Hiking with Annie
2010
January - March
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.
Jan 04 - Rattlesnake Mountain: Grand Prospect
Trailhead: N47 26.689 W121 25.403 (NAD83) Elevation: 3120 ft Distance: 5.6 miles Elevation gain: 905 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 27 26.6 W121 27 11.2 Elevation: 4025 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 .5 mile or so. After that its pretty much forest. At just over 1.5 miles the trail splits - Snow Lake trail cuts back to the right. Going straight through, Source Lake is about .25 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. Snow can get deep in this area during winter and this year was no exception. I would bet that it was 8 feet deep in most areas, which can make it somewhat difficult getting through certain spots, like when the trail passes between two tree wells. You have to try and stay on the ridge of snow without slipping into one of the wells. When we finally got to Source Lake it was so foggy that we couldn't even see the lake. We ended up eating lunch in a sea of fog you couldn't see 10 feet through.
Jan 10 - Source Lake
Trailhead: N47 31.774 W121 59.739 (NAD83) Elevation: 530 ft Distance: 6.2 miles Elevation gain: 2210 ft Hike time: 10:37 am to 4:34 pm Total time: 5 hrs 57 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 30 31.2 W121 59 07.9 Elevation: 2740 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 20 and turn south at the end of the exit ramp. After a few hundred feet, turn right on SE 79th St and drive about 3/4 mile to the parking lot.
Hike description: Tiger Mtn is often a more desirable hike in winter, than many other hikes in the area. Being closer to the warming effects of Puget Sound often keeps it snow free. There are several different ways of getting to the top of West Tiger 2 but we took a combination of four different trails. From the trailhead we headed up the West Tiger 3 trail for a very short distance before turning onto the Tiger Mountain Trail. This section makes a gradual climb up West Tiger gaining 400 feet in about 3/4 mile. The Cableline trail crosses at this point and after this the trail gets a bit steeper gaining over 500 feet in about 1/2 mile. From here you get a short break as the trail runs through Anscell's Allée and dips down to make a creek crossing. Just past the creek we grabbed the K3 trail. You could stay on the Tiger Mtn trail here but it makes a large circuitous route that adds 2 miles each direction besides giving up what elevation gain you already made. From here on the trail gets tougher as it heads straight up the ridge. In about .4 mile and almost 500 feet of elevation the Railroad Grade crosses the K3 trail. Staying on the K3 for about another 1/4 mile, we then caught the TMT again. After 1/4 mile we then caught the West Tiger 2 trail to the top. After enjoying the view and eating lunch we headed back down the way we came.
Jan 17 - West Tiger Mountain: Peak 2
Trailhead: N47 29.200 W121 45.225 (NAD83) Elevation: 515 ft Distance: 6.5 miles Elevation gain: 1000 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 29 55.3 W121 45 21.4 Elevation: 1515 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 32 at North Bend and turn north onto 436th Ave SE. Drive for about 1/2 mile to a stop sign then turn left onto North Bend Way. After about 1/4 mile turn right onto Mt Si Rd and drive about 1/2 mile to the small trailhead parking lot on the left. If the lot is full, drive through and turn right on Mt Si Rd going back the way you came - there is an overflow parking lot just down the road.
Hike description: The hike up Little Si starts out with a short but steep climb up the ledge from the parking lot. After that it mellows out for quite a ways as it travels through the valley between Little Si and Mt Si. After less than 1/2 mile the Boulder Garden trail cuts off to the right but we continued up the Little Si trail. In about another 1/4 mile the Little Si trail turns to the left while the Old Big Si trail continues straight ahead. A little over a 1/2 mile from here you come up along side Little Si and travel the complete length of it. Climbers often scale these rock walls and you can generally see pitons left in the rock face. When you reach the north flank the work begins as the trail turns south and up the ridge to the top. At only 2 miles from the trailhead, this short hike is popular and is often quite crowded. After eating lunch and enjoying the view for a while, we headed back down. Once we hit the Old Big Si trail again I decided I needed a little more, so up the Old Big Si trail we went. This trail is rough and steep, even at this lower elevation - the .4 mile we were on it we gained almost 550 feet. Once we hit the upper end of the Boulder Garden loop trail the hike was a gradual downhill slope.
