Trip Reports

A random Monday off and great weather predicted led me to Mt Washington. The trail is not so easy to find, the first part is an unmarked trail near the bathrooms. Once up that you will come to a state park park and larger gravel road/trail. Turn right on this and go slightly up for about 5-10 minutes. You will see another unmarked trail on the left that goes a little down and then pretty much up. At this point you are on the trail to the summit. Be aware though as I found out the tough way, this trail goes pretty much up, up and more up. It is covered in rocks and is a little difficult at times. There is a stopping point that is about 2 miles and 1600 feet up that gives a nice view but there is the true summit. This is what I didn't know enough about before going. If you continue on from the first major viewpoint with a bench you will do about another 2 miles perhaps(not sure on distance 100%). You will also end up at about 4500 feet elevation. That was confirmed by another hikers GPS. This was a beautiful hike and had great views at the top but was quite a workout and one I was not completely prepared for. Make sure to bring lots of water and you do really need good hiking shoes. Saw several people trying this without good shoes, enough water or food and that is how you get in trouble!

Gorgeous day. Entered the unmarked trail on the left a few hundred yard west on Iron Horse Trail. No snow for the first three miles or so, and only patches of snow all the way to the summit. This to me is a somewhat underrated trail in that it's not too steep, fairly long, but has terrific views of Rainier, Baker, and the beautiful lakes below. The trail is rocky so I find trekking poles useful if you want to make time through the rubble. I recommend using a map and doing your homework before you go on this one. I met several people who didn't know where they were or what branches of the trail to take to get to the summit.

snow only on the last 1.5 mile. that too you have boot paths to walk over and dont need any special gear. poles and good shoes are enough, although many were hiking without them.

views are spectacular !! many hikers were on the trail.

We had limited time and desired a conditioning hike, so I chose Mount Washington, with its starting grade of nearly 1000 feet gained per mile. Our goal was to reach the bowl that gives views of the Great Wall to the south and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie valley to the north.

We started from the parking lot at 9:15 am. There were 5 or 6 cars. We proceeded up the connector to the John Wayne Trail. Along the JWT, European black slugs and Pacific banana slugs were in fine spring form. Have I mentioned yet that I love photographing snails and slugs? Poor John Wayne, his trail overrun by slugs and slug photographers! We ambled a few hundred yards up the JWT, and then between the two alder trees and onto the Mount Washington trail, now marked by a small plastic ribbon.

The trail is in good condition--for this trail--meaning that there is very little mud or water. There are some spots where you share the trail with small creeks or have to make a minor crossing. Up to the bowl, there was no snow. Thimbleberry, salmonberry, candy flower (Claytonia sibirica), buttercup, and bleeding heart are blooming. There are a few pre-ripe, green salmonberries at this point.

We took 1:45 to reach the bowl after walking 3 miles from the parking lot and gaining 2000 feet. The view from the bowl was excellent. We had a picnic lunch, enjoyed the view of the Middle Fork valley, and returned.

There were lots of hikers today, more than I have ever seen at Mount Washington. Perhaps there was no parking at Si. Many folks had shorts and sneakers--not attire for reaching the summit at this point in the season. The lot was nearly full when we got back--a sight I had not previously witnessed.

There was quite a bit of snow starting about a mile in, and deep near the top. We postholed a little, but it was mostly packed enough to walk on. Appreciated our traction devices, although we saw a couple other people who seemed fine without them. The beaten trail peters out after circling around the swampy area in the bowl and starting upwards again, and we were forced to turn back by having no path to follow through the snow.

There's an unsigned trail (which we initially thought was the Great Wall trail) heading off to the left at about a mile and a half that has active foot traffic but wasn't on our map. No sign of recent traffic on the Great Wall trail.

Is there an entry for this hike that describes the whole route, rather than stopping at the viewpoint halfway?

We saw a coyote about a quarter mile in from the trailhead!

Beautiful sunny day for a hike. Hit snow about 1.5 miles in. Microspikes did the job until the last mile or so. That's when it would have been nice to have snowshoes. Fortunately there both people and dogs ahead of us to help blaze the trail. Some clouds had rolled in by the time we reached the summit but still great views. Powdery snow without snowshoes made for a more difficult hike -- we definitely got a workout in. First hike for wife with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain. We'll sleep good tonight.

Note that the hike to the summit is just over 8 miles roundtrip. Website's 4 miles roundtrip applies if you just hike to Owl Hike Spot only. We met a couple people who had gone about mile past that, wondering how much farther it was....

