My family and I set out to hike 'Grassy Top' but discovered on the way to the trail head that FS road 400 has been closed for habitat protection. We were able to get as close as 3 miles from the trail head with the car and decided to hike in. not only has FS400 not been maintained, but apparently neither has the trail or at least the trail head, as we were never able to find it. We used gps to find the spot marked on the WTA web page, but after searching for a while, we gave up and hiked back to the car. All in all, a good day though. Turns out, FS400 wasn't a bad hike for three small kids and we got 6 miles in today in a very nice place.

I love the view from the summit of Hall Mountain, but I am so tired of the trek up the Noisy Creek Trail. I wanted a new perspective for this hike, plus I wanted high mileage since it's the final weekend of Hike-a-Thon, so I opted for the Grassy Top approach from Pass Creek Pass. When starting from Pass Creek Pass, the route is 19.2 miles round-trip (compared to the 14 and change when starting at Noisy Creek). However, the extra miles are fairly easy: this approach starts high and stays high, whereas the other trail includes an endless climb. Not to say that there are no climbs on this one; there are. They are just minor in comparison, and typically short in duration. It's a lot of little ups and downs, with more ups in the final 2 miles to the summit. The views are also superior on this hike. In the early portion, there are views of the Idaho Selkirks and Priest Lake to the east, and the Salmo Priest Wilderness and Shedroof Divide to the north (this trail is outside the wilderness boundary, although it is a proposed addition--and completely worthy of designation!). The trail passes through beautiful meadows, crosses beneath interesting rock outcroppings, and includes fantastic old-growth forest. At Hall Mountain, it seems as though Sullivan Lake is just below the trail, not seven trail-miles away. From the summit, Sullivan Mountain, Crowell Ridge, and Gypsy are to the north; Abercrombie and Hooknose are to the west; I believe that it's Molybdenite to the south; and one can look right back at Pass Creek Pass and the peaks along the Shedroof to the east. We got drenched on our way back to the trailhead, by what looked to be a rain-snow mix. Fall is on its way, so enjoy this hike while there's still snow-free trailhead access! Like this trip report? Please sponsor me at http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1468&AID=2791&PID=447677

The day after we hiked to the top of Hall Mountain my friend Kay and I decided we should do the 8-mile round trip Grassy Top Mountain trail. We left camp at Sullivan Lake around 9am and drove the 13 graveled miles east to Pass Creek Pass. We parked at the wide spot at the pass (the only place to park near the TH) then hiked back the eighth of a mile to the trailhead (elev. 5380'). The trail drops sharply for a short distance where a trail registry is located. We quickly perused the few names that were on the cards (I saw no one I knew), filled out our card, and then moved out. According to the registry cards only 7 or 8 groups had done this hike since early June. I'm sure not everyone fills out a card but it indicated to Kay and I that few people do this hike. The excellent trail courses through heavy timber for the first mile or so, switchbacking a few times as it climbs in elevation. The timber thins now and then until it reaches a junction with the trail leading to Hall Mountain. At this point you pretty much emerge from the timber into a very pleasant open trail affording great views of the surrounding peaks. The predominant vegetation along the trail now is green meadow grass dotted with subalpine fir instead of heavy timber. Various wildflowers made their appearance too on the very steep slopes adding to the wonderful scenery. We kept trekking until we reached the top of Grassy Top Mountain (elev. 6253') about 4 miles from the TH. As soon as we made it to the flat top we moved to the edges to look all around. To the northeast our eyes quickly noticed some smoke rising from the timber below us. At first we thought it was just slash from a possible logging operation being burned, but it didn't look like any logging had been going on down there recently. Through the binoculars I could not see any flames, just rising white smoke from what looked like a meadow. I knew there are 5 manned lookout towers in this area so I figured one of them had seen the smoke already. Directly to the east we could see the entire Selkirk Crest, featuring Mount Roothaun and the nearby predominant Chimney Rock. Close inspection revealed snow still on the north aspect of Roothaun, despite the warm/hot temps we have been experiencing. We lingered, ate and relaxed for an hour or so on Grassy Top before leaving for the return trek. While wandering around on top we spotted a female Spruce Grouse with a fresh hatching of little ones. They were cute to watch. She was protective but allowed us to watch them for a little while. The trip back down continued to be very enjoyable. This is a superb 8-mile round trip hike, definitely one to repeat. The scenery on our way down was fantastic, the smells were wonderful, and the company was great. We reached my Blazer safely and could smell a strong odor of smoke in the air, no doubt from the fire we had seen from the top. When we got back to Sullivan Lake we stopped by the Ranger Station to see if anyone had reported the fire. The ranger telephoned another ranger in the proper jurisdiction and he said no lookout had spotted or mentioned seeing smoke in his area. The Sullivan Lake ranger gave me a map and then put me on the phone to give a description of where Kay and I had seen the rising smoke. He thanked us for the sighting and said he would dispatch a helicopter to check it out. We never heard after that what ever became of it. Perhaps it just burned itself out later. Ron Ellis Spokane, WA