Hiking with Annie
Trailhead: N47 19 07.0 W119 47 58.6 (NAD83) Elevation: 2799 ft Distance: 2 miles Elevation gain: 0 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 18 32.3 W119 47 22.8 Elevation: 2560 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From Highway 28, turn north on Road P, at the east end of Quincy. Drive 7 miles and park on the roadside near a sideroad leading to radio towers on the hill. The trailhead is across the road. (Note: Road P becomes Monument Hill Rd at about 3-3/4 miles from Hwy 28).
Hike description: At only 2 miles, start to finish, this is more of a nature walk than a hike. But at this time of year the scablands are alive with color. I mainly took this "hike" for the blooming Hedgehog Cactus but it seemed that everthing else was also blooming. Of the dozen or more flowering plants, I was only able to identify maybe half of them. I will have to try this one again with a good book of local plants.
May 09 - Beezley Hills Nature Preserve
2009
April - June
Parking: N46 50 07.8 W120 42 41.4 (NAD83) Elevation: 2425 ft Distance: 11 miles Elevation gain: 1590 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N46 52 03.6 W120 38 46.8 Elevation: 4015 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 109, at Ellensburg, and turn right on Canyon Rd. In just over 1/2 mile (at the 2nd light) turn left onto Umptanum Rd. Follow for about 22-1/2 miles then turn left onto a rough dirt road. Low clearance vehicles can park here and walk up to the trailhead - high clearance vehicles can drive a mile up the road to the trailhead. Be sure to close the gate behind you either way. (Note: Umptanun Rd becomes Wenas Rd after about 9-1/2 miles from the light).
Hike description: The trails in this area are actually 4-wheel-drive roads but we did not see or hear any vehicles the day we were there. The trail follows a small stream most of the way to the top of Umptanum Ridge. 1-1/2 miles from the trailhead is an old homestead next to Black Canyon Creek, which is a nice rest stop on the way back. Just past the homestead the road splits. Either way will take you to the top of the ridge and you could even make a nice looping hike going up one way and back down the other. We went to the right and came back down the same way. Once at the crest of the ridge you have sweeping views of a desolate country and on clear days can see many mountains in the Cascades - including Mt Rainier. On warm days the pine trees are very aromatic, but the sun can be draining so make sure you have sunscreen and plenty of water if you go.
May 16 - Black Canyon
Trailhead: N47 30 34.0 W121 50 37.3 (NAD83) Elevation: 1060 ft Distance: 8 miles Elevation gain: 2025 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 28 17.9 W121 49 15.4 Elevation: 3085 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: Eastbound I-90 - Take exit 27 off I-90 just west of North Bend. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right and follow the road up the hill. The parking area and trailhead is to the right at the top of the hill. Westbound I-90 - Take exit 31 off I-90 at North Bend and take a right, at the end of the ramp, onto Bendigo Blvd S. Follow Bendigo for .6 miles and take a left onto W North Bend Way. Follow North Bend Way for 3.3 miles, then follow the road under the freeway and up the hill to the parking area.
Hike description: This hike actually runs through a variety of environments. It starts out running through stands of Red Alder trees that brings to mind forests on the east coast. After about .5 mile the alder trees give way to alternating open hillsides of brush and evergreen forest. At just under 2 miles, a short sidetrip takes you to Stan's Overlook, a nice destination for those just out for a nature walk. Just past the overlook the open hillside ascends into Cedar Alley, a dense stand of trees that probably at one time was mostly large cedar trees. From this point on, most of the hike is in forest with just occasional jaunts into open hillsides. A couple miles past Stan's Overlook is Grand Prospect. At nearly 1000 feet higher than Stan's, the Prospect gives much more commanding views of the Snoqualmie River valley. On clear days you can see Mount Baker off to the left. Straight ahead Mount Si stands watch over North Bend while to the right Russian Butte stands up over Zorro Ridge. The trail continues on along Rattlesnake Mountain to the far east end and Rattlesnake Ledge before dropping down to Rattlesnake Lake. A vehicle at each end would allow an end-to-end hike.
May 30 - Rattlesnake Mountain: Grand Prospect
Trailhead: N47 23.864 W121 29.177 (NAD83) Elevation: 1875 ft Distance: 7.25 miles Elevation gain: 3605 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 24 58.8 W121 28 49.3 Elevation: 5480 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 47, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north. At the stop sign turn left onto FR9035 and drive about 1/3 mile to the trailhead parking lot.
