Mount Jefferson is past Mount Hood to the S with Mount Adams behind some sweet angles over the rim much closer to the E. Mount Rainier commands respect to the NE behind Spirit Lake and the Mount Margaret Backcountry on a clear day. About 50 ft past the top is a cairn and boulder marking the end of the path. Return by the same route mindfully around the rim to the more popular smaller bumps, then hike much quicker S down Monitor Ridge with the spongy sand and dust helping you and your knees for the first stretch. After that you and your body are on your own!
MOUNT ADAMS GOAT ROCKS WILDERNESS
18 Nannie Ridge to Cispus Pass
19 Goat Lake Loop to Hawkeye Point
21 Hellroaring Canyon Viewpoint to Iceberg Lake Overlook
23 High Camp/Adams Glacier Meadows to Equestria Lake
| 15 | JOHNSON PEAK |
ELEVATION: 7487 ft, with at least 3200 ft vertical gain from either TH; around 2000 ft vertical gain from a viewpoint without the summit
DISTANCE: 7 mi up, 14 mi round-trip; 12 mi round-trip without the summit
DURATION: 4–6 hours up, 8–10 hours round-trip; 3 hours up to the viewpoint
DIFFICULTY: Very challenging. Long, fairly steep summit bid, bushwhack, minimal scrambling, route-finding, steep slope difficult with snow to summit juncture or Heart Lake, ice axe and crampons required until late summer, rocky summit block, mountain goat encounters possible
TRIP REPORT: Undervalued is this lesser known summit on the northern edge of the Goat Rocks Wilderness with a great trail for most of it leading through wildflower-choked Lily Basin. It is difficult to visit until late July or even August when snow and ice finally melt from the super-steep N-facing slopes off of Johnson Peak’s SW ridge in Lily Basin. It’s about 6 mi to the intersection with Angry Mountain Trail 90 at a saddle on the SW ridge of Johnson Peak, then another ½ mi and less than 500 ft down steeply to beautiful Heart Lake as an alternate day hike or camping trip. Some people even stop at the little saddle with its great views of Angry Mountain, Middle Fork Johnson Creek valley, and Hawkeye Point, and return by the same route. Northwest Forest Pass required at both THs, and there are no restrooms.
TRAILHEAD: Lily Basin TH or Lily Basin Stock TH. Take I-5 N from Portland to exit 68 (Morton/Yakima), turn right on US-12 E 61 mi (passing Morton and Randle, last rest area at milepost 126), turn right (S) on gravel FR-48 (easy to miss, milepost 129½) for 10½ mi and 10 turns to a small pullout on the left with the signed Lily Basin TH on the right (last 2 mi narrower and slightly rougher with a few potholes, okay for 2WD, AWD preferred).
For Lily Basin Stock TH, continue ¼ mi farther on FR-48, turn right up the gravel driveway less than ½ mi to the end (140 mi, 3 hours from Portland). Lily Basin Stock TH is quieter and begins a few hundred feet higher with a slightly shorter spur Trail 86A to meet the main trail. The only caveat is that you must quickly drop about 100 ft in elevation to meet the main trail, which must be regained on your return at the end of the day.
ROUTE: From Lily Basin (lower) TH at the pullout off FR-48, sign in at the free self-issue Wilderness Permit station and take Lily Basin Trail 86 for ½ mi up to the faint spur Trail 86A juncture on the left (no sign, sometimes marked with an orange flag). Coming from Lily Basin Stock (upper) TH, hike more than ¼ mi up and down the spur Trail 86A to the juncture with Trail 86.
Continue to traverse E easily through the mossy forest 2000 ft above Glacier Lake on the wider trail with a few larger Douglas fir and cedar another mile to the long NW ridge of Johnson Peak. Then look to the right through the trees for a shot of Angry Mountain across the valley. Follow the center of the sweet ridge SE on the narrow and slightly overgrown path past good-sized cedar with glimpses left of nearby Mount Rainier that only improve as you ascend. The route steepens at 2 mi from Lily Basin TH briefly as you head right (S) under the top of a small ridge bump. At roughly 2½ mi from the THs is one of only a few switchbacks on the entire hike! It’s coming down from a tiny ridge bump where the trail has been reworked steeply through fallen trees. Pass through more thick brush and wild berries moving right (S) of another ridge bump to the ridge again. There is a better look at Mount Rainier and Packwood Lake as you hike left (N) well below the ridge for a bit at around 3 mi and an hour from the THs.
In ¼ mi is your first full shot of Mount Rainier while crossing a boulder field across a clearing. Trees become sparser as wildflowers become grander with paintbrush, bear grass, and lupine ¼ mi up the steeper trail at times to the first of many great views of Mount Rainier looming above Packwood Lake below. Be careful along sections of the trail with huge drop-offs even though the route is Class 1 (minus the summit). At around 4 mi from the THs you round a corner to suddenly see Johnson Peak towering above the ridge and the steep green and rocky hillside with the trail visible up to a little saddle on the ridge crest. Move down steeper then up to the ridge with a large rock fin and pinnacle blocking easier travel on the ridge in that direction (NW toward Mount Rainier).
Paintbrush, lupine, and others dazzle before even reaching Lily Basin with Mount Rainier as a fitting backdrop over Packwood Lake.
Cross the saddle to the right (S) side of the ridge again briefly as Trail 86 cuts under Johnson Peak traversing through the very steep and colorful Lily Basin ahead. Descend to another little ridge saddle before the 1½-mi traverse to the SW ridge saddle intersection/viewpoint. Move S across the vibrant wildflower-covered oasis under the W slopes of Johnson Peak without much difficulty (unless snow/ice remain). After ½ mi of the traverse, including a few tiny water crossings and a decent little rocky creek crossing in a steep meadow (between some of the last pines), is a steeper rocky ravine to cross. There are cascades above the narrow ravine with a smaller off-chute to the left from the main trail. Be very cautious down, across, then up; and fortunately it’s not as problematic as it appears at first. In ¼ mi is an easier rocky creek bed to pass and the last chance for water if you are hiking to the summit. The wildflower spectacle that blankets these slopes in August during peak season rivals those of any in all of Goat Rocks Wilderness!
Hike down the narrow path a bit to cross a large scree field. The steeper rocky trail turns up to a fake saddle and then the going is easier over dirt to an old sign at the saddle (6150 ft) and intersection with Angry Mountain Trail 90. The great views just got better as you