Anybody know where you can view the weather station/camera located at the summit?

Great snow hiking conditions on the main Mt. Washington trail. The first 2 miles or so are relatively snow-free so you should be fine with normal hiking gear. The second half of the mountain will require snow shoes, gaiters, and hiking poles (w/ powder baskets) for optimal enjoyment. This trail took us approx 6 hours 15 minutes to complete with some breaks thrown in. Make sure to bring a camera for beautiful views of the region at the peak and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun's reflection off of the snow.

Most of the mountain peaks around North Bend were shrouded in fog today... But not Mount Washington! What a beautiful day to snowshoe!

Expect snow from Olallie State Park: Twin Falls Traihead all the way to the top. Hiking trail from the trailhead to about 3700" was compact from multiple snowshoe treks along w/ a thin layer of dry powdered snow. After that, the snow was a bit deep, even with snowshoes.

The first 2 miles to the Owl Bench had a few spots of ice from springs crossing the trail. This also made for an impressive series of icicle "falls" on the rock walls. Technically, the easiest part of the trail!

When I reached the sign at the Y junction where you can either take the Great Wall Trail (L) or continue to Mount. Washington (R), I stayed to the right. You will be breaking new ground if you decide to take the Great Wall Trail on the left.

The right trail to Mount Washington has you crossing Washington Creek, which was icy and slick and then continues up to a tarn (lake?) in the basin. This is where waterproof boots and hiking poles are VERY handy.

There is another Y created at the tarn (lake?). The trail on the left looks like it follows the actual trail, but hasn't been used and to the right is the compacted "rogue trail" everyone has been following.

I actually turned around at this point because I wasn't sure which way to go. As I made my decent down the trail, I met up with a couple awesome gals who knew the way and let me caravan with them. You rock! ^_^

So we took the "rogue trail" that followed the right side of the tarn (lake?) further into the basin and came upon a 200' hill that could be a potential hazard for avalanche. The caravan I had joined decided to call it quits for the day, but I assessed the trail and the snow and it seemed safe to climb.

**Note: Please use your best judgement if you get to this point. I believe the more people who follow in these tracks, especially during this cold snap, could eventually cause a slide!**

Once I reached the top of this hill, it evens out and walks out onto an open ridge (elevation about 4350') with the BEST view of the trek!

I then continued forward, which led me back into the woods where it looked like it finally met with the logging road you expect at the top. Unfortunately, the trailblazers continue to climb unsafe hills that I was unwilling to follow. I didn't reach the summit with the weather vein due to time restraints, but the viewpoint at 4350' was enough for me!

Recommend: Snowshoes, hiking poles, layered clothing and waterproof boots.

P.S. Make sure you know how to use all your hiking equipment!

Weather: overcast with light snow (and rain below perhaps 2500 ft) off and on.

Snow level and conditions: Snow at parking lot; serious ice at parking lot and on John Wayne Trail; ice stopped at (perhaps) 1800 ft; from (perhaps) 1800 ft to (perhaps) 3000 ft, hard crust under snow; we saw evidence that one could attain summit without snowshoes; due to a bit of post-holing we donned snowshoes at about 3400 ft.

Avalanche conditions: no perceptible avalanche problem.

Time: car to summit - 3.5 hrs; car to car - 7 hrs.

Companions: Amy & Mike T.

We arrived to the trail head at 10:15, parked on the road below the parking lot due to a little bit of snow that was piled up between the road and the road to the parking lot. Snow on the road to the actual trail, probably about 3-4 inches deep.

Once on the trail, we hiked with boots and poles for first 1.5-2miles before putting our snow shoes on. Beautiful day, no wind, hiked up to the Y(summer route vs winter route). No tracks left(summer route) so we followed the tracks to the right. Snow was deep and fluffy at this point, but did well. Peterred out after we climbed up a false summitt at 4520. One other party ahead of us were blazing the trail to the true summitt. Total time up 3.75 hrs, time down 2hrs. No wind on the mountain today, which was unusal, but really pleasant.

We calculated miles to be about 5 up/down--not the 4 that are posted on the trip description.

We took some of our friends that were new to hiking on this hike, the report says that it is 4 miles round trip. That is incorrect. It is 8 miles round trip from what other hikers told us, we ended up stopping when we crossed paths with some other hikers that said the bugs were heavy up higher.

