Mount Maude

Mount Maude stands 9,040 feet in the Entiat Mountains, the highest non-volcanic peak in the area and a serious mountaineering objective. The standard route via Phelps Creek and Ice Creek gains 5,400 feet in 7 miles one way, with the final 2,000 feet crossing steep talus and loose rock on the south face. Route-finding skills are essential above treeline.

The approach follows the Phelps Creek Trail for 3.5 miles before branching onto the Ice Creek Trail. Leroy Basin provides a common base camp at around 6,800 feet, with established bivy sites among scattered larch trees. From Leroy Basin, the route ascends talus and scree slopes to gain the south ridge, then follows the ridge to the summit. The final scramble involves Class 3 rock and requires careful foot placement on loose terrain.

The summit panorama spans Glacier Peak to the west, the Stuart Range to the south, and the Entiat peaks stretching north. Seven Fingered Jack, Maude's neighbor, is often combined as a two-summit day or overnight from Leroy Basin. The Phelps Creek Road approach is rough but passable; the area was reopened after the 2025 Pomas Fire closure.