Ranger Creek, Palisades, White River, Noble Knob, Dalles Ridge
Jul 05, 2009
by
rnnrgrl
—
last modified
Jul 06, 2009 07:31 PM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Ranger Creek
- Region: South Cascades
- Trails: Ranger Creek (#1197)
- Avg Rating: 3.75
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Palisades
- Region: South Cascades
- Trails: Palisades (#1198)
- Avg Rating: 4.60
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: White River
- Region: South Cascades
- Trails: White River (#1199)
- Avg Rating: 3.75
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Noble Knob
- Region: South Cascades -- Chinook Pass - Enumclaw or Hwy 410 area
- Agency: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snoqualmie Ranger District
- Trails: Noble Knob (#1184)
- Avg Rating: 3.80
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Dalles Ridge
- Region: South Cascades
- Trails: Dalles Ridge (#1173)
- Avg Rating: 3.75
- Why You Should Go Now
- Wildflowers blooming
- Be Aware Of
- Snow on trail
This was a group trail run, training for the White River 50 mile run. We started at Buck Creek (road 7160) and took the White River trail out to The Dalles. This is a gently rolling trail that goes by the Boy Scout camp. There was only one blowdown. Then we turned up the Palisades Trail and the going gets much tougher. The trail switchbacks steeply up to a set of stairs. It is a beautiful area, but today it smelled like there was a dead animal in the bottom of the canyon which wafted all the way up the hill. After the stairs the trail mellows out a bit but still climbs steadily to the first viewpoint. Rainier just peeks over the opposite ridge, and Suntop lookout is also in view. After climbing another miler or so the real reward is revealed. Beautiful panoramic views of the valley below including the river, the airstrip and Mt. Rainier in-your-face style. Then the trail turns away from the ridge and to a cabin. From there we continue up on The Dalles Ridge trail and follow that until it ends at the Noble Knob trail. We turned south there and climbed around the ridge through some snow patches and glacier lillies. The trail levels off just after the Noble Knob turnoff and is just rolling hills (with the exception of one thigh burner) until we reached the road at Corral Pass. This top part is in full sun exposure, and today sunscreen was necessary. But the views or Mt Rainier were spectacular. The huckleberries are numerous, but not ready to eat yet. We met a crew with water and snacks there, then turned back and retraced our steps. At the cabin, we took the Ranger Creek Trail down. This trail is popular with Mtn Bikes. Lots of shade, soft tread and switchbacks on this gradual hill, in our case it was going down, down, down, and down until we finally reached the road just across from Buck Creek. This made for a ~25 mile loop, and a fabulous day!
Document Actions
- Email this page
- Print this
- Share
Forgot your
New user?