Jan 26 - Little Si and the Boulder Garden
Trailhead: N47 26.689 W121 25.403 (NAD83) Elevation: 3120 ft Distance: 5.6 miles Elevation gain: 905 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 27 26.6 W121 27 11.2 Elevation: 4025 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 .5 mile or so. After that its pretty much forest. At just over 1.5 miles the trail splits - Snow Lake trail cuts back to the right. Going straight through, Source Lake is about .25 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. Even though the snow didn't seem as deep as just 3 weeks earlier, it hadn't melted that much - there was still plenty to go around. And even though it was a little foggy, it wasn't as bad as earlier in the month. Mostly just the top of the slopes were shrouded in fog. Being a weekend day, there were a lot more people out this time. No less than 20 people walking around Source Lake area and the Alpental parking lot was nearly full - must have been good skiing.
Jan 31 - Source Lake
Parking: N47 26 30.2 W121 40 19.5 (NAD83) Elevation: 1250 ft Distance: 7.8 miles Elevation gain: 0 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 26 44.8 W121 41 53.8 Elevation: 800 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: Eastbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 east of North Bend. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Homestead Valley road. In .1 mile, after crossing the river, turn right onto a gravel road leading to the parking lot .2 mile away. Westbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 and, at the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto Homestead Valley road. Follow for 1.9 miles and, just before crossing the river, turn left onto a gravel road leading to the parking lot.
Hike description: Because the Mt Washington trailhead is not marked and this was the first time I had been here, I walked right by it. I wasn't sure until I came to the Twin Falls trailhead that I had gone too far. Since I'd never seen Twin Falls I figured "why not". It ended up being more work than I thought it would. The mile long hike down to the lower falls is not bad - its the hike back out. You hit the upper falls first. It is comprised of 2 sections but because of the terrain and the trees you can't see both sections simultaneously. The upper section falls into a pool which drains at about a 45° angle, from the upper section, creating the lower portion which is best viewed from the bridge across the river. But down the trail and around the corner is the gem. The lower falls is a veil type falls plunging 150 feet. Even though you can see the entire falls from the viewing deck it is hard to get the entire falls into one photo. I ended up taking 2 photos and stitching them together to make the composite photo below. After that we trudged the mile back up to the Iron Horse trail and found the Mt Washington trail. Although this hike is one of my favorites, the lower 2 miles are not much fun - but there are several interesting sights. Just a short ways up this steep and rocky section of trail is a nice little waterfall. Then after a couple of sweeping switchbacks you come to the Climbing Cave. Although not much of a cave, it has climbing pitons up along the back and top of the undercut and up along the vertical side. A short ways past the cave is the Moses Rock, where water seeps from cracks in the rock wall year round. From here the rocky trail keeps climbing, again crossing the creek that made the waterfall below. After a couple more switchbacks and about 2 miles from the trailhead the trail begins to level out and around the corner you hit the Owl Spot viewpoint. With a sheer rock wall on the east side and an open window on the west side, you can see all the way to the Olympics on a clear day. After a short rest here, the trail becomes much easier. After crossing Washington Creek it climbs up the valley wall until it turns back into the valley and crosses the creek again. This is where we turned around on this hike as the side trip to Twin Falls ate up much more time than I had expected.
Feb 15 - Twin Falls & Washington Pond (attempt)
Parking: N47 25 52.2 W121 37 56.2 (NAD83) Elevation: 1320 ft Distance: 8.4 miles Elevation gain: 1255 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 26 01.2 W121 36 36.9 Elevation: 2575 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: Eastbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 east of North Bend. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Homestead Valley road and follow for 2 miles to the parking area. Westbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 and, at the end of the exit ramp, turn right. The parking area is only about 300 feet, just around the bend near the power lines. Don't drive through the gate to park or your vehicle may get locked in.
