Rattlesnake Mountain
If you've hiked to Rattlesnake Ledges and beyond from Rattlesnake Lake, this is a delightful alternative. Thanks to the handiwork of our colleagues in the trail community, you can now reach Rattlesnake Mountain from the west, starting from a new trailhead at Snoqualmie Point.
Expect more solitude on this approach, and enjoy the fantastic views out over the Snoqualmie Valley, Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, North Bend and more. You can choose to hike to one of the pleasant viewpoints along the way, to Rattlesnake Mountain, or as a traverse all the way to Rattlesnake Lake (11 miles). The views are some of the best in the Cascade foothills and the trail can be hiked year-round, though it can be snowy in winter. The trail was officially dedicated in June 2007, though people have been hiking along a mix of trail and logging roads for years. Now the trail winds its way through mostly second-growth forest, crossing a few logging roads and requiring just a few stints on old roads. The trail follows I-90 fairly closely, but there are times you don't remember that it is there. Still, the reality of being in a managed forest does intrude - you do see and walk through clearcuts. Fortunately, the forest canopy does get more mature as you go, and there is a delightful progression of ecosystems along the way. The first nice viewpoint is Stan's Overlook, about 2.5 miles in (elev. 2100'). You'll pass under the powerlines and continue gradually upward another 1/3 mile to an obvious signed trail to the left. Stan's Overlook has a picnic table and two benches. From there you can see Mt. Si and the Snoqualmie Valley. Next up, and a fine turn-around for those not traveling end-to-end, is Grand Prospect at about 4.9 miles. This precipice is due south of the town of North Bend. At six miles and 3500 feet is the high point of East Peak - great views abound from here! Then it is downhill to the Ledges (8 miles) and ending at Rattlesnake Lake (that is, if you've cached a car here). This trail system is the result of thousands of hours of hard work by trail crews from Washington Conservation Corps, EarthCorps, and Washington Trails Association (WTA's handiwork was up to the Ledges from Rattlesnake Lake), all jointly managed by the Mountains-to-Sound-Greenway and DNR. If you see a crew, please take the time to thank them! Both trailheads (east and west end) require the state's Discovery Pass.
Driving Directions:
To Snoqualmie Point Park: take I-90 east to Exit 27. At the end of the off-ramp, go right and follow the road to the end. Go through the gate on the right to enter the trailhead. Straight ahead is a separate parking area for Snoqualmie Point. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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Snow on trail
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Trail is in very good condition. Trail is a bit icy up to the first ledge and then is snow/ice...
Trail is in very good condition. Trail is a bit icy up to the first ledge and then is snow/ice all the way to the East Peak... with deep snow the last mile and a half from the summit. Crowds were light and in fact this is the first time I have ever seen the first ledge people free.
Day hike
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It's a winter wonderland up on Rattlesnake Mountain right now. I hiked from Rattlesnake Lake park all the way to...
It's a winter wonderland up on Rattlesnake Mountain right now. I hiked from Rattlesnake Lake park all the way to the East Peak. Snow was continuous from the parking lot, 6" of slush at the bottom increasing to 2 to 3 feet on top of the East Peak. A thick icy crust underneath the fresh snow made snowshoes unnecessary, although I broke through the crust in a few spots.
The weather was surprisingly mild on top of the 3500' East Peak. The sun beamed brightly and there was little wind. I would have spent more time up there, but I had to rush back down to beat the rapidly setting sun. This was a fun hike despite my various pieces of malfunctioning hiking equipment: Wall Mart cam-lock poles that kept slipping (screws need tightening), Yak-Trax that kept falling off my boots, velcro-on gaiters that didn't keep the snow out, and cheap boots that got soaked with water. However, Lex, my dog, had fun, and he didn't need any high tech equipment at all. Trail maintenance needs: there is a lot of minor blowdown on the trail, but nothing that can't be removed with pruning saws.
Rattlesnake Mountain
— Jan 21, 2012
— oldblue
Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail
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With the wintry conditions this looked to be a good choice for a snowshoe hike. We started at Snoqualmie Point...
With the wintry conditions this looked to be a good choice for a snowshoe hike. We started at Snoqualmie Point & headed up as far as Grand Prospect before turning around. Heavy clouds & fog in the morning gave way to breaks in the afternoon, allowing some territorial views of the Front Range, Fuller Butte & the Snoqualmie R Valley decked in fresh snow. We hit fallen snow at about 2700 ft which added a little winter magic to the surroundings. Snowshoes were necessary above the creek crossing. A few spots on the lower trail had water running underfoot, but it was easy to get around it. Continuous snow from the parking lot, but walkable until the creek crossing. The snow was notably heavier going in the last 1/2 mile to Grand Prospect.
We encountered blowdowns & bent trees due to icing, particularly in the middle third of the hike, below Stan's Overlook. These were easily circumvented. High winds aloft sang through the trees but were not a real concern. Once above the creek crossing the ridge & woods provided almost complete protection from the icy gusts. No views at the Prospect due to thick fog, but no matter with the snow decked woods being enough of a lunchtime attraction for this day. The parking lot at the Point was gated shut & there was snow on the frontage road, but there was enough bare pavement to make it to the turnout across from the gate. Enough room for several vehicles to park. No evidence of plowing. Best to have all-wheel drive for now, but with a warming trend due the road should become easier to travel. Day hike
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Blowdowns | Snow on trail
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Eight of us started out with the intention of a Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Point hike, but we suspected that...
Eight of us started out with the intention of a Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Point hike, but we suspected that we wouldn't be able to pull it off. Time and snow quality were arrayed against us: in particular, the mushiness of the snow was the major factor that slowed us down and made us reassess our goals.
There is snow at the Snoqualmie Point and Rattlesnake Lake trailheads. The main parking areas were closed. Some parking was available, and there were adequate spaces. We were able to navigate the slush in an Impala and a Forester, but not all cars may be suited to the current conditions. The roads to the trailheads are not problematic. Rattlesnake Lake was partially frozen. There were 3-4 inches of snow on the ground at the start; the snow was slushy and partially melted in places. The trail had a 5-6 inch covering of mushy snow, which hampered our upward progress. Three people turned back after one-quarter mile due to the trail conditions. It took about 90 minutes to reach the first ledge. The cloud level was at approximately 1800-2000 feet, with gusts of blowing snow, which limited visibility. We could occasionally glimpse the Lake and the base of Mount Washington from the lower reaches of the trail. There was about 1 foot of snow at the first ledge. We continued to the second and third ledges, with very limited views in those locations as well. We decided to turn back, due to the limited views and slow progress in the snow. The trip down was easier, but we did have to watch our footing. Poles were helpful. We did encounter a few other hikers, but not many: Rattlesnake Ledge sans crowds! There were small blowdowns along the way, which occasionally necessitated going off the trail to pass them. We estimate that we traveled a total of 6 miles with 1500 feet of elevation gain over a period of 4 hours. Day hike
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We did a quick hike up the Rattlesnake Mountain trail to Stan's Overlook, about 4 miles round trip and 1000...
We did a quick hike up the Rattlesnake Mountain trail to Stan's Overlook, about 4 miles round trip and 1000 feet of gain from the trailhead. Six to twelve inches of snow made the trail a winter wonderland. The snow is well-packed, no need for snowshoes, but traction devices for your boots might be helpful. You might also need an all-wheel drive car to get up the icy hill from the I-90 interchange to the trailhead. There is enough snow on the logging roads that skiing might be possible - certainly so higher up on the mountain.
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Winter view from Grand Prospect. Photo by Snowfoot.
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