Length
Elevation Gain
Highest Point
To get the most out of this hike, begin at the large sno-park parking lot adjacent to the alpine ski access road and Summit Road, located at the bottom of Trail 130. This allows hikers to store resupply food and water in the car, since no matter how one hikes it, one will need to pass back through the parking lot during the hike.
The park can be roughly split into two halves, with four peaks each on the west and east sides. The easiest order to hike is as follows, beginning on the west side:
- Beauty Mountain (fifth tallest at 5,100 feet)
- Mount Kit Carson (second highest at 5,282 feet)
- Day Mountain (sixth highest at 5,057 feet)
- Mount Spokane (tallest at 5,889 feet)
Then pass through the parking lot to begin the east side portion on the Nordic trail system:
- Shadow Mountain (eighth highest at 4,890 feet)
- Horse Mountain (fourth highest at 5,103 feet)
- Quartz Mountain (third highest at 5,129 feet)
- Ragged Mountain* (seventh highest at 4,900 feet)
This grand tour of the peaks also includes much of the park's history (the CCC cabin; the 1934 Vista House; the Cook's Cabin area, with the restoration project of the woodshed and site of the old ski lodge; the old Mount Spokane fire lookout, now a reservable rental on Quartz Mountain), as well as some unique alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems.
The entire route is approximately 25 miles in length, with only some overlap in trail traveled, but the hike could easily be split into shorter segments. No backpacking is allowed in Mount Spokane State Park, so this one is for day hiking only.
Trailhead
