Ferry County High Point Trip Report
Copper Butte Summit (7,140 ft)
Date: July 20, 2002
Author: Barney Metz
Adam Helman and myself approached from Kettle Falls, WA on WA-20.
If you cross the Kettle Crest Trail on Sherman Pass then
you have gone too far. The road you are looking for is FR 2030 also signed as the Albion Hill Road.
This is on the North Fork of Sherman Creek.
From the highway turnoff we followed Ken Jones' directions, which were accurate.
Head north on FR 2030. At 0.6 mile, keep right. At 3.4 miles, pass the signed Wapaloosie trailhead; at 3.7
and 3.8 miles keep left at forks signed "S. Deadman". Stay on the main road past various unmarked spurs.
At 7.4 miles you'll find the signed "Old State" trailhead on your left.
Turn left, cross a cattle guard, and park at the turnaround loop/trailhead sign in the trees
about 0.1 mile off the main road.
This is a nice area to camp with fire pits and latrine.
We camped here until first light and then headed up the trail.
Ken Jones was correct about a nice informational sign concerning the First State Highway for the
State of Washington. The trail here is variously called the "Old State" or "Old Stage" road. Both are correct,
because the stage road you will start walking on was the first state highway in Washington.
A trailhead sign explains in more detail.
Hike the road (closed to motor vehicles) to the saddle at 6,040+ feet. Continue just over the saddle
(about 50 yards) and pick up the Kettle Crest trail on the left. Head south, through a single set of switchbacks,
to the top of the ridge. We could not find any benchmarks in the area. There were several cairns.
We enjoyed the top briefly and then headed back down.
Trip statistics: Six miles round-trip with 1,700 feet of elevation gain.