** There is no signage to find this trail, once you are on the John Wayne Trail (following the directions above), go west, towards Twin Falls. There will be a unmarked path on the left, you'll know you are on the right one if you hear a creek**

We hiked and hiked, and unknowingly passed Owl point, the description of a bench, isn't a bench. It is carved into the side of the mountain. The only way to see that you are at Owl Point is that you have an incredible view.

It is a calm, solitary hike. Very good if you are heading out late in the morning and don't want to be stuck looking for parking.

"Somebody I never met, but in a way I know.."

In memory of John Wright, aka Tomas, http://www.wta.org/author/jwright who died in a fall on Green Mountain near North Bend on July 6, 2012.

There, but for a little luck, goes any of us. I don't know what happened to him that day, but we've all pressed on when we knew we should stop, we've all made our mistakes, and were given reprieve by the Gods. I thought a lot about him today on Mt. Washington, hoping to come up with something profound or poetic to say, but I got nothing. It's just unfortunate.

My condolences to his family and friends, he will be missed around here by people like us, people who shared his passion for the mountains and enjoyed the reports of his adventures. We can only hope that when our time comes, instead of stepping in front of a bus or some other indignity, we get to go out doing what we love.

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A group of us went for a training hike up Mt. Washington this beautiful sunny Sunday. As none of us had done this hike before, we came prepared with varying expectations, as far as difficulty and distance is concerned; there seems to be quite a bit of confusion/misinformation concerning this hike on the WTA site.

First, the 4mi RT listed on the site is to the "Owl Hike Spot," a nice overlook of North Bend about 2mi in. From the trailhead it is approximately 4mi to the summit (8mi RT).

Second, aside from the short time spent on the Iron Horse Trail, and a few spots during the climb, this trail climbs very steadily up, with several patches of loose rock footing. I am not complaining, but just thought any of you looking for a nice leisurely ascent might be in for a surprise. Considering the 3100ft+ eleveation gain in 4 miles, this should be expected.

All things considered, this was a great training hike, w/ many beautiful views. There were a few snow patches off the trail, but nothing of concern. The only negative, once we cleared up the distance issue, was the mosquitos that were quite prevalent on the top 1/2 of this climb.

We started out before 7 AM. Headed up to the top via the Great Wall trail and returned via the primary Mt. Washington trail. Green trails map 206S is recommended if taking the Great Wall Trail.

This is 3000 feet of climbing from car to summit. 6 miles via the GWT or 4.5 miles via the primary trail.

The GWT is overgrown in places but nothing serious. Snow is completely gone. Bugs are starting to make their presence known.

Took us a little over 6 hours from car to car.

My buddy forgot his Discover Pass (it was in his other car) and of course we didn't have cash for the box). So he found a $99 ticket on his car. It says he can get it reduced to $59 if he buys a DP in the next 15 days. Of course he already has one so he's going to request mitigation and see if he can get the ticket thrown out. We really need to have a license plate sticker instead of an easily forgotten pass.

Pictures here:

http://www.lemarts.com/2/post/2012/07/mt-washington.html

This was my 4th or 5th attempt in finishing this hike, as all previous attempts for some reason or other, I coulnd't finish it.

Started out at 5 pm or so, and there was perhaps only one more car in the lot. Trail is bit steep the first 2 miles or so, after that its quite flat and is a easy hike there on.

Trail goes in and out of woods. It was all cloudy, so not much of a view to see, but at this height, i'm sure views would be great.

Trail should be around 9 miles Round trip with elevation gain of 3000 ft.

Kash

Disregard the previous trip report dated June 24th. I found this hike to be very scenic, a good workout, lots of wildflowers and views, a lovely summit ridge for lunch, and easy to find if you are with someone who's been up here in the past. Trail markings are poor, due to--I'm told--a private property owner--but lots of folks find their way up Mt Washington, most months of the year, including many rock climbers. While there are some rocks on the trail, anyone with proper boots should have no problem--at least in dry conditions. The creek crossing was not a problem. Too many photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

This was a hike that almost wasn't. We couldn't find the trail head because the directions said something about Twin Fall section which the signboard at the actual location said "homestead" site. Also, the trail head was not "next" to the restroom. So we thought we were at the wrong place. So we keep driving further south. Then we came back and noticed that the trail head was actually about 100 ft away and blocked by a large car.
So we hiked up and I pretty much hated it all the way up. Rocks. Rocks. Rocks. All the way up to the "bench" which we passed because I thought it would be a wooden bench not a rock formation. So we kept going up. It was okay but I definitely would not do this hike again. The rocks were killer coming down for my ankles. The only really nice part of the hike were the rock climbing walls and semi-caves on the way up. The views were not that great. All I remember is the rocks!!!

