Darland Mountain

[jackdarland]

I am just a dumb flatlander whose kids discovered the existence of Darland Mountain in southwest Washington and are determined to climb same as a part of this summer's family vacation (see Clark Griswold, family truckster)......so I am starting at 0 elevation here.....I believe it is in the Yakima Indian Reservation.....the topozone map shows a trail.....I need lots of information......and am hoping that some of the experienced and helpful people out there can point me in the right direction.....this is only a 7,000 high 'peak' here so am I correct in thinking we can get a topomap, drive within a couple miles, hike up there and hike back down in 8 hours?......so thanks for any info. anyone out there can offer me....

[sobo]

Darland Mountain is not technically on the YIR, AFAIK. There is a jeep trail up to the summit, which is what our SAR outfit uses to access our repeater up there. You should not have any worries about an 8-hour round trip. I can provide more beta, but just not right now as I'm at work and without my reference materials.

[sobo]

See this map. You will have to approach Darland Mtn. from the north, as the road to the southerly aspect is on the reservation. Note that the elevation is just shy of 7,000 feet, if that is of concern to you.

 

You can drive a 4WD/high ground clearance vehicle to the summit. No hiking approach whatsoever. Have at Grant's Pub in downtown Yakivegas afterwards. They allow minors up until 9:00p pm.

[Alex]

I fully support climbing mountains for their names alone!

[sobo]

So, is there a Peak Krawarik out there somewhere?

[Stefan]

Can a standard two wheeled vehicle make it on that north aspect of Darland Mountain to the spur road (now closed) to Green Lake?

[lummox]

jack darland and family fukin rawk!

have a kickass trip!

[sobo]

Can a standard two wheeled vehicle make it on that north aspect of Darland Mountain to the spur road (now closed) to Green Lake?

 

Mountain bike:

Road racer:

Croozer:

[jackdarland]

Hi sobe

what does it mean

'no hiking approach whatsoever'

do you mean it can not be hiked up

or that it is not a challenging hike

help me out here

[sobo]

Hi sobe

what does it mean

'no hiking approach whatsoever'

do you mean it can not be hiked up

or that it is not a challenging hike

help me out here

 

It means that you can, with the proper vehicle, drive to the summit. Hence, no hiking approach whatsoever.

[jackdarland]

hi sobo

thanks for all the great info

could you give me a little more detail as far as driving south on what highway, get off where, possible places to park and walk up from etc.

i really appreciate all the info and help on this

j.d.

[sobo]

From where are you driving? Where will you enter Washington, if you aren't already living here?

[jackdarland]

we will be driving up the pacific coast highway from san francisco

then i'm thinking that we'll drive along the columbia river

i'm thinking we'll head out from yakima

but i'm open to any ideas

like i say i really have no clue about the area

if you ever saw the movie 'the blues brothers'

"....we're on a mission from god....." type of action

my kids - teenagers - are bound to "scale" darland mountain and take family photos, etc.

[sobo]

Well, with that established...

 

-North on I-5 to a little south of Portland, OR

-Exit for I-205 North to bypass Portland

-Exit for I-84 East

-Drive up the Columbia River Gorge on I-84 for about 100 miles, passing thru Hood River and The Dalles, arriving at last at Biggs

-Cross the Columbia River at Biggs on US 97

-Continue on US 97 for about 60 miles, passing thru Goldendale, over Satus Pass, and finally arriving in Toppenish

-As you enter Toppenish, turn left (northwest) at the first light you come to, heading for Union Gap and Yakima, still on US 97

-Drive about 15 miles or so until you enter Union Gap, ON THE OLD HIGHWAY (it is important that you do NOT get back on the Interstate system)

-Coming into Union Gap, you will shortly come to a light at the intersection of Main Street (US 97) and Ahtanum Road

-Turn left (west) onto Ahtanum Road, and drive this for about 20 miles or so, passing thru the burgs of Ahtanum, Wiley City, and Tampico.

-Keep on driving past Tampico about another 10 miles or so, heading up the North Fork of Ahtanum Creek drainage, up into the hills west of town

-When the pavement ends, keep on driving as far as your vehicle will get you

-Eventually, you will arrive at the "summit" of Darland Mountain

 

If your kids want to really "scale" Darland Mountain, may I suggest the sufferfest approach from its WEST side instead? A topo map will show you what I mean.

