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Prominence Peaks

Elevation: 3,668 feet
Prominence: 1,484 feet
Distance: Just over a mile
Elevation Gain: Around 400 feet

Willhiteweb.com

Located in the Weyerhaeuser St. Helens Tree Farm, Winters Mountain towers over Riffe Lake and is easily the highest mountain around for miles in all directions. Unfortunately, there is no view from the summit of the lake. The name Winters Mountain is on nearly every map since the 1920's. There has not been a timber harvest on the summit for a good 30 years so maybe in another 10 or 20, it will get cut. Few would be interested in a visit except prominence chasers, and maybe a rock hound. If someone can explain why I found just one large piece of petrified wood near the summit sitting on the duff looking like it was just placed there?

Choose your own adventure. I came up the south ridge through a fairly recent cut area so the brush wasn’t bad...yet. Once in the larger timber, a old road follows the ridge to the summit area.

Route

2 images above of the summit area

These were interesting in the ground, full of water and a few feet deep. The location was right where a toilet would go next to the road at the summit.

Aerial view of route I took in 2017

Showing how the rock looked when I walked up to it 30 feet off the road in a random spot in the woods. I am almost positive it is Petrified Wood since it had tree rings but I’m open for ideas if you have them, especially how did it get here without one pine needle on it.

Map showing the route I took to visit Winters Mountain summit

1953 USGS showing logging railroad spur (likely Spur 555) on Winters Mountain.

1919 USGS showing Winters Mountain

The only rock like this around the summit of Winters Mountain

At the highest part of the harvest area you could see Riffe Lake and Mt. Rainier

View west while hiking up

Ridge road to the summit of Winters Mountain

Mount St. Helens in route up Winters Mountain

Longview-St Helens permit needed, or sneak from DNR roads from the west

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