A non-technical but long scree slog to the highest point in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, often paired with its taller neighbor North Gardner Mountain.
Drive to the Wolf Creek Trailhead west of Winthrop (via Twin Lakes Road, Wolf Creek Road, and Left Fork Wolf Creek Road). Hike the Wolf Creek Trail roughly 10.5 miles up the valley to Gardner Meadows, fire-cleared and avalanche-cleared slopes that make a good base camp. Leave the trail and climb west of the small stream draining Gardner Mountain, gaining a small meadow basin around 6,200 feet, then continue up steep, loose scree — about 1,700 feet of frustrating, one-step-forward two-steps-back climbing — to a high plateau where the mountain's broad, gentle summit sits just off to the side.
Descend the same scree slope; it is exposed to avalanche hazard in winter conditions on some aspects, so timing and snow stability matter if attempted outside summer.