Hike description: Although a relatively short hike and a moderate elevation gain overall, this hike can be extremely tough. There is one section of trail that gains almost 1400 feet in only 1 mile. But on a clear day the rewards surpass the effort (the fire lookout was located there for a reason). The begins on the Pratt Lake trail (#1007). After a mile take the Granite Mtn trail to the right.About 1/2 mile later the trail begins climbing steeply in a series of switchbacks. After a mile the grade lessens just a bit. Depending on the time of year, there is usually a myriad of wild flowers (bear grass, bleeding hearts, paintbrush, penstemon) along the trail. Once past the Alpine Lakes Wilderness boundary the tree cover begins to open up and so do the views. Snow at the top can last late into the summer and can be treacherous. Large cornices develop at the crest so you have to be careful of where you step - make sure there is something besides snow beneath you.
Jun 15 - Granite Mountain (attempt)
Trailhead: N47 26.689 W121 25.403 (NAD83) Elevation: 3120 ft Distance: 5.6 miles Elevation gain: 1245 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 27 37.4 W121 26 48.4 Elevation: 4365 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: Westbound I-90 - Take exit 53 and turn left at the end of the exit ramp. After crossing under the freeway, take a right on Highway 906. Shortly after crossing under the freeway again, at about 3/4 mile, turn right onto Alpental Access Rd. Follow for about 1-1/4 miles and turn left into the large parking lot for Alpental Ski Resort. The trail is across the street. Eastbound I-90 - Take exit 52 and turn left at the end of the ramp.Shortly after crossing under the freeway, turn right onto Alpental Access Rd. Follow for about 1-1/4 miles and turn left into the large parking lot for Alpental Ski Resort. The trail is across the street.
Hike description: The vegetation alternates between open brush and forest for the first 1/2 mile or so. After that its pretty much forest. At just over 1-1/2 miles the trail splits - Snow Lake trail cuts back to the right. Going straight through, Source Lake is about 1/4 mile. There is no trail down to the lake but in winter when most people are on snowshoes it is pretty straight forward to just hike down the hill. But without the snow it is generally too brushy to make it worth while during other times of the year. I always wonder if Source Lake was given that name because its the source of the south fork of the Snoqualmie River. Anyway, back where the trail splits, the Snow Lake trail winds its way 500 feet up the ridge to a saddle between Snoqualmie Mtn and Chair Peak. That was as far as we made it as everything beyond that point was buried in snow. The trail had been snow-free up until that point. I think the main feature of this hike was the melting snow - there was no less than a dozen waterfalls.
Jun 22 - Source Lake & Snow Lake (attempt)
Trailhead: N47 25.486 W121 35.007 (NAD83) Elevation: 2180 ft Distance: 6.5 miles Elevation gain: 2920 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 05.5 W121 32 53.1 Elevation: 5100 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 45, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north onto FR9030. At about 3/4 mile the road splits. Veer to the left onto FR9031 and continue for 3 miles to the trailhead.
Hike description: The trail relentlessly climbs Bandera Mtn almost from the beginning. At just over 2.75 miles the trail splits. The trail to the left goes to Mason Lake while the trail to Bandera heads straight up the hillside. This last .5 mile gains almost 1000 feet in elevation. Once at the top of the ridge you can stop and catch your breath and enjoy the views before continuing on to Little Bandera, a 5120 ft peak about a .5 before Bandera Mtn. Because Bandera Mtn is in tree cover, Little Bandera is usually the preferred destination. On clear days even the top of Mount Adams is visible.
Jun 29 - Little Bandera Mountain
A note about the Google maps: Because of the way the Google maps work, the marker for the parking lot or trailhead is not always in the right position on the map. However, there is a way to find the exact position. First copy the GPS coordinates from the description below the map. Then click on the word Google in the lower left corner of the map. This opens another window with a full sized map of the area. Paste the coordinates into the search box and hit enter. A red marker appears at the exact coordinates of the parking lot or trailhead. You can also get directions to it by clicking the word "Directions" - just under the box you pasted the coordinates into - and then entering a starting location.