Washington County High Point Trip Report
Cuddy Mountain (7,867 ft)
Date: July 23, 2001
Author: Ken Jones
Drive: This drive requires 4WD, high clearance, and excellent driving skills (at least when parts of the road
are muddy). I let Andy take the wheel toward the end; had he not been there I'd have walked. Personally,
I'll use the hiking route from the west if I try to get my family up this one. From Council ID head west and
then northwest out of town on the paved Hornet Creek road (which becomes FR002). The pavement ends
before you get to the national forest boundary. There was a lot of construction going on when we were
there (including flaggers and one-way traffic on a Sunday night on a gravel road!), so I can't guarantee what
you will find. At roughly 13 to 14 miles from the highway (just before the guard station on the map),
FR002 bears to the right into a narrower valley and the Cuddy Mountain Road goes left (0.0 mile). I believe it is
signed "Cuddy Mtn." Follow this road (FR055) as it climbs to the west. The road quality deteriorates
markedly when you move from state to USFS land. Keep right where a road heads to Hornet Reservoir (9.1 miles).
At a "T"-shaped intersection, bear left (10.6 miles). From just beyond here you'll travel most of the rest of the
way on high plateaus. The road gathers a lot of standing water and deep mud in shady spots - if it's not bone
dry, be sure you know what you're getting into before you drive through wet spots. Keep right one mile
later (11.6 miles) on FR087. Stick to the main road and follow it to its end about 2 1/2 miles farther on.
(We dragged our vehicle south from here on a faint track to near the summit area,
but could have walked just as fast.)
Hike: Hike south on the 4WD track for about 1/2 mile, then head up to the summit area. There are a
number of possible highpoints; the register is by the benchmark.