Hike Carne Mountain

Leavenworth, Washington

Description

Dayhike to one of the best Alpine Larch forests in Washington. Views of the Eastside of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, including 9,000' Mt. Maude, and 8,500' Buck Mountain. Stunning fall colors of the deciduous Alpine Larch tree with it's golden yellow needles. 8 mile roundtrip hike with 3,500' of elevation gain. Good weather of the dry side of the Cascades when the west side is getting soaked.

Drive USFS Road 62 for 23 miles from Lake Wenatchee (turn left at Cole's Corner off of Highway 2 towards Lake Wenatchee). Turn right on USFS Road 6211 for ~2.5 miles to the end at the Phelps Creek Trailhead.

Begin to hike the Phelps Creek Trail but in 1/4-1/2 a mile, take a right on the Carne Mountain trail, #1508. Ascend the at times steep Carne Mountain trail to a subalpine basin and spend some time exploring. At approximately 3.5 miles, the trail splits. Stay left and continue 3/4 mile to the broad summit of Carne Mountain.

To catch the Larch trees in their autumn splendor, the best time is the first week or two of October. Usually peak color is around October 10th. Bring your camera, especially on a sunny day. The larches glow electric yellow when backlit by the sun.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Photography

Hiking

Forest

Scenic

Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hiking the Lyman Lakes

Start out on the Phelps Creek Trail and hike in 6.5 miles to reach the head of Spider Meadows. Continue on up the trail to the the base of the Spider Snowfield around 6200 feet for even better views of the entire Phelps Basin. Follow the trail up the snowfield for .5 miles to the top of Spider Gap at 7100 feet where you'll catch your first views of Lyman Lakes. Drop down alongside the Lyman Gla...

Backpack Spider Gap to Buck Creek Pass

Backpacking the Spider Gap to Buck Creek Pass Loop in the Glacier Peak Wilderness is no easy task, but yields some of the most spectacular views found in Washington. Plan for at least four days in order to stay fresh and to allow for extra time to soak in the Cascadian beauty that assaults your senses every step of the way.Day 1 (11.2 miles): Beginning at the trailhead at the end of Phelps Cr...

Backpack to Ice Lakes Basin

Begin your adventure at the Phelps Creek Trailhead, roughly a 4 hour drive from Seattle. Make sure your car has good clearance and traction because the last section of the forest service road gets a little rough. Only a few minutes after starting down the trail, you will reach a split that heads up to your right (labeled for Carne Mountain, trail #1508). This trail is well-maintained and I woul...

Scramble Fortress Mountain

The Approach Starting at the Trinity trailhead you'll hike the Buck Creek Trail towards Buck Creek Pass. The trail is fairly obvious once the snows have melted but if you are going early season (June-early July) you will definitely want to bring a GPS. The trail works it's way up the valley along Buck Creek. You will pass through a burn zone from the Buck Creek fire (2016) and a impressively ...

Kayaking Lake Wenatchee

Glacier-fed Lake Wenatchee is only 2 hours east of Seattle, nestled in the Okanogan- Wenatchee National Forest. The park is fully equipped with all the amenities you'd expect - camping spots, a sand/rock beach, picnic tables, bathrooms and a boat launch.Pack up your boats at the south campground, where you can use the dock as the boat launch (or the beach, if you're prepared to get your feet we...

Hike to Minotaur Lake

This short, steep hike offers rewarding views that is well worth the vertical challenge. Round trip this hike is only 3.5 miles but you will gain 1400 feet elevation in the first mile.The trail starts off with switchbacks that head straight up the hill then about 200 feet from the wilderness boundary you traverse northeast to a beautiful meadow. Wildflowers abound and you can even pick some wil...