Royal Mountain (11,488) by Brian Schultz Thursday July 27, 2023
Roundtrip mileage: 4.6 miles from Meridian Trailhead
Elevation gain: 2,450'
Start to finish: 6 hours 5 minutes

Of all the trip reports I read on climbing Royal Mountain, I chose to climb it the same way Paul Stratmoen did. I overnighted at the Meridian Trailhead and began at 6:35 AM. The weather forecast called for storms/rain but the morning was nice and sunny. The first 3/4 mile was easy travel through the open woods, then deadfall had to be reckoned with, and then more deadfall and talus. Overall, the terrain was steep but the last stretch to the summit was easy again.

I enjoyed the views of Rosalie Peak and other peaks on my short summit stay. The descent went without incident and my timing back to the truck was good as it started raining five minutes after I returned.