Hike description: After parking, walk up the road past the gate about 3/4 mile to the trailhead. About 1-3/4 miles up the trail there is an old, rusted metal can, that looks like an old milk can, at the side of the trail. Look closely and you'll see a faint trail heading off to the east. This is the Balcony trail. After a short hike through the trees and a scramble up the rocks is Dirty Harry's Balcony. Here you have a southeastern to southern view of the I-90 corridor and peaks to the south. After enjoying the view (if there is one) double back on the Balcony trail and continue up the peak trail. Just over 3/4 mile the trail crosses Museum Creek. If you are especially adventurous there is a trail here that heads up the hill to a metal covering over an old '40s era logging truck known as Dirty Harry's Museum. I have not been able to find it so I suspect it is grossly overgrown and brushy. Be careful crossing the creek here - during some times of the year the water can be running high and powerful. If you slip its possible to get swept over the edge. Another 1/4 mile the trail cuts to the east up and over a steep bank. Before heading up the bank check out the view of Change Peak in the small window through the trees. The next 1/4 mile of trail can be muddy and swampy and during the summer can get a little smelly. At the end of this section of trail you come to the bottom of a huge scree slope. The trail cuts back to the west here and essentially runs through a creek flowing down the trail. A few more long switchbacks and the peak is near. We didn't quite make to the top as we didn't know exactly how far away it was and the snow was getting deeper. Had I known how close we were I probably would have pushed on.
Feb 22 - Dirty Harry's Peak (attempt) & Balcony
Trailhead: N47 33 39.1 W121 31 55.9 (NAD83) Elevation: 1180 ft Distance: 9.5 miles Elevation gain: 535 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 35 07.3 W121 27 20.9 Elevation: 1715 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 34 at the east end of North Bend. Turn north onto 468th Ave SE and follow for about 1/2 mile. Make a sharp right onto Middle Fork Rd and follow for about .9 mile. At this point you can take either the left or right fork. The right fork - Follow Lake Dorothy Rd as it becomes FR56 in about 1.6 miles - about where the pavement ends. At about 11 miles, FR56 makes a sharp right as the road forks (just after crossing the Taylor River) - stay to the left here, taking FR5640. Follow for 1/2 mile to the end of the road. The left fork - Continue on Middle Fork Rd for about 1.2 miles to the stop sign. Turn left onto Lake Dorothy Rd and follow as it becomes FR56 in about 1/4 mile - about where the pavement ends. At about 9-3/4 miles, FR56 makes a sharp right as the road forks (just after crossing the Taylor River) - stay to the left here, taking FR5640. Follow for 1/2 mile to the end of the road.
Hike description: The trail runs next to the Taylor River for the first 2-1/2 miles after which it moves a ways away from the river. At nearly 3 miles, near a small footbridge, is a trail heading to the north. This is the trail to Marten Lake and at only a little over a mile away can be a little extra side trip for those that want more. A little over 1-1/4 miles from here look for a cairn and a faint trail heading north. This short side hike leads to Lipsy Lake and Otter Falls. Lipsy Lake is more of a pond than a lake and Otter Falls is more of a water slide than a falls, but it is an interesting sight. Back on the main trail and another 1/2 mile away an odd and out of place sight appears through the trees - a two lane cement bridge complete with guardrails. This trail was once planned to be a highway along the river but never came to fruition. As you step onto the bridge deck Big Creek Falls appears in all its glory. The falls progresses down a series of steps before falling into a plunge pool beneath the bridge. By this time the snow started coming down heavier so we moved into the trees and ate lunch before heading back to the trailhead.
