Hiking with Annie
April - June
2011
Trailhead: N47 31.386 W122 03.472 (NAD83) Elevation: 720 ft Distance: 7.6 miles Elevation gain: 1320 ft Hike time: 10:14 am to 2:37 pm Total time: 4 hrs 23 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 30 14.8 W122 02 51.8 Elevation: 2040 ft Total Ascent: 2050 ft
Driving directions: There are many trailheads into the Squak Mt area - this hike starts from Mountainside Dr. From I-90 take exit 17 in Issaquah and turn south onto Front St. In about 3/4 mile, turn right onto Sunset Way and at the next intersection, in about 1/4 mile, proceed straight through onto Mt Park Blvd. Follow this winding street for almost a mile, then turn left onto Mountainside Dr and follow nearly 1/2 mile to the trailhead.
Hike description: We started out on a cool, rainy morning on the Bullitt Access trail. Nearly 25 minutes later the trail split and we took the right fork onto the Coal Mine trail. Ten minutes later we turned left onto the West Access trail and another 10 minutes later, right onto the Chybinski Loop trail. After a short side trip to check out what the Block House was (essentially nothing worth stopping for), we soon turned right onto the Perimeter Loop trail, later turning off onto the Debbie's View trail and shortly arriving at the viewpoint. Debbie's View has a southern exposure, looking down into the Renton Highlands and Maple Valley. After a short rest,we headed back to the Perimeter Loop trail and headed east. We soon came to another junction of the trail. This time we headed to the left on the Valley Connector trail and, after a short time, took a right onto the Bullitt Fireplace trail at another trail junction. Soon we came to the remains of the old Bullitt Lodge - an old hunting lodge. All that remains is a bit of the foundation and the rock fireplace. After a short stay, we headed to the Central Peak of Squak Mtn, reaching it in about 20 minutes. There were no views from the peak - only radio towers - so we continued on, down the South Access road and turning left onto the Summit trail. We followed this trail a short way to another trail juntion where we turned left heading north up the Thrush Gap trail. We followed this trail up to Thrush Gap where we took another left onto the East Side trail heading west. We followed this trail for nearly 1-1/2 miles (probably the longest we were on any one trail all day), until it ran into the Bullitt Access trail. Another 1/2 mile and we were back to where we originally turned off the Access trail and soon were back at the car.
Apr 05 - Squak Mountain
Trailhead: N47 09 36.4 W119 58 50.0 (NAD83) Elevation: 1020 ft Distance: 5.5 miles Elevation gain: -30 ft Hike time: 12:05 pm to 3:27 pm Total time: 3 hrs 22 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 09 10.7 W119 56 21.1 Elevation: 990 ft Total Ascent: 570 ft
Driving directions: From Highway 28, turn south at the rest stop about 3-1/2 miles west of Quincy, but instead of turning into the rest area continue on the road around it. In a little over 1/2 mile, take a left onto Road V and about a mile to the stop sign. Turn right onto Road 9 and continue about 5 miles to the end of the road and the parking area for the trailhead.
Hike description: The weather was warm and pleasant as we started from the trailhead. We were hiking this time with several family members. The trail follows along the north wall of the Potholes Coulee. We reached the west shore of the lake after about 1-1/2 miles from the trailhead. We circled around the north shore of the western section of the lake to the west shore of the eastern section. From here the waterfall is almost directly aross the lake. Several of us hiked around the north shore to the base of the waterfall. From here, me and my nephew climbed up a steep scree slope beside the waterfall - about 150 feet to the top. After checking out the area above the waterfall, we headed back down and joined the rest of the party and soon headed back to the cars.
Apr 17 - Ancient Lake
Parking: N47 26 30.2 W121 40 19.5 (NAD83) Elevation: 1250 ft Distance: 6.6 miles Elevation gain: 2380 ft Hike time: 10:31 am to 3:33 pm Total time: 5 hrs 2 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 25 29.1 W121 41 40.1 Elevation: 3630 ft Total Ascent: 2630 ft
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: We left the parking area on an overcast morning. We soon reached the Mt Washington trailhead and proceeded up the trail passing the Climbing Cave, the Moses Rock and the Owl Spot. At these lower elevations the snow was completely melted and the new spring foliage was sprouting. After crossing Washington Creek we hiked up the valley to the second crossing and after nearly 2-1/2 hours we reached Washington Pond. The pond had melted out of the snow quite a bit from the last time we were here, the previous month, but there was still a substantial amount of snow around the pond. After a short rest, we pushed on up the valley. Thirty minutes later we came to the end of the valley, below the Great Wall, and stopped for lunch just as the clouds were beginning to lift. The snow here was still about 5-6 feet deep. After lunch we started up the side of Mt Washington but the snow soon became too deep and was too difficult to travel through, so we turned around and headed back down.
May 10 - Mount Washington (attempt)
Trailhead: N47 32.880 W121 32.213 (NAD83) Elevation: 1000 ft Distance: 7.0 miles Elevation gain: 170 ft Hike time: 11:27 am to 3:32 pm Total time: 4 hrs 5 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 31 47.0 W121 29 08.6 Elevation: 1170 ft Total Ascent: 870 ft
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 for about 10-1/2 miles to the trailhead on the right. At about 1.6 miles, Lake Dorothy Rd becomes FR56 about where the pavement ends. 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 for about 9-1/4 miles to the trailhead on the right. Lake Dorothy Rd becomes FR56 between .3 and .4 mile.
