Mount Teneriffe
Driving Directions:
The trailhead is located a mile past the Mount Si trailhead. Take I-90 to exit 32, head north, then left on North Bend Way. In less than half a mile you'll see the turnoff for Mount Si Road on the right. Follow the road for about 3 miles, you'll see the school bus turnaround on your left. Park your car and head up the logging road. Recent Trip Reports
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A 14-mile hike with two summit destinations joined in a loop trail. Snow coverage for Mt. Si and Mt....
A 14-mile hike with two summit destinations joined in a loop trail. Snow coverage for Mt. Si and Mt. Teneriffe currently is everything above 3000’ elevation.
I took the regular Mt. Si trail up to the haystack. Needed to put on Katoolah spikes at about 3000 as the trail was hard pack snow and ice from there to the top. Very windy at the for the last mile up and at the top with gusts hitting 35 mph or more. One brave soul had climbed to the top of the haystack and reported when he came back that the wind was "extreme." I took his word for it. After a short rest at the bench at the haystack, I took the ridge connector trail across towards Teneriffe Road. It was a few feet deep with snow, but there had been enough traffic to compress it so I didn’t need snowshoes. Once at the road junction, I turned left and followed the snow trail up the road that was broke in already and eventually got to the road-end where the ridge trail to the summit of Teneriffe starts. Following the ridge trail, it is a steep climb, but the snow was solid enough to use the previous tracks for steps. It was also ice crusted under the tree cover. Wind was again considerable as you headed farther up the ridge. The last push to the top is even steeper and the wind was even fiercer. At 4700’ elevation I turned back due to sunset approaching and the wind was bitterly cold. I wasn’t prepared for the final open ice/snow scramble at the summit and decided I’d come back another time to sit on top. The one place I didn't want to be after dark was on the upper ridge trail on Teneriffe. The trail back was quicker and easier, but the wind was still blowing and branches were occasionally falling. Once on the Teneriffe road I followed it all the way down, past the ridge connector trail with Si, to about 1700’. It was totally dark by now and navigation was by headlamp. Snow ended on the road at 2800’ leaving about 1100’ to descend on the “not-too-pleasant” rocky road surface. There were a few blowdowns across the road, but all could be passed around, under, or through. At 1700’ I found the connector user trail across Roaring creek (just a step across stream currently) and then connected with the Talus loop trail. Took the Talus Loop lower half trail back to the regular Si trail with no trouble. All blowdowns were cut out and nothing blocking. About 14 miles altogether with a few side trips here and there. Total hiking time was 8 hours 11 minutes. Total gross elevation with the ups and downs and snow cover came in at 5600’ if my Suunto altimeter was accurate. Start early enough to get off the final Teneriffe ridge before darkness sets in. There is no real trail and the tree cover is heavy with sharp drop offs on both sides if you wander off route too far. Bring a headlamp as it is may be dark by time you get back even if you start at 8 or 9 am this time of year. Poles and traction needed. Snowshoes if we get more snow. Ice ax only needed for the final summit block. Best part: you are likely to be the only person on the trail after you leave the Haystack at Mt. Si. Most challenging part: distance and elevation gain.
Mount Teneriffe
— Nov 06, 2011
— weekend warrior
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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Started at 8:00am. Cold, about 30 degrees blue skies. Caleb, Pat, Tina, Sommar, a happy dog named Chewey, and...
Started at 8:00am. Cold, about 30 degrees blue skies. Caleb, Pat, Tina, Sommar, a happy dog named Chewey, and I started up the logging road. It didn't take long to warm-up. We took the first unmarked right turn. Hiked hard and steady to the falls and took a break. Kamakazee falls is a hidden gem off the I-90 corridor.
After the falls the trail is STEEP. Mailbox peak type steep. There is some debate about which trail is steeper and more challenging Teneriffe or Mailbox. We continued to hike hard and steady to the beginning of the ridge. The ridge is a good second break spot. From here to the summit it gets steeper. At 3800 feet we encountered snow. Traction devises would have been beneficial. Trail is easy to follow and we all made it to the 4800ft. summit! Summit view was spectacular. Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Rainier, Baker, Glacier...all the sights were visible. Puget Sound was also well defined. After a long lunch we began our decent. Without traction it was difficult in the ice and snow. Soon enough we were down the ridge and back to the falls. From the falls the hike is easy but this is a tough hike relatively speaking. Be prepared for 8 miles round trip and 3800ft of elevation gain. The bulk of the gain comes in the last 2 miles to the summit. Don't forget your Discovery Pass. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
Issues:
Bugs
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I started my hike at 3:30 pm. I decided to take the Kamikaze Trail to the summit. I...
