BOU AVENUE
Calispell Peak
On 19 July 2026, Zosia Zgolak and I ascended Calispell Peak located about 18 kilometres northwest of Cusick, Washington.  Eric Willhite has an excellent write up of the peak's recent history which is far more interesting than the ascent route which basically follows a rough road all the way to the top of the peak.  After my driving fiasco on our last outing, I was far more careful with navigating the back roads to access this peak.  In the past, others have driven all the way to the summit, but given the simplicity of the ascent, we were content to walk as far as necessary in order to spare my car any needless punishment.

 From State Highway 20, turn west onto Tacoma Creek Road (2WD gravel) 6.4 kilometres north of the bridge over Calispell Creek in Cusick, Washington or 39.5 kilometres south of the intersection with State Highway 31.  Drive 10.1 kilometres and turn left onto Calispell Peak Road (NF-629).  Drive as far as comfort and vehicle clearance allows.  We managed to drive about 5.3 kilometres before deciding to start walking.  About 4.5 kilometres beyond, the road is deactivated which effectively prevents any further driving for most vehicles.

From where we parked, Zosia and I continued on foot up the same road (NF-629).  As noted in the driving directions, we found the road deactivated about 1.5 hours into our hike.  A very rough path has been cut through the forest to detour around the deactivated section, but in my opinion, it is only drivable for dirt bikes, ATVs, or monster trucks.  About 1.5 kilometres further, we passed a 4-way junction with a seemingly good road coming from the south.  This might be an alternate route for vehicles to drive up the peak, but I am uncertain if this road, too, has been deactivated at some point lower down.  There was nothing noteworthy about the remainder of our walk up to the top.

After taking a break near the summit, Zosia and I took a short cut down open slopes before regaining the road and then retracing our steps all the way back to our parked car.  Overall, the entire hike was easy but also largely uninspiring partly because the surrounding views were nothing special.  In any case, a mountain bike might be a more preferable means of travel for this peak.
I've probably driven worse roads, but my car is no spring chicken anymore! After parking his car, Sonny continues on foot along Calispell Peak Road (NF-629).

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

 
Aw man, I could've driven THIS part of the road! Zosia gets a glimpse of Calispell Peak in the distance during the approach.
Whew! Glad we walked! The state of this vehicle attests to the roughness of Calispell Peak Road.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Explains the wreck we passed earlier! This deactivated section of road requires a detour through the adjacent trees.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
We're losing our precious shade from the hot sun! The road climbs through an old burn on the upper mountain.
Hope it's not a treed summit! Zosia hikes the final rise to the summit which is somewhere behind the trees.
Oh well, at least it's not covered with trees! The top of Calispell Peak is disappointingly cluttered with communications infrastructure.
Yay. Zosia and Sonny stand on the summit of Calispell Peak (2097 metres).
Anything to shorten the return trip helps! Zosia takes a short cut descending from the summit.
Ugh. Zosia regains the road and settles into a long and monotonous walk back to the car.
Sigh...another boring road walk! Total Distance:  17.6 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  7 hours 30 minutes
Cumulative Elevation Gain:  900 metres

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