Summit: 4,910ft
2.4m 1,354ft gain
Ancestral homelands of the: Cowlitz, Klickitat, Walla Walla and Siletz
Sleeping Beauty is a small but prominent mountain composed of basalt rock just north of Trout Lake in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. From the south it looks like a woman lying on her back, hence the name. It’s the home of a former fire lookout due to the expansive views from Mount Adams to Rainier, Saint Helen’s, Hood and the spine of the Indian Heaven Wilderness. Since it’s also a short hike this is a premier sunrise and sunset spot. I was first drawn to the mountain because I liked the name. I can’t say I noticed it from Mount Adams in 2017. There is a 7k foot elevation difference.
Below is Sleeping Beauty Peak from Lemei Rock. It looks like an anthill when pictured in front of Mount Adams.
1st Trip: 6/25/2022
Moose and I left Vancouver with enough time to catch a sunset on Mount Adams. I always love driving along the Columbia River Gorge and breaking my neck to catch a glimpse of all the peaks and trails I’ve enjoyed hiking from Portland to Hood River. The beauty can be distracting as I missed my exit which added a lengthy detour. The sun had just set as we reached Trout Lake but Mount Adams looked beautiful in blue! The mosquitos were awful so I did not enjoy this view long.
From Trout Lake it’s a 30 minute drive on gravel roads. We had the trailhead all to ourselves for the night but that may be due to the uneven ground. Our truck bed setup is cozy but we didn’t sleep great due to the angle. By 4am we were ready to get out and on the trail. Thankfully there were no mosquitos out here!
This area between Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams is called the Dark Divide since it’s the largest roadless area in Western Washington so the stars made night hiking pleasant.
It only took us 30 minutes to reach the top so we had about 20 minutes until sunrise at 5:17am.
The morning colors were beautiful! Especially the golden dog!
The Sun finally popped out over Mount Adams.
Moose was enjoying his time chomping on sticks while I took photos and soaked up the views.
These beautiful trees are part of the largest contiguous block of old-growth forest remaining in southwest Washington outside of Mount Rainier. They are protected from logging as reserves for the northern spotted owl and other species under the Northwest Forest Plan and hopefully it stays that way!
We made great time getting down and took a few pit stops on the way home to get more of Moose’s energy out.
A stop at Dog Creek Falls is a must when driving along the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge (HWY 14).
Every adventure with Moose is the best!!
Sleeping Beauty is perfect for a quick sunrise or sunset hike or combine it with a number of other interesting mountains in the area like Council Bluff, Tongue, Juniper, Sunrise and McCoy! I’d love to spend more time in the Dark Divide!
CAPPY TRAILS 