For being a hike that is difficult to find trail descriptions for, this turned out to be a well-traveled and enjoyable hike. We weren't sure of the distance to the summit before starting out. At about 2.5 miles we encountered snow on the trail (for 1-2 miles) and occasional mud. We think the summit is about 5-6 miles from the trail head. Nice views of Chester Morse Lake.

It was a great hike. We left trailhead at 3:30pm and arrived at the summit around 7pm. then rally cruised to get tot parking lot just at the edge of night.

We intended this to be as its listed here, a 4 mile round trip of 1600 feet elevation gain. Summit post has it listed as 12 miles round trip and 3400 feet elevation gain to 4420 feet high. We are sure that this guide book is wrong as it was much further than indicated here. Another post said it was 10 miles round trip. Either way its more than we bargained for.

All the same we really enjoyed it. We hit snow about half way up and continued on. We lost the main trail and started a boot trail that was pretty much a straight up climb. The boot trail was not bushwhacking, we could tell a real boot trail was there. This was really fun. When you get to the torn out earth dam take a right instead of a left to do the boot trail. It was snow covered most of the way. We kept wondering where the top was at 1600 feet of climbing, little did we know...

On the way down we found the actual trail and stuck to it. It was much easier of a descent than the boot trail we figured, because the steep snow would have been difficult to manage in the lowering light.

so it’s a good one, but not an good afternoon hike really as its too long, unless you are a tough person. So beware the bad information in this guide as to length and height. I put in a request for an edit. I hope they fix it for the next hikers!



 

This hike is so close to Seattle, in Olallie State Park right off of exit 38. We got our Discover Pass at REI ($30) before heading out.

We found the trail easily, it is a well-maintained trail although it is not marked. Hiking up the trail, we saw trillium, scouler's corydalis, bleeding heart, and yellow wood violet in bloom. We report no rattlesnakes, but we did see a cute wee garter snake slinking off. The trail climbed for two miles across easy footing, not a lot of roots and gravel pits to negotiate. We climbed up through a new forest past some sport climbers hauling themselves up rock faces. The hike is very pleasant and after two miles you come to an obvious lunch spot with great views. We turned around at this spot after resting- if you continue up, you will encounter snow and the hikers we saw going past this viewpoint had snowshoes slung over their shoulders.

This was an easy, pleasant hike-- this would be a great after work hike.

What a great hike. This was my first hike to Mount Washington. And what a treat!!! Trail is very well maintained. I followed Anchetas'86 directions on finding the "unmarked trail", and it was very helpful. Trail is in great shape, its dry. There were no traces of snow. A few bugs here and there, but nothing too bad. I really recommed this hike. We did it late in the evening after work. I needed a mid week hike fix, and this was it...

Pretty standard Spring hike. Never done this trail before but was just doing some exploring with my choco lab Ellie. Trail is in pretty good condition for the most part, however there is a creek that is running pretty high right now with all the snow runoff. Was able to cross just to the left of the trail on the ascent by stepping on some exposed rocks. Still very slippery so I would not recommend it if you are traveling with any more than a day pack. Just after the stream crossing there is still a lot of snow on the trail, however there are plenty of footprints showing the path. Wasn't able to make it all the way to the top because I started pretty late but still got a nice view before headed back down. Some of the flowers in the lower elevations are starting to bloom and I bet by next week they will be gorgeous!

Lots of snow and it is the mushy melting kind, at least when the temperature is in the 60's and 70's. Up until the snow, the trail is generally its stony self climbing relentlessly to the first junction with the little wood sign on the tree at about 1.5 miles. From there to the Owl Lookout the trail is in a little better shape. Patches of snow begin at the second junction between the Mt. Washington trail and the Great Wall trail. Snow starts in earnest after the two water crossings.

At this point I put on my trax and gaiters. Snowshoes would have been appropriate as well. The path through the snow is well tramped down up to the scree field. From there folks have kick stepped straight up to meet the trail above. Once the road is reached, most hikers have kick stepped their way straight up to the peak. We did, but chose not to come down that way. It was tricky in any event to make our way down the snow slopes which were rapidly melting in the afternoon sun.

You can find the trail-head right off of Exit 38 on I-90. It will be in the Olallie State Park parking lot. There is a small trail that leads up to an old logging road. There will be a sign where the trail and road intersect, make a right here and follow the road. Keep an eye on the left side of the road, the first unmarked trail will be the one that goes up Mt. Washington.

