Devils Peak
(near Soda Springs)

24 Jul 2001 - by George Sinclair

Last weekend I climbed Devils Peak, which is located near Soda Springs off of Interstate 80. Since I don't recall ever seeing a trip report to this peak before I will provide one now. For this region of the Sierra, this is a rather impressive looking mountain. The summit is composed of some type of dark metamorphic rock, which forms a sheer 200-foot cliff on its eastern side, and a somewhat smaller cliff on the other sides. The only non-technical route on the mountain appears to be a class 3 route up the south side. A possible class 4 route may exist on the north or northwest side, but I did not have time to scout out these routes. The mountain seems to be surrounded by thick brush. I was unable to find a path up to the south side of the mountain that did not involve serious brush. There are various ways one can go to get to the south side of Devils Peak. I will briefly describe the way I went:

I started from a parking area located a short distance above the dam that separates the Cascade Lakes. I walked down across the dam and followed the trail from there. A short distance after leaving the dam, I came across a trail sign. I followed the path marked as the Palisades Trail. About a half-mile later I left the trail at a rocky area and headed directly towards the mountain. On the way I had to drop down towards a meadow, with a dirt road running along its far side. Devils Peak is directly above this road. After crossing the road I worked my way up to the south side of the peak, attempting to stay out of the brush as much as possible. Unfortunately, I was unable to completely avoid it. When I reached the cliffs the route to the summit was obvious. From the parking area to the summit it took me about 90 minutes. A good dirt road leads to the parking area, which is located off of Pahatsi Road. For more information on this mountain see Pete Yamagata's booklet on Northern Sierra Peaks.


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