Snow starting at around 3800 feet, right before the turn off to Mason Lake (2.3 miles). Still a lovely hike though with some trillium starting to pop up and nice views of the mountains on the other side of 90 along the way.

This was a great hike that I did with my father. Got to the trailhead with only 4 other cars there (it was a tuesday) at around 9:15am. With a few small stops, it took us about 2 hours to get up to the top. The flowers are amazing -- tiger lilies(?), small roses(?), and a bunch more that i can't name off hand. The trail leading up from the fork in the trail to bandera mt. was by far the toughest portion, and we were lucky that it was partly cloudy. Still, mt. Rainier was fully visible from that point, so essentially you can climb to the fork and get everything you would if you were to climb to little bandera.

Trail was in excellent condition, and i would recommend getting there early so you can tackle the steep section not in full day sun.

Beargrass makes me happy. Big sweeping views make me happy. Taking a hike with my husband (without the kids) makes me happy. And this hike delivered on all accounts. The wildflowers along the trail to Little Bandera are in their peak bloom right now. From the junction with the Mason Lake Trail, it is one solid flower field all the way to the summit.

It has been 16 years since I last hiked this trail, and I wonder why now. This is easily one of the most spectacular hikes along the I-90 corridor. True, you can hear freeway noise most of the way. But along with the wildflowers, the views are amazing.

The trail climbs steadily, and sometimes fairly steeply to the junction with the new Mason Lake trail. Then it heads straight up the rocky, alpine slope - through the amazing beargrass wildflower fields to a ridge. I was reading in the old 100 Hikes book that this slope burned in 1958, stripping it of its trees and creating the meadow we have now. You can still see some of the silver stumps along the mountainside.

The views from the ridge are nearly as good as they are from the Little Bandera summit. To the south you can see across the Snoqualmie valley to Mount Gardner, Mount Kent and more. Pivoting, you can see Mason Lake below and when you climb higher, another small lake peaking out behind it. This whole stretch isn't for everyone. It's super steep, and a bit of a scramble - certainly easier going up than returning. Trekking poles would've been nice for the descent, and you could see that many people had been using them.

I found myself comparing this hike to the one I took in October 1995. The approach to both Mason Lake and Little Bandera changed significantly when the Ira Spring trail was built in the early 2000s. The Bandera trail continued along the now-abandoned road to its end - then went straight up the mountain, gaining 1700 feet in about a mile. That last approach is now about 700 feet less steep.

What's changed even more is the trail to Mason Lake. Back in 1995, I dropped down from the ridge to Mason Lake, then returned to the trailhead via a very steep, muddy gully of a trail. That trail has now been replaced by a superhighway of a trail that is in perfect condition - albeit a bit longer.

Both destinations make fine dayhikes right now. For those whose knees are a bit cranky, Mason Lake would be a better destination. For those who love wildflowers and heights, take the trail up to Little Bandera. You will be pleased that you went.

The road was in good condition. Got to the parking at noon, just as it started overflowing.

Encountered a dozen or so parties on the way up to the false summit (and more on the way down), but not a single person between the false and the true summit. The "trail" to the true summit was overgrown and even ran into some snow; I lost it several times. The trail up to the Bandera/Mason junction was in perfect condition. The trail up to the false summit is steep and full of rocks, but was dry (apart from one slightly muddy section through the forest) and in good condition.

Wildflowers: lots and lots of Beargrass, and also Paintbrush, Lupine and Penstemon, and others
Wildlife: a pika and a bald eagle

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/[…]/BanderaMountainJuly2011
Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/102478420
Summit Panorama: http://photosynth.net/view.[…]e538-4a3a-ba91-ef81ca8ba7e3