My first time to do this hike---I had always wondered about it as I passed the trailhead on the way to Mount Si. Hot day in the low 80s. Headed up the trail about 11:00 am. Given how many cars were down below, I expected more people up on the summit, but when I arrived there were only eight. I found a side rock outcrop where I could be all by myself. The top and the view were similar to Rattlesnake Ledge, but with more room to spread out. As I headed back down the well-worn trail, I was excited to see an alligator lizard in the middle of the trail eating an insect of some kind. Good photo!

A late start for me and the Hike-A-Thon, but better late than never (as is the case with this TR as well)! Hit the trail just after 5:00 p.m. Wednesday after work. Outside temp was 80° and humidity was HIGH. It got worse up in the boulder garden and while traveling along the east side of Little Si, but the climb up the spine was cooler and the summit had a nice breeze. I’d been out here just a couple months ago and there’s been a bit of work on the trail since then creating some drainage for problem areas and building new rock trail over a previous mud bath. There’s also a few more blowdowns than I’d seen two months ago and I was trying to think about what weather had transpired to bring them down but couldn’t recall. I made a split second decision at the second junction with the Boulder Garden Loop to take it, effectively adding 2 miles (the signage says 1.5, the map says 2.0) and 600′ to my trip. Hey, it’s all for a good cause, right? Near the top (of Little Si), there are a couple of places where the switchbacks have been cut repeatedly and this is causing serious erosion problems. In fact, I stood and watched as four college-aged kids jumped off the trail and ran down one of the cuts, blindly adding to the damage. I really wanted to say something but had a feeling it would fall on deaf ears, so I just plodded on my merry way up the mountain (okay, hill). I promised I would take pics of the erosion on the way back and post it here where maybe it might be of some use. Bottom line is, DON’T CUT THE SWITCHBACKS! They are there for a reason folks. Okay, rant over. Surprise of all surprises, I had the summit all to myself (whoda thunk?) as the evening light began to wane. A quick snack and a couple of pics and I was back on my merry way to reach the car (well) before dark.

When we left Bellevue above Lake Sammamish around 10:45 a.m., it was pretty foggy and we couldn't see Mt. Si or the nearby peaks at all. We trusted it would be clearer once we got there, and that proved to be true. There was a little white cloud about halfway up one side of Mt. Si, but Little Si was completely in the clear.

We got a parking space in the little annex parking area (the first one you come to after the red bridge) and walked the .1 mile or so to the main parking lot, which turned out to be full.

The hike itself was pleasant; at about the place where we were starting to get tired of the rocks and roots, we got the views at the top. We met a number of dogs, especially small ones, which seemed to be doing reasonably well on the hike (according to their owners' reports), although one was definitely looking for shade at the top and not finding it. We probably met several dozen people of all ages on this Friday hike with temperatures in the 70's. There was also a Mountains to Sound Greenway work party doing some restoration work about halfway up the trail.

I've checked the box that says wildflowers are blooming; these are mostly near the bottom, and may be escaped garden plants like sweet peas and buddleias, but attractive nonetheless.

The trail is groomed nicely and very few spots of mud. Because its so accessible, its a busy trail. Lots of families were hiking in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. This was a good hike to break in new hiking boots.