A Tricky Scenic Road to Salmo Mountain
Salmo Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.083m (6,833ft) above the sea level, located in Pend Oreille County, in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Washington, along the Canada-US border. It’s one of the highest mountain roads of Washington.
Tucked among the Selkirk Mountains, in the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, the road to the summit is totally unpaved. It’s called NF-270. The road is very well maintained, gravel all the way to the top of the mountain. It gets a little rocky the last hundred yards, but most vehicles will have no problem making it up to the top. Most cars can probably make it when it’s dry.
The road is usually impassable from October to June (weather permitting). At the summit there is a wooden lookout tower built in 1964. It’s said to be northeasternmost lookout in the State. There is an excellent view from atop, looking to Canada, Washington, Idaho, and the Rockies in Montana. Expect a trail pretty steep. Starting from NF-2220 road, the ascent is 3.37km (2.1 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 277 meters. The average gradient is 8.21%.
Pic: Ted Hawk