I started my hike at 3:30 pm. I decided to take the Kamikaze Trail to the summit. I started at the Teneriffe trailhead walking up the dirt road. I took the first road to the right about 1 mile past the gate. This road leads to the new trail to Teneriffe falls according to the sign. Other posts call it Kamikaze falls so it’s one or the other. This new trail is very good. At the falls continue up the trail and eventually you will hit the old Kamikaze Trail. It seems like you are getting lost then all of a sudden it’s obvious that you are on the trail as it’s a well-worn boot path. This path goes straight up the ridge with stairs of tree roots and rocks the whole way. It is a very demanding hike and will get you a good work out. But the surroundings are fantastic and you will feel like you are have a real adventure! Very nice views now and again as there are rocky outcroppings here and there that make a great place to give your thighs and lungs a break, drink some Gatorade and say wow to the views. After 2.5 hours I reached the top of the mountain. A very nice reward as the views were great, almost as good as Granite peak. I spent 1/2 hour then decided to take the logging road as it was getting late at 6:30pm and I didn't want to get caught in the dark on the Kamikaze trail I guessed at the location of the trail to the logging road, it was a side trail coming off the trail at the peak. . I saw some colored markers and followed them getting lost and losing the trail once then finding it again. Eventually it comes out on what looks like a recently bulldozed addition to the road. I just followed this steep road down. It took me until 9pm to reach the gate. I had to use my flashlight for the last 45 minutes. I think this is a good loop. However the logging road was not real scenic.
It was very dry and dusty today. Kamikaze was almost dry. Only water I saw was in a couple streams off the logging road. Bugs were nasty, but I just kept moving and had minimal problems. Bring lots of water as you will need it. I drank 3.5 liters on this trip. It was a warm dry day (Labor Day Weekend). Big blue skies and a moon in the evening. I passed some father-son campers on the road at the top. A good place to camp. As a side I tried to do this hike last December (2010) and it was too snowy, I could not find the trail past the falls. Kamikaze trail would be a very difficult hike in the winter, would likely need mountaineering gear (boots, crampons). I think I may try again this winter but stick to the road and bring some snow shoes.
Mount Teneriffe
— Aug 28, 2011
— sytelus
Day hike
Issues:
Bugs
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I took the route through Kamikaze falls which is probably the shortest route up. Kamikaze falls were very thin and...
I took the route through Kamikaze falls which is probably the shortest route up. Kamikaze falls were very thin and seemed almost out of water compared to Spring time when they were magnificent roaring torrent that you can here 500 vertical feet down.
After the falls, the trail is mostly unmarked, unmaintained and almost straight up. At many points its easy to get lost because there is no apparent "trail" around so always keep looking back and memorize your route and put markers with stones or ribbons if you have them. The blood sucking insects are extremely annoying and it gets bit worse as you go up. So carry effective bug dope. It's needless to say that this trail is not for everyone. It's steepness rivals that of Mailbox peak and combined with its unmaintained nature, it's an arduous way up. As you get near the top (may be around last 500 ft), the trail passes through grassy-bushes full of mosquitoes and other insects but fortunately it takes only minute or so to pass through this area. There is no mud or snow anywhere right now. The summit is glorious 360 degree view. It's higher then Mount Si and loftier than the top of Haystack rock. The views of Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak along with various summits of Snoqualmie Pass. Unlike Mount Si you can also see entire Rattlesnake lake which stands out in the valley. While coming back be very careful about which route you choose. I saw pink ribbons and following them for sometime I realized that was completely different trail then I came from. It could have been the other longer logging route or may be part of Mount Si-Teneriffe. As I did not knew, back tracked and found the way I came up in South. While coming down, poles were extremely helpful because of rather large frequent steps almost all the way to falls.
Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe
— Aug 27, 2011
— Chuck Gustafson
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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Mt. Si and Teneriffe Peak Loop ****
This was a Mountaineer’s hike. Met our group of 5 at the Mt....
Mt. Si and Teneriffe Peak Loop ****
This was a Mountaineer’s hike. Met our group of 5 at the Mt. Si TH at 7:00. Started hiking at 7:15 with 2 breaks on the way up. A warm and humid day. Trail traffic was moderate. Took a ½ hour break near the benches below the Haystack. Continued on the connector trail/abandoned road from below the Haystack to the Mt. Teneriffe Rd. It was now hot in the sun and buggy with mosquitoes, small gnats, flies and horse flies. The Mt. Teneriffe Rd. is steep in sections with lots of unstable rock. Good views from the road and the wildflowers were still blooming. The last section of the road is extremely steep and rough. Continued from the road end on a pleasant user trail that hugs the ridge through forest to the open summit, arriving at 12:30 (5.25 hours up). This is a 5 star summit with views in every direction. Headed down at 13:30. We made good time descending the road, but the footing is treacherous on the loose rock base as I can attest to by my bruises. Continued to approx. 1,700’ and picked up the Talus Connector user trail to the Talus Trail. Took the lower Talus Trail back to the Mt. Si Trail and then down to the TH. Interestingly, the Mt. Si Trail now had only light traffic. Arrived at the cars at 16:45 (3.25 hours down with numerous short breaks). This is a physically demanding trip, but not a killer. The route is interesting and the views are excellent. A veryyyy nice summit. However, the road is a bit boring and often offered unpleasant travel. Stats were 9.5 hours and 5,200’ gross elev. |
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