cover plenty of turf
by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
October 28, 2005
Quick Facts
Location: Selkirk Mountains, Colville National Forest
Land Agency: National Forest Service
Roundtrip: 8.0 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 1,000 feet
Access: From Metaline Falls, Washington follow the Sullivan Lake Road (County Road 9345) for almost 5 miles, then turn left (east) onto Forest Road no. 22. Follow this gravel road for 6.0 miles to a junction with FR 2220 just after a bridge crossing Sullivan Creek. Turn right (south) and continue on FR 22 (signed “To Priest Lake”) for 7.75 miles to a small pull-off at Pass Creek Pass. Trail begins a few hundred feet west along the road.
Notes: Hunting season has begun-wear orange.
The trail to Grassy Top is one of the easiest ridge hikes in eastern Washington. And not only is it an easy hike-but it’s quite scenic as well. Half the trail traverses sprawling open meadows-hence this peak’s descriptive name. Starting at an elevation of 5,360-feet, the trip to the 6,253-foot Grassy Top is pretty-straight forward. Starting with a short little drop from the road, the trail enters a cool old-growth forest of spruce and fir. It soon crosses the headwaters of Pass Creek, a mere trickle at this elevation.
Now angling around some ledges, the trail begins to climb via a series of long and gentle switchbacks. After 1.5 miles the brunt of the climb is finished. It’s now a pleasurable hike along a ridge that hovers between 6,000 and 6,200 feet. The forest soon thins offering limited views eastward. In 2.7 miles is a junction with trail no. 533 which leads seven lonely and scenic miles to Hall Mountain.
Not far from the junction the trail enters an expansive meadow with views of one of northeastern Washington’s least known major peaks, Molybdenite Mountain. Good views too of the entire Grassy Top-Hall Mountain Roadless Area (a proposed wilderness area). Scan the unbroken forests and sprawling alpine meadows and then write to your representative demanding that this eastern Washington wildland be classified as a federal wilderness area.
After one mile of marching across a magnificent meadow you’ll emerge on the round, rather unexciting, grassy summit of Grassy Top Mountain. This ending may seem anti-climatic. So, retrace your steps five minutes or so to an unmarked trail that takes off north from the main trail. Here you’ll find a short and steep path that climbs 200 feet to a 6,375-foot knoll. From this old lookout site the grass is just as green as that of the main summit. But the views are far better, especially to the north towards the Shedroof Divide in the rugged Salmo-Priest Country.
