Spruce Mountain (10,003), Muddy Mountain (9,738), Somber Hill (9,422), & Jelm Mountain (9,656) by Brian Schultz Saturday July 20, 2019

Spruce Mountain:

Roundtrip mileage: 0.25 miles
Elevation gain: 35'
Start to finish: 10 minutes

After hiking Centennial Ridge yesterday, I drove back to Ehling Road (Road 338) and followed it to French Creek road (Road 500) and camped off the road near Rob Roy Reservoir. It was a short drive this morning to Road 500A, which leads to Spruce Mountain. It's a drive-up with a lookout tower near the high point. This tower can be rented out overnight and a vehicle was parked there so I parked at the end of the driveway, not wanting to wake them up at the early hour, and quietly walked to the high point near the small tower. They don't get much easier than this.

Muddy Mountain:

Roundtrip mileage: 2.6 miles
Elevation gain: 475'
Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes

From Spruce Mountain, it's a short drive to Muddy Mountain. I followed French Creek road (Road 500) to Muddy Mountain road (Road 517) and turned south. I parked off the road east of the summit and began at 7:45 AM. There was a faint trail at the beginning but the hike soon became a bushwhack and wet areas had to be circumvented while keeping a bearing to the summit. I arrived on top at 8:35, stayed just a few minutes, and fortunately found a better way down to avoid the marshy areas. I arrived back at the truck 9:15.

Somber Hill:

Roundtrip mileage: 0.10 miles
Elevation gain: 25'
Start to finish: 15 minutes

This is a fun little peak that can be driven nearly to the top. I drove from Muddy Mountain on Road 517 to Fox Park township, then took the Spruce Gulch road (Road 530) to Road 530A. This appears to be a popular peak based on the many motorcycles that pulled into the parking area while I was there. It's a fun little scramble to the top where there's an old bench to rest on for those needing a break after the arduous elevation gain of 25 feet.

Jelm Mountain:

Roundtrip mileage: 50 ft
Elevation gain: none

I drove from Somber Hill east to Hwy 230 and from there to State Highway 10. Going south on Hwy 10 brings you to the marked Jelm Mountain Road (Road 545). This is a drive-up as the Jelm Mountain Road goes to an observatory on the summit (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4). It's a winding drive of 5 miles but the views on top are worth it.

I spent more time driving to these four peaks than I did climbing them. But the scenery and weather were great and I enjoyed the easy day.