Cowhorn Mtn / Sawtooth Mtn Loop 7-19-25

Cowhorn Mtn / Sawtooth Mtn. Loop…

Been wanting to do this loop since last year, after tagging sawtooth for the first time. Sure, let’s add another mountain in this heat… 🙂

We started at the Timpanogas Lake trailhead, headed north around the lake, then got off on the Start O’Willamettte trail (3642). After 1.5 miles we took a right on to the Windy Pass trail (3643), then the Cowhorn Traverse trail (3641) to the PCT. Was only on the PCT for a moment before taking the NW ridge to the summit of Cowhorn Mountain.

After a long break on Cowhorn, we backtracked back to the Windy Pass trail and headed SW till we got to the scramble route up to the summit of Sawtooth Mountain.
The views were awesome from both summits. We could see north as far as Mount Jefferson and as far south as Mount Mc Loughlin…with many peaks in-between.
After a long break on Sawtooth, we continued west on the Windy Pass trail, then north on the Sawtooth trail (3634), and then the Indigo Lake trail (3649) back to the vehicle.

Great loop, might have to make that one an annual hike. The heat was pretty brutal, but once you got above to tree line and, on the ridges, there was a nice breeze. The mosquitoes were bad only in the forest and worse at the trailhead. No time for stretching or a beer…

Another great day out with my lovely wife, Deb.

Still a lot of snow patches in the forest…

A look at Cowhorn from the short section of the PCT…

Diamond Peak…

Looking SW at Sawtooth Mountain…

Mount Bailey…and a very straight gravel road…

Mount Thielsen and Mount Mc Loughlin.

Final push up Cowhorn Mountain…

Diamond Peak with Summit lake below…

On our way to Sawtooth, looking back at Cowhorn Mountain.

On the scramble route up to Sawtooth…

Final push up Sawtooth…

Looking down at a very interesting pinnacle…

From Sawtooth, looking over at Cowhorn…

Diamond Peak, Summit Lake, Timpanogas Lake, and Indigo Lake.

Looking south off Sawtooth…Mount Thielsen in the far distance…

Today’s track…