Hike description: We left the trailhead on a mostly cloudy morning. After crossing the Gateway Bridge, over the Middle Fork river, we turned to the left going upstream. The trail roughly follows alongside the river for about 1-1/2 miles then moves a bit away for another 1-3/4 miles before coming back down to the river shore. The most notable feature of the area seems to be the amount of moss and fungi growing most everwhere. At 3-1/2 miles we stopped and ate lunch on the shore of the river before heading back to the trailhead.;
May 23 - Middle Fork Snoqualmie River: Upstream
Trailhead: N47 24.068 W121 31.108 (NAD83) Elevation: 2645 ft Distance: 4.9 miles Elevation gain: 1150 ft Hike time: 10:40 am to 3:09 pm Total time: 4 hrs 29 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 19.8 W121 30 44.1 Elevation: 3795 ft Total Ascent: 1200 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 45, between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, and turn north onto FR9030. At just over 3/4 mile the road splits. Veer to the right, staying on FR9030 and continue for about 2-1/2 miles to the trailhead.
Hike description: We started out from the trailhead on a sunny morning. We ran into snow long before we reached Talapus Lake that got deeper the farther we went. By 12:00 we reached the lake, still partially covered with ice. After a short stay, we headed out toward Olallie Lake. The snow in the lake basin was still extremely deep, making the trail hard to follow. We arrived at Olallie Lake about an hour later. Olallie was more solidly frozen than Talapus but was thawing around the edges. We sat in the snow and ate lunch, feeding the Gray Jays. After lunch we headed back the way we came. Unfortunately, because the snow was so deep in the lake basin, we missed a turn and ended up doing some off-trail exploring. We managed to find the trail by following Olallie Creek to where it runs into Talapus Creek.
Jun 06 - Talapus & Olallie Lakes
Parking: N47 26.143 W121 46.089 (NAD83) Elevation: 920 ft Distance: 9.4 miles Elevation gain: 2480 ft Hike time: 10:10 am to 3:32 pm Total time: 4 hrs 38 minutes Permit required: No pass required
Destination: N47 27 14.6 W121 48 13.7 Elevation: 3400 ft Total Ascent: 2850 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 32 and turn south on 436th Ave SE. 436th soon becomes Cedar Falls Rd SE. Turn right into the Rattlesnake Lake parking lot, just under 3 miles from the freeway.
Hike description: We headed out from the parking lot on a mostly cloudy morning. A short time later we arrived at the trailhead and made our way up the trail. It zig-zags its way up the southeast end of Rattlesnake Mtn up to Rattlesnake Ledge. There are 3 ledges, each getting progressively higher. The first ledge is about 2.2 miles from the parking area and we reached it almost exactly 1 hour after we started. We were also fortunate enough to be the only ones there. After a short rest we continued on up the trail, bypassing the other 2 ledges for now. At 12:20 we passed the old Barrow Pit, 3.7 miles from the parking lot. From here the trail heads up into a dense Hemlock forest, which can be rather dark and eerie. Before long we came up onto the East Peak of Rattlesnake Mtn. From here there are views of the South Fork Snoqualmie valley and Mt Si. We sat and ate lunch here since there is a nice bench to sit on. After lunch it was only another 1/10 mile to the Windy Landing side trail and just a short distance from there to Windy Landing for a total of 4.7 miles from the parking lot. The view from here is essentially the same as from the East Peak so we didn't stay too long. There was, however, a patch of Coltsfoot blooming here that was quite interesting. After a few minutes we headed back down the trail the way we came. An hour later we were back to the ledges and stopped first at the 3rd ledge, which is the highest, and then the 2nd ledge. By now there were a number of people up here with us but no one at the higher ledges. We managed to make nearly the whole hike before we ever ran into another person. After stopping at the two upper ledges we headed back down the trail to the parking lot.
Jun 13 - Rattlesnake Mountain: Windy Landing
Trailhead: N47 16.050 W121 10.461 (NAD83) Elevation: 2380 ft Distance: 4.5 miles Elevation gain: 1770 ft Hike time: 10:48 am to 2:56 pm Total time: 5 hrs 8 minutes Permit required: No pass required
Destination: N47 15 31.8 W121 08 55.3 Elevation: 4150 ft Total Ascent: 2120 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 70, just west of Easton, and turn north. At the frontage road (Sparks Rd), take a left and drive just over 1/2 mile. Turn right onto FR4818 (signed as Kachess Dam Rd) and drive for about 1 mile. Just before the road bends around to the left, turn right onto an unmarked dirt road leading to the trailhead 1/2 mile away.
Hike Description: We started out from the trailhead on a sunny morning. After crossing Silver Creek, the trail starts up the steep ridge for over a mile before branching off from the Domerie Divide trail. But the views begin opening up within the first 1/4 mile. From the Domerie Divide junction, the trail climbs, a little less steeply, for another 1/2 mile before leveling off near the top of the ridge. The view down into the Yakima River valley is pretty spectacular here. After stopping awhile for lunch, we walked a ways along the ridge, making an occasional climb to the top. At this time of year, the number of types of wildflowers in bloom here is staggering. After awhile we turned back and headed back down the trail.
Jun 20 - Easton Ridge
Trailhead: N47 29.200 W121 45.225 (NAD83) Elevation: 515 ft Distance: 6.4 miles Elevation gain: 3445 ft Hike time: 10:13 am to 3:50 pm Total time: 5 hrs 37 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N47 30 25.9 W121 44 18.8 Elevation: 3960 ft Total Ascent: 3550 ft
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: We started up the Little Si trail on a mostly cloudy morning. At 1/2 mile we left the Little Si trail and took the Old Big Si trail and followed it for 1-3/4 miles to where it skims the new Mt Si trail. From here we took the Mt Si trail, which is much, much busier than the Old Big Si trail. From here its a little over 1/2 mile to the Mt Si masif. After eating lunch, we wandered around the base of "The Haystack" for about an hour before heading back down.
Jun 27 - Mount Si
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.