Mowich Lake (2).jpg
Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0

First Mother Mountain–Mowich Lake, 4 summits is a 9-mile out-and-back near Upper Fairfax, WA. The route passes Mowich Lake and Knapsack Pass before reaching First Mother Mountain at the turnaround, 4.5 miles in. It climbs 3,239 ft, with sections as steep as 47% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 97/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi4,702 – 6,526 ft · steepest grade: 47%9.3 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Wonderland Trailhead 46.93295, -121.86349
Nearest town Upper Fairfax, WA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

First Mother Mountain–Mowich Lake, 4 summits

9 mi · ▲ 3,239 ft · 4 hr 37 min

Elevation 4,701–6,524 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: Wonderland Trailhead · 46.93295, -121.86349

Weather Aug 3: Mostly clear, high 59°F / low 40° · precip 1% · wind 7 mph · sunrise 5:50 AM · sunset 8:38 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Wonderland Trail, heading S.
  2. 50 ftPass Mowich Lake.
  3. 0.2 miBear left onto Spray Park Trail, heading S.
  4. 2.6 miSharp left, heading N.
  5. 0.4 miTurn right, heading W.
  6. 0.4 miSharp left, heading E.
  7. 0.6 miPass Knapsack Pass.
  8. 250 ftContinue straight onto Knapsack Pass Trail, heading NW.
  9. 50 ftBear right onto First Mother Mountain Trail, heading NW.
  10. 0.3 miReach First Mother Mountain, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  11. 0.3 miBear left onto Knapsack Pass Trail, heading S.
  12. 0.7 miSharp right, heading SE.
  13. 0.4 miTurn left, heading SW.
  14. 0.4 miSharp right onto Spray Park Trail, heading SE.
  15. 2.6 miBear right onto Wonderland Trail, heading NE.
  16. 0.1 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

76% dirt24% unspecified

Weather

Mostly clearTemperature 59°F40°
Precip1%Wind7 mphUV8Humidity79%
Rained 0.2″ 2 days ago
Hourly temperature
60°40°
Sunrise 5:50 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:38 PM
Tue 67°51°
Wed 73°55°
Thu 75°53°
Fri 68°47°
Sat 64°44°
Sun 66°44°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.1 mi in (~118 min). Leave by 6:21 PM for the 8:38 PM sunset. Back at your car by 10:20 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

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