Mar 08 - Big Creek & Otter Falls
Trailhead: N47 33 39.1 W121 31 55.9 (NAD83) Elevation: 1180 ft Distance: 6.5 miles Elevation gain: 1495 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 34 40.0 W121 34 40.8 Elevation: 2675 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 34 at the east end of North Bend. Turn north onto 468th Ave SE and follow for about 1/2 mile. Make a sharp right onto Middle Fork Rd and follow for about .9 mile. At this point you can take either the left or right fork. The right fork - Follow Lake Dorothy Rd as it becomes FR56 in about 1.6 miles - about where the pavement ends. At about 11 miles, FR56 makes a sharp right as the road forks (just after crossing the Taylor River) - stay to the left here, taking FR5640. Follow for 1/2 mile to the end of the road. The left fork - Continue on Middle Fork Rd for about 1.2 miles to the stop sign. Turn left onto Lake Dorothy Rd and follow as it becomes FR56 in about 1/4 mile - about where the pavement ends. At about 9-3/4 miles, FR56 makes a sharp right as the road forks (just after crossing the Taylor River) - stay to the left here, taking FR5640. Follow for 1/2 mile to the end of the road.
Hike description: After crossing the bridge, head up the road/trail to where it splits - about .4 mile - and take the left fork. After this it angles down to the southwest close to Quartz Creek just under a mile from the trailhead. A little over a mile farther is the first switchback. On a sunny spring day, this can be a nice place to sit awhile. It also offers a good view of Quartz Mountain. Continuing on, another switchback is reached after a short distance. A little ways farther - at just over the 2-1/4 mile mark - another trail cuts off to the right. This is the Rooster Mountain trail. A short ways past this is a bridge washout. There is a single log of the old bridge left here to use for crossing. I opted to turn around here as the log was too slippery and the creek below running to deep and fast.
Mar 15 - Quartz Creek
Parking: N47 26 30.2 W121 40 19.5 (NAD83) Elevation: 1250 ft Distance: 7.8 miles Elevation gain: 2745 ft Hike time: N/A Total time: N/A Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 25 39.3 W121 41 44.4 Elevation: 3995 ft Total Ascent: N/A
Driving directions: Eastbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 east of North Bend. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Homestead Valley road. In .1 mile, after crossing the river, turn right onto a gravel road leading to the parking lot .2 mile away. Westbound I-90 - Take exit 38 off I-90 and, at the end of the exit ramp, turn left onto Homestead Valley road. Follow for 1.9 miles and, just before crossing the river, turn left onto a gravel road leading to the parking lot.
Hike description: From the parking lot, head up the trail to the Iron Horse trail above. After a short walk to the west there is an unmarked trail to the left, heading up the hillside. This is the Mt Washington trail. As I stated above, the lower 2 miles of this hike are not much fun - but there are several interesting spots. Just a short ways up this steep and rocky section of trail is a nice little waterfall. Then after a couple of sweeping switchbacks you come to the Climbing Cave. Although not much of a cave, it has climbing pitons up along the back and top of the undercut and up along the vertical side. A short ways past the cave is the Moses Rock, where water seeps from cracks in the rock wall year round. From here the rocky trail keeps climbing, again crossing the creek that made the waterfall below. After a couple more switchbacks and about 2 miles from the trailhead the trail begins to level out and around the corner you hit the Owl Spot viewpoint. With a sheer rock wall on the east side and an open window on the west side, you can see all the way to the Olympics on a clear day. After a short rest here, the trail becomes much easier. After crossing Washington Creek it climbs up the valley wall until it turns back into the valley and crosses the creek again. Another 1/4 mile or so you climb a steep bank and are at Washington Pond. The trail comes to a "T" here so take the trail to the left. It follows around the head of the valley and begins ascending Mt Washington. Part way up it cuts back sharply and shortly comes out into an open area. In winter, this spot can be a little tricky as the snow can get pretty deep and the hillside is fairly steep. After another switchback its back into the trees. Just before attaining the top of the ridge, look down to the right and you can see Washington Pond. A few more feet and you pop up onto the the ridge. This is not the summit but its as far as we got on this trip. The view from here is nearly as good as it is from the summit - at least to the west and north. After enjoying the sights and eating lunch we headed back the way we came.
Mar 22 - Mount Washington (attempt)
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.