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Mailbox Peak Endangered Trail

 
Last modified Sep 04, 2010 12:20 AM
Contributors: jj.wise
The Mailbox at the summit by Jesse Wise
Wimpy hikers, turn the page. This trail offers nothing for you but pain and heartbreak. If you think you've got the goods to scramble up more than 1000 feet per mile, read on. Mailbox Peak brings a serious burn to the thighs of even the best-conditioned athletes, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. From the top of this jutting lump of rock, you'll enjoy spectacular views of the lower Snoqualmie River valleys. The entire Issaquah Alps range sprawls at your feet, with the rocky-topped Mount Si directly across the Middle Fork Valley and the sheer wall of Rattlesnake Ledge just across the South Fork Valley. After soaking in the views, pull the summit register out and leave your signature--you'll find the tattered pages of a notebook in an old metal mailbox wedged above the summit rocks.

Start hiking by rounding the gate and walking up the road (avoiding all side roads). At around 0.5 mile from your car, watch for a sign on the left marking the Mailbox Peak Trail. This trail is rough-hewn, since it was built by boots and only recently received any real trail work--and that done mostly by ad hoc volunteers.

The trail leaves the road and turns near vertical, climbing ever-more steeply over the next 2.5 miles--the first 0.5 mile of road walking gains only a few hundred feet of elevation, leaving about 3800 feet for the last 2.5 miles. That means you'll be climbing about 1500 feet per mile, and most hikers consider anything over 1000 feet per mile to be steep!

The first mile of climbing makes use of a few switchbacks--though a few more would moderate the pitch more reasonably. From there on, turns and twists become fewer and farther between. The trail climbs with ruthless focus--to get to the top in as direct a line as possible. As you move above 4000 feet, the forest falls away, the views open, and all pretense of switchbacks disappears. You'll now be scrambling up steep, open hillsides. An old forest fire scoured the slope here, removing the tree cover but making space for a wonderful mix of heather, beargrass, and dense huckleberry thickets.

Finally, after one last scramble through the rocky crown around the summit, you're there, standing beside the battered mailbox on the top of Mailbox Peak. After you catch your breath, pat yourself on the back--because if you're on the summit, you've conquered per-haps the most difficult hike in this book!
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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 305 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Mailbox Peak — Sep 03, 2010 — Bruce
Day hike
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The trail is in great shape, which is to say torturous. Shared the mountain with about 15 people on a...
The trail is in great shape, which is to say torturous. Shared the mountain with about 15 people on a sunny Friday, including the oldest I've encountered there (76 years old and inspiring even if she didn't summit) and the youngest (3 months).
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Mailbox Peak — Aug 01, 2010 — TrailJane
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Bugs
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Weather was a bit cloudy and cool but the view from the summit is surreal. The trail was dry...
Weather was a bit cloudy and cool but the view from the summit is surreal. The trail was dry and in good condition. When one got to the summit, you were bathed in the warm sun and biting bugs. Despite of the bugs, it was a good hike. This is a wicked hike so be prepared. I saw people going up with nothing in their hands – no water bottle and no packs.
By noon, there was at least a dozen vehicles at the trailhead.
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Mailbox Peak — Jul 30, 2010 — raul_the_truck
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Bugs
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Absolutely spectacular day to be hiking! Wonderful trail with one hell of an incline. You keep rounding the next corner...
Absolutely spectacular day to be hiking! Wonderful trail with one hell of an incline. You keep rounding the next corner expecting to see the treeline near the top and when it finally comes it is like Christmas morning to a six year old. The trail is well marked and as long as you follow the white diamonds on the trees you will be fine. The tree roots make a perfect staircase for the climb up, but on the way down you will be cursing the roots for the damage inflicted on your knees. Great bunch of flies and bugs at the peak, but the trail was pretty clear. Wildflowers are blowing up on the upper hillsides when you reach the rockslide finish. Great hike for those willing to work for the view!
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Mailbox Peak — Jul 07, 2010 — thebrink
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Mudholes
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This was a birthday "challange" hike for two of our group of four. Quoting Day Hiking: Snoqualimie Region, "Wimpy hikers,...
This was a birthday "challange" hike for two of our group of four. Quoting Day Hiking: Snoqualimie Region, "Wimpy hikers, turn this page. This trail offers nothing for you but pain and heartbreak"! The gain for 2.5 miles of the trail is 1,500 feet per mile. It was a nine hour jaunt including an hour spent at the top enjoying the view and eating lunch. The descent was as strenuous as going up as nearly every step needed to be well placed to keep from sliding or falling. Just the same, it was a great hike and even though it was a hot day there was a great breeze at the top and the last 500 foot open area to the summit.
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Mailbox Peak — Jul 02, 2010 — gracefullyony
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Mudholes | Water on trail
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This hike was quite a fun adventure and certainly a fantastic leg workout by the time we reached the top,...
This hike was quite a fun adventure and certainly a fantastic leg workout by the time we reached the top, but be warned that the majority of it could be likened to an extremely steep, muddy, 2-mile staircase. Be very conscious of the weather before hiking this peak. If it has rained at all in the last few days before your trip, there will be a great deal of mud, considering none of the trail besides the final stretch of the hike actually crosses bedrock. It is almost exclusively soft soil webbed by an Escher staircase of tree roots. Hence, the mud. The trail can seem very variable and sometimes tough to pick out because of how steeply it climbs but it's not hard to spot the trail markers on the trees if you watch for them. In many places, heading off the "path" straight toward the next marker is no more challenging than following the actual trail itself!
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Location
Snoqualmie Pass -- North Bend Area
Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest - Snoqualmie District
4.16 out of 5
Based on 51 votes
Featured In...

Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region
by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer

To buy the full book, including maps, elevation profiles, photos, and more, visit:

A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails.

Information about this hike provided in partnership with Mountaineers Books. Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books

Roundtrip 6.0 miles
Elevation Gain 4100 ft
Highest Point 4926 ft
Features
Rivers
Old growth
Mountain views
Summits
Wildlife
Guidebooks & Maps
Green Trails Bandera No. 206

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Driving Directions
(47.4674, -121.6749) Open in new window
Red Marker Mailbox Peak
47.4674166667 -121.67485
From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 34 (Edgewick Road). Turn left (north) onto 468th Street and follow it to the junction with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road (Forest Road 56). Turn right and continue up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road to the end of the pavement (about 3 miles from the I-90 exit). Turn right onto a gated road and park, being sure not to block the gate.
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