Hiking with Annie
October - December
2012
Parking: N47 21.832 W121 31.866 (NAD83) Elevation: 3360 ft Distance: 8.1 miles Elevation gain: 680 ft Hike time: 9:57 am to 1:52 pm Total time: 3 hrs 55 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 22 08.2 W121 32 33.2 Elevation: 4040 ft Total Ascent: 1525 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 47 just west of Snoqualmie Pass and turn south, crossing the Snoqualmie River. At the "T", take a right onto FR55 and drive about 1-1/4 miles to a "Y" in the road and veer left onto FR5510. Drive for about 3.8 miles until the road is blocked by a gate. Park in the large parking area just to the left.
Nov 04 - Little St Helens (attempt)
Trailhead: N47 22.409 W121 26.827 (NAD83) Elevation: 3830 ft Distance: 7.1 miles Elevation gain: 315 ft Hike time: 10:27 am to 2:33 pm Total time: 3 hrs 54 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 20 37.2 W121 26 11.8 Elevation: 4145 ft Total Ascent: 1575 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 54 and turn south toward Hyak Ski Resort. At the stop sign, drive straight through the intersection onto Hyak Dr E. Stay on this road for about 5.5 miles. It changes to FR9070 just past the water treatment plant. The last 1/2 mile or so is rough and rocky so a high clearance vehicle is helpful. Park alongside the road just past the Pacific Coast Trail crossing.
Nov 11 - Mirror Lake
Trailhead: N47 24.068 W121 31.108 (NAD83) Elevation: 2645 ft Distance: 3.2 miles Elevation gain: 685 ft Hike time: 10:55 am to 1:17 pm Total time: 2 hrs 22 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 24 48.6 W121 30 58.8 Elevation: 3330 ft Total Ascent: 745 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.
Dec 10 - Talapus Lake
Trailhead: N46 40.616 W119 26.712 (NAD83) Elevation: 400 ft Distance: 4.2 miles Elevation gain: 260 ft Hike time: 12:13 pm to 3:23 pm Total time: 3 hrs 10 minutes Permit required: Discover Pass
Destination: N46 42 09.1 W119 26 56.3 Elevation: 660 ft Total Ascent: 575 ft
Driving directions: From I-90, take exit 137, just across the river from Vantage, heading south on Highway 26. In just over 1 mile, turn right onto Highway 243, continuing south along the river. Stay on SR243 for just over 14-1/4 miles and turn left onto Road 24 SW. Follow through Mattawa for about 13.8 miles then turn left on Highway 24. At just over 10 miles - just past milepost 63 - turn right onto a dirt road into the Wahluke Wildlife Refuge through a solar powered gate that closes at dark. Follow this road for 4 miles to a 4-way intersection and turn right. In just over 1.3 miles, pull into the parking area on the right.
Dec 26 - White Bluffs: North Slope
Trailhead: N47 23.864 W121 29.177 (NAD83) Elevation: 1875 ft Distance: 7.8 miles Elevation gain: 2220 ft Hike time: 10:55 am to 4:22 pm Total time: 5 hrs 27 minutes Permit required: Northwest Forest Pass
Destination: N47 25 33.8 W121 30 29.6 Elevation: 4095 ft Total Ascent: 2255 ft
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.
Dec 30 - Olallie Lake Viewpoint
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.