North Fork Silver Creek Trail

North Fork Silver Creek is the long way to the summit of Abercrombie Mountain, eastern Washington's second-highest peak at 7,308 feet. Where the shorter Abercrombie Mountain Trail takes a more direct line, this route trades brevity for scenery, climbing through western larch groves and old-growth forest before breaking into high-elevation meadows with sagebrush and wildflowers.

The trail earns its reputation as a fall destination. Eastern Washington's larch displays turn these slopes gold in October, and the drier climate east of the Cascades often means clear skies when the west side is socked in. The trailhead sits at a primitive campground that makes overnight staging easy, and the approach road, while unpaved, is one of the more accessible forest roads in the area.

Trail condition has been a persistent concern. A 2024 trip report documented roughly 400 trees down across the upper tread. WTA crews worked here in 2021 and the trail was in great shape at that time, but blowdown accumulates fast in this remote country. Below treeline the route stays clear and well-defined. Above, expect scrambling over and under logs if recent maintenance has not reached the summit sections. The effort is real, but so is the reward: Abercrombie's summit provides panoramic views across the Selkirk Range into Idaho and British Columbia.