Mount Ellinor

Yesterday I took my friend out hiking for her birthday. There were no big views due to the rain and fog, but the trail itself was very pretty in these conditions. There were no other cars on the road up to the lower trailhead, but we did see two white-tailed deer.

There are two options to the upper trailhead: the first is the obvious wide road trail that the WTA page describes. You follow it to the "Upper Mt Ellinor Trail" sign, where you turn left. From there to the upper trailhead is an easy walk. We saw ptarmigans and bunnies and enjoyed the foggy views of the surrounding forest. The trail from the upper trailhead to the top is pretty slippery due to packed snow/ice. My friend's waterproof clothing wasn't very waterproof, so we turned around before reaching the summit. I'm looking forward to returning another day.

The second option is a 1.9 mile trail through the forest. Only the top third or so is snow-covered. At the top, there is a sign for it just above the upper trailhead. It opens out immediately above the lower trailhead, right as the trailhead joins with the road trail.

Bring: poles, gaiters, ice axe for glissade from summit.