 

Just make sure that you have your "...half tank of gas, a pack of cigarettes, and wearing sunglasses at midnight..."

[jackdarland]

Hey Sobo

The internet is such a cool thing.....even a few years ago such a thing would have been impossible......awesome! I bought a topo map of "Darland Mountain" .....if we were to do the west approach, where might we park a car and begin our ascent? And could we get up there and down before nightfall......if this question about climbing a 7,000 foot 'mountain' strikes you aas ludicrous, bear in mind we hail from a state whose highest point of elevation is Ocheydan Mound at just over 1,000.....it is in fact a human made pile of dirt......love your sense of humor and use of the icons.......we're going to need to meet at Grant's pub so I can buy you one or more

[sobo]

...if we were to do the west approach, where might we park a car and begin our ascent? And could we get up there and down before nightfall...

 

Oooooo, you don't really want to do that, now do you? I was just kidding you about the west approach. That was what the was all about. You would need to make an entirely different driving approach, getting on US 12 towards White Pass and taking the South Tieton Loop Road to somewhere around Minnie Meadows (N33* 55', W121* 15'). You'd even want the adjacent 7.5' quad map (Pinegrass Ridge).

 

Even then, you'd be over 4 miles (crow flight) distant from the summit, with an elevation gain of more than 3,400 feet over almost completely untrailed terrain. Nahhhh, you don't wanna go there. Just take a look at your quad map to the west and northwest of Darland Mountain and you'll see. See those contour lines? As a self-proclaimed flatlander, I'd should think that you'd be thinking something along the lines of OMFG!

 

...we're going to need to meet at Grant's pub so I can buy you one or more

 

Did someone say, "free "? I'm all over it like stink on dookie.

[sobo]

...if this question about climbing a 7,000 foot 'mountain' strikes you aas ludicrous, bear in mind we hail from a state whose highest point of elevation is Ocheydan Mound at just over 1,000.....it is in fact a human made pile of dirt...

 

Well, jd, I don't wanna be a spoiler or anything, but I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news.

 

First the good news. You're mistaken in your belief regarding your "human made pile of dirt". The highest point in Iowa is not your dirtpile known as the Ocheyedan Mound, but is in fact, Hawkeye Point, in an adjacent Township and Range, at an elevation of 1,670 feet AMSL. So that's great; Iowa tops the 500-meter mark!

 

Source

 

Now for the bad news... You're again mistaken regarding the origins of the Ocheyedan Mound. It's not man-made, but is instead a glacial feature known as a kame, comprised of sand and gravel deposited by glacial meltwaters about 14,000 years ago. But it's great that it wasn't man-made, so in reality, this is good news arising out of ostensibly bad news. Now how cool is that?

 

Source

 

Yeah, to quote someone I met on the internet, "The internet is such a cool thing..."

 

And now, I must get back to screwing some clients -- I mean work.

[jackdarland]

well you got me there sobo

you know more about iowa hills than i do

i'm not much of a rock/hill climber

i'm not a big man so just climbing up on a barstool is about the extent of it for me

check out this web link

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2004/02/10/sports/local/0eb89bb0005d321886256e36005b9be7.txt

this is 2 miles north of my farm

i took the kids sledding yesterday p.m. and climbers were climbing these darn things when we drove by so we stopped and visited a bit

you climbing types are a different breed of cat

ah, if only i were a bit younger

make that a lot younger

[sobo]

Now that was cool! Righteous!

[andyf]

Jack:

 

For some more background on Darland Mountain, read chapters 5 and 7 in "Of Men and Mountains" by William O. Douglas (late U.S. Supreme Court Justice who grew up in nearby Yakima). Douglas refers to Darland Mountain by its other name, "Darling Mountain."

 

As you've gathered, you can drive right to the top of Darland. I once spent the night up there with some friends when I was in high school. Darland Mountain has a fabulous view directly across to the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area, as well as Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier. I still remember a spectacular sunrise hitting the peaks to the west. It was also June, when the mountain top is covered with blue lupine and red Indian paintbrush in bloom. So, to add some memories to your trip, you might plan on car camping at the top (no improvements; just pull off the road) and timing your trip to hit the flower season (early to mid-June, I think).