The trail is well kept. The only issues were some snow and water on the trail. Along the way, there is a really cool cave where it looks like climbers like to boulder or lead climb. It's a nice place to sit and rest for a bit. Every once in awhile the trees give way to nice mountain views.

Eventually, you'll reach a tree with a sign that reads "Mt. WA" and an arrow that points towards a switchback. This is how you know you're on the right track.

Once you reach a part of the trail where there is an opening on the right, you've reached the end. I ended up continuing down the trail, expecting more, but I hit a sign that pointed to Mt. Washington back where I was before. So, I assumed that was the end and turned around.

Great sunny day, perfect for a hike!

I started out in boots and after about two miles put on my microspikes wen the snow picked up, It was intermittent at first and then solid. I followed snowshoe tracks for a while, and then in the open clearing, I switched to my snowshoes and wore them all the way to the top. The was lots of snow, and it was a warm day, so it got softer and slippery. I followed tracks in the snow. At a steep snow covered bank most went straight, but I followed tracks to the left for a switchback and ate lunch on a rock in the sun looking down the valley. Following tracks, I made it to the top for wonderful views. It was a great day. I passed a hiker in boot and gaiters potholing his way up about a half mile down as I was leaving the top. Several people turned around. I slipped a bit even with poles, but it was well worth the effort.

The snowline started just above the first junction, with the sign for "Mt Wa". From where the Great Wall Trail started there was one set of snowshoe tracks over 6 inches to a foot of fresh powder from Thursday flurries. Just before the road/trail made it's final swoop around to the west side of the north ridge I left the tracks and headed up towards the summit, weaving through alder and hemlock, sinking to my knees with most steps. The surface layer of snow was well settled and nice and crunchy, with a solid layer 1-2 feet below the powder.

Upon reaching the summit I was battered with heavy southeastern winds sending powder up and over the ridge where it accumulated in large cornices. Looking south I spotted the snowshoer I had followed up as he/she made their way along the Great Wall road/trail. After retreating a few feet down the northwest face and into a small thicket I ate and contemplated continuing along the ridge to Mt Washington, but hesitantly decided to head down, having responsibilities to tend to back home.

The sun was exposed all day, and by 1:30 on my way down, the crunchy snow had already softened substantially and I was glad I wouldn't be slogging through it at 4 o'clock. Another set of snowshoes had come through just behind me, also continuing along the Great Wall Trail, so if anyone is considering an attempt tomorrow, there should be a very well packed trench up to ~400 feet below the summit, and my tracks beyond that. Just below the climbing cave, I spotted some purplish larvae of some kind clinging to each other in the drainage ditch. Anyone know what these are?

Wednesday, April 4, 2012Mt Washington 4.3.12



I had a small window of time so I wanted something close. I had hoped to make my way up to Change Peak since I hadn't climbed it before. I had hoped to take advantage of the trench laid by a fellow climber. I had read the dire forecast for the deluge that was forecasted but when I got up it was pleasant and better yet dry. I had a few obligations to attend to and by the time I was ready to leave the downpour had arrived. I fully expected and was prepared to get soaked, but since the weather had cooled so drastically I held out the hope that I would be able to hit snow short order. It was raining as I suited up at the trailhead but as soon as I started out it stopped and stayed that way for the entire day. In fact it was downright pleasant out. I guess the old adage " you never know until you try" holds true.


It has been some time since I did any real climbing so I wasn't overly optimistic to make any blazing times. When I reached the junction for Change Peak I started a short ways up only to be rebuked by the deep heavy snow. After floundering a short ways I decided the pounded trench to Washington would be much more enjoyable and for me doable. I plugged away until I reached the dreaded steep portion at the head of the basin. It appears that most of the trench layers had thought better of the steep portion and only one set of prints kept on. The person booted it making their trail useless to me and my heft. Thankfully I was able to find a base layer 18 inches down taking some of the hardship out of the climb. I wanted dearly to make it back in time to put the kids to bed. I only had 500' to go but at my snail's pace I knew I couldn't have both a summit and family time. I retreated and enjoyed a nice walk out. I had climbed Mt. Washington before and I didn't remember it being nearly as long. I was surprised to be taxed a bit more than expected.

All and all it was good to be out.





http://alpinelakesaficionado.blogspot.com/[…]/mt-washington-4312.html

Just want to warn people that this is not a 2 mile hike. From the parking lot, to the ledge about 200 ft elevation wise short of the summit, took