Hall Mountain hike
Come take a hike in the Hall Mountain Roadless Area! It offers an extraordinary landscape carved by ancient, continental glaciers.
Round trip: 5 miles
Elevation gain: 1000 feet
Difficulty: (5/5) Very Difficult
Trailhead: From Metaline Falls, follow Sullivan Lake Road east for 4.75 miles. Turn left (east) onto FR 22 and proceed for 3 miles. Turn right onto Johns Creek Road (FR 500) and continue for 7.5 miles to the trailhead.
Hall Mountain is a prominent peak in Washington's Selkirk Mountains and offers an extraordinary landscape carved by ancient, continental glaciers. Towering above sparkling Sulivan Lake, Hall's wide open alpine meadows provide not only knockout views of the pristine lake far below but also prime habitat for a band of bighorn sheep and mountain caribou, one of the most endangered mammals in North America. Deer, elk, cougar, Canada lynx, bull trout, and black bear also call this lofty mountain home, and a few wayward grizzlies have trampled Hall's swaying grasses from time to time.
Begin with an easy hike of just over half a mile to a four-way junction. The left trail heads over lonely terrain to Grassy Top Mountain. The trail straight ahead plunges into the deep, cool forests of the Noisy Creek Valley to emerge at Sullivan Lake, which has two campgrounds. The trail to the right - the one to take for this hike - climbs 700 feet just in under two miles to Hall's 6323-foot summit. From this former fire tower lookout site, embrace the breathtaking views of the deep, green Sullivan Valley and the rugged Crowell Ridge that rises behind it.
Look, too, for evidence of Hall's wild denizens. And if the mountain's mega-fauna doesn't make itself seen, its mega-flora will. A mosaic of multihued blossoms and meadows carpet the mountain. The steep west face of the mountain, including rocky outcrops, shrubs, and aspen groves, makes for a stunning backdrop.
