Miles: 13.9 miles RT
Elevation Gain/Highest: 4000ft/6440ft
Map: Green Trails Kachess Lake No 208
Favorite Eats After Hike: The Commonwealth, Basecamp Books & Bites, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
Hike details:
Rising close to 4,000 feet out of the Cle Elum River Valley to meet the Yellow Hill Trail, the Jolly Mountain Trail presents a vigorous climb to a panoramic summit with breathtaking mountain range views for miles of West Teanaway, the Enchantments, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.
The trailhead starts at the back of the Cayuse Horse Camp that sits along the Salmon La Sac Road. Parking can be found on the righthand side of Salmon La Sac Road, next to the sign for the horse camp. It’s also accessible a short distance up FR 4315 in a sno-park lot.
If you’re parking on Salmon La Sac Road, walk up the entrance into the horse camp, straight ahead through the gate marked for the corral and take a right on a road bed past the host camp site. Look for a sign 0.1 mile in. It indicates the Jolly Mountain Trail Detour, which is where the trail from the sno-park lot on FR 4135 comes in on the right. Keep straight here and in another 0.1 mile, the official trail for Jolly Mountain begins (.3 miles from Salmon La Sac Road).
You will soon find yourself on a rock-strewn, powdery dirt trail shared with hikers, stock and dirt bikes. Switchbacks help you gain elevation with several viewpoints out to the parched end of Cle Elum Lake, as well as the Cooper River valley with Red Mountain, Hibox, Three Queens and Mount Baldy off in the distance.
There are two junctions with overgrown road beds, look for brown forest service markers that keep you on track and remind you that you have picked a ‘most difficult’ trail.
At 1.8 miles, the switchbacks cease and the trail takes a wide sweep of the contour above the gully that cradles the Salmon La Sac Creek drainage. In another 1.2 miles you will begin to hear the bubbly brook on your right and soon cross over on a sturdy plank bridge. A simple wooden bench a few steps upstream nestles in a cover of vanilla leaf and offers a shady reprieve from your climb. This creek also offers the best water source before the ridge.
From here, a non-remarkable trail junction down to Paris Creek appears on the left in less than half a mile but you continue up and up. The incline steepens before leveling out in a small meadow in another 0.6 miles; purple aster and dainty white yarrow surround a marshy stream flowing over the trail.
You aren’t done yet. Steep switchbacks continue once again another 0.6 miles, until you break out of the trees to meet the Sasse Ridge Trail at 5600 feet. The ridge trail goes right to Sasse and Hex Mountain but you will turn left and enjoy the undulating ridgeline, a welcome break from your ascent. Mount Rainier and Adams can be seen off to your right and Summit Chief, Hinman and Bears Breast sit proudly on your left as you saunter along.
The West Fork Teanaway Trail drops down on the right in 0.3 miles. You’ll stay to the left at the intersection as the ridge continues to climb. Views of Chikamin, Lemah and the iconic Enchantment peaks appear on your left, take care with your step as the sometimes trenched trail littered with sharp stones gains 300 more feet towards your final junction.
In 0.7 miles the ridge meets a junction with the Jolly Creek Trail that descends to the left but you keep to the right for a final push to the summit of Jolly Mountain another 1 mile off. The first 0.3 miles of this are level but you soon find yourself zigzagging to a rocky ridgeline. Weathered snags curl close to the trail like eyelashes through the burn area, mind your head as you walk along.
The best way to reach the summit at the end is to snake around to the back side to meet the Yellow Hill Trail and then up to the top on a defined path. The roomy summit once held a lookout from 1921 to 1968 but now only a stone windbreak and rusty artifacts remain. You won’t mind, however, as you find yourself grinning ear to ear with joy as you take in the views around you.
When descending in the afternoon, the last 3 miles of clear cut will have you exposed and water will be a must in the hot sun. Make sure to check your supply when crossing the Salmon La Sac Creek before continuing the rest of the way out.
My trip report 8/27/2019:
I decided to cram a hike in before late afternoon plans on Tuesday so I headed up to the trailhead for Jolly arriving around 9pm Monday night. I slept in my car up FR 4315 near the sno-park lot and started up the trail around 3:45am with headlamp. Not being exactly sure where to begin because there were no trail signs for Jolly Mountain, I began on an unmarked trail behind the privy on Salmon La Sac Road that carried me over to the horse camp behind the picnic area.
The climb out of the horse camp was not as bad as I had thought it would be based on the previous guide description, not terribly steep and the trees were open enough to see the stars across the sky. Several road bed intersections clearly offered views I would get to see later on my way down. The only thing I would complain about is that the trail is full of loose rock, the kind we like to call ankle-busters in the trail maintenance biz.
It was still dark when I crossed the Salmon La Sac creek but the forest was starting to brighten as I passed the trail junction for Paris Creek. Not that there was much to see, this section was pretty much all trees. I was surprised at the small meadow before the ridge and it seems as though the switchbacks approaching the ridge are newer. A faint trail heading straight down the fall line is slowly being taken up by the vegetation thankfully.
The sun was just coming over Jolly Mountain as I hit the ridge and I put my puffy on as the wind was still cool at 7am. I had heard the sound of a motor bike as I arrived but it was silent as I began towards Jolly on the crest.
The views were amazing and although no one likes a burn area, I could see how it allowed for more panoramic sights. I could even see Mount Adams! I hadn’t been on Jolly before but I’ve snowshoed Hex several times, it was interesting to look over from this perspective.
The trail junction signs were fire tinged and in my haste, I accidentally turned down the West Fork Teanaway for a few minutes because it looked to be heading towards Jolly. Oops.
Back up on the ridge, I really loved the viewpoint shortly after that looks out on the left to the route to Skookum Peak and into the Enchantments. So volcanic and sharp. I spotted the bikes I had heard earlier at the junction for Jolly Creek and continued on.
I arrived at the summit before 8:30 and enjoyed the views that go on and on. My early arrival meant I had it to myself, in fact the only evidence of other people I had for the whole day were the parked bikes down below. I found the summit marker on the other side of the stone shelter and attempted a few summit selfies. A work in progress…
The last miles out that I had walked up in the dark were exposed and hot on the way down and I was glad I had my umbrella for shade and enough water as I hiked out. I’m not sure I would hike this route to Jolly again because of the all the loose scree on the trail but it did make for a lovely solitary walk.
Directions: Drive I90 to exit 80, and exit, heading north on Bullfrog Road (crossing the freeway if you’re coming from the west. Pass through two roundabouts, following signs for 903, and pass through the town of Roslyn and Ronald. Drive 16 miles past Roslyn, and look for the trailhead on the right, near the Cayuse Horse Camp.
It will not be marked for Jolly Mountain and there is room for 2-3 small cars. There is picnic area and a privy a little further down the road and it is possible to walk up into the horse camp on a connector trail from here. If parking is full, a large sno-park lot is available just up on FR 4315 a quarter mile back down Salmon La Sac Road. A Northwest Forest Pass is needed.
A short connector trail runs from there to meet the Jolly Mountain Trail up from the horse camp.
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