Iron Mountain and Serpentine Hill

Distance: 5ish miles one-way
Summit Elevations: Iron Mountain (5,480+), Serpentine Hill (4,658)
Elevation Gain: 3,000+ feet
Access: Good Gravel when not snow covered

Located in the far NE corner of the Cascade Loop, these two peaks are commonly done together for a fun outing. The location is far east of the Cascade Crest offering opportunities for sunshine when all else is socked in. This area melts out quickly too, especially with most of the route being on south facing slopes. The other big draw is the bump nicknamed Serpentine Hill which makes it onto the Backcourt List, coming in at #98. Ironically, Iron Mountain, with an official name, is much higher with better views but only has roughly 300 feet of prominence, so not making it onto the Backcourt List.

WillhiteWeb.com - Washington Hiking & Climbing

Drive 8.5 miles north of Swauk Pass, turn off of Hwy 97 and onto the Scotty Creek Road. (#7324). Follow it .75 miles to a Y, then turn right (crossing a bridge) on road 7322. Follow this road for a half mile to the trailhead on the right side of the road.
Depending on snow depth, this trailhead may not be accessible. Others have parked on the highway, walking in or continued north another mile on the highway to the Kings Creek parking area (doing a route up that drainage to the saddle between Iron and Serpentine).

From the trailhead, walk road 7322 for 1.3 miles to a Y intersection, taking the right fork. Now gain 1000 feet of elevation over the next two miles to around 4,200 feet to another Y intersection. For Serpentine Hill, go right which goes gently downhill for a bit. Near the ridge saddle, traverse up onto the ridge and follow the ridge up to the summit. For Iron Mountain, back at the Y, instead of going down, continue up going left on road 400. This road heads west a few miles underneath the long east ridge of Iron. When you reach the saddle where you can look west to the Three Brothers, make a final off trail stroll up to the summit of Iron Mountain. There is some easy rock to work around near the top.