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Rattlesnake Ledge

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You won't find better views anywhere else this close to Seattle. Rattlesnake Ledge is a monolithic block of rock on the eastern end of Rattlesnake Ridge, towering high over the cool waters of Rattlesnake Lake and the Snoqualmie River valley. Looking up from the trailhead, the site is daunting--the rock face looks sheer and impregnable. Fortunately, the cliff face isn't too broad, and hearty Washington Trails Association volunteers have carved a path through the steep forests flanking the rock face. Indeed, the original trail, which was daunting in its own right, has been largely replaced with a new, more secure pathway.

From the parking lot, round the gate and walk the old road 0.25 mile to a grassy swath on the west side of Rattlesnake Lake. A well-signed path leads off to the right. The rebuilt trail climbs steeply from the get-go, gaining more than 1000 feet in just over 1.5 miles. Of course, the old trail made that gain in just 1 mile, so please keep the complaints to a minimum as you slog up the switchbacks. Those new hairpin turns add a little distance to the hike, but they also level the trail a tad, making it a bit easier on the thighs.

After a seemingly endless upward march, you'll suddenly burst out of the forest onto the snout of the rock ledge. The views are unbelievable. Peer southeast into the rarely seen Cedar River watershed, with Chester Morse Lake dominating the close-in scenery. This big lake supplies Seattle with a significant portion of its drinking water. The rest of the watershed is filled with untrammeled forest--the watershed is closed to most human access to ensure that the water remains uncontaminated. Look farther east and you'll see the peaks leading to Snoqualmie Pass and, of course, massive Mount Si is just across the valley.
Driving Directions:

From Seattle drive 32 miles east on I-90 to exit 32 (436th Avenue SE). Turn right (south) on 436th Avenue SE (Cedar Falls Road SE) and drive about 4 miles to the well-developed Rattlesnake Lake parking area on the right.

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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 261 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Rattlesnake Ledge — May 12, 2013 — alison
Day hike
Issues: No water source
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beautiful hike, it was cloudy but we were glad it wasn't hot -- pretty busy. as other reviewers have...
beautiful hike, it was cloudy but we were glad it wasn't hot -- pretty busy. as other reviewers have said; clean bathrooms, no water, great hike. wish we brought bug spray-- got to the top, sat down, started getting bit.
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Rattlesnake Ledge — May 11, 2013 — mxmom
Day hike
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Perfect weather for a day hike, about 75 degrees, maybe a little hazy. Hiked the round trip to the p...
Perfect weather for a day hike, about 75 degrees, maybe a little hazy. Hiked the round trip to the peak and boy was it worth it! About when I thought I couldn't male it much further a young boy ran past me squealing "The Sky's the limit"! It was a little grueling for an inexperienced hiker...no an unfit person, like me. But besides being a little out of breath, I did great and the reward was a view I will never forget! Being a beautiful weekend day, the trail was crowded but everyone was polite. After my little dog and I returned to the bottom we both refreshed our feet in the lake. Great day!
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Rattlesnake Ridge Trail, Rattlesnake Ledge, Rattlesnake Mountain, East Peak-Rattlesnake Trail — May 08, 2013 — Bruce
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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Two of us hiked the 11 miles from Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Point, leaving a car at each end so...
Two of us hiked the 11 miles from Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Point, leaving a car at each end so we could hike just one way. At 11am the ledge was still socked in, but halfway between there and East Peak we emerged under pure blue skies. Frankly I liked the view from East Peak more with clouds below than I did last time when it was clear and I could see the exurbs in all their glory.

Snow covered most of the last mile on the east side of East Peak as well as most of the first half mile on the west side. The snow was often around 3 feet deep so it should be there through the end of May. I was glad to have poles although it would have been survivable without poles, and we didn’t use the traction devices that we had with us.

There were a couple of navigational challenges heading west down from East Peak. About 15 minutes after East Peak (it will be more like 10 minutes once the snow is gone), there is a sign for the trail forking to the right while the road you’re on stays left. However, the sign is set back about 20 feet from the road and partly obscured, so watch for it. Also, about 40 minutes after East Peak (more like 30 minutes after the snow’s gone), there is one section of the trail that’s hard to follow as it’s got lots of debris. However, you basically continue straight and in a minute or two the trail will become obvious again.

I think this hike would be less fun from west to east, as you’d have a long, gradual climb followed by a pretty steep drop.

There were lots of wildflowers during the second half of the descent into Snoqualmie Point.

Total hiking time at a good pace was about 4 hours 15 minutes plus stops.
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Rattlesnake Ledge — May 05, 2013 — Pictator
Day hike
Issues: No water source
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I did this hike this time last year, and I just couldn't believe how many people were up there on th...
I did this hike this time last year, and I just couldn't believe how many people were up there on the Ledge compared to last year! We got on the trail at 10:30am. A lot of people were already leaving the parking lot, so we got a good parking spot by chance. I highly recommend avoiding the weekends and starting out early.

This is a very good hike to start off the season. There were 8 of us women and we all felt we got a good workout. The toilets were freshly cleaned at the trailhead, and good thing because the toilets at the park were horrible!

Take lots of water because it is all uphill and when it is hot one tends to drink more water. The views are wonderful - lots of peekaboo look-sees - and of course the view at the top is breathtaking.
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RattlesnakeTrail.jpg
Location
Snoqualmie Pass -- North Bend Area
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snoqualmie Ranger District, North Bend office
Statistics
Roundtrip 4.0 miles
Elevation Gain 1160 ft
Highest Point 2078 ft
Features
Lakes
Old growth
Mountain views
Ridges/passes
User info
Good for kids
Dogs allowed on leash
No pass or permit required
Guidebooks & Maps
Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Pass (Nelson & Bauer - Mountaineers Books)
Green Trails Rattlesnake Mountain/Upper Snoqualmie Valley No. 205S

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Note: the description and driving directions for this Mountaineers Books entry are copyrighted and can't be changed.

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Red MarkerRattlesnake Ledge
47.43345 -121.767533333
(47.4335, -121.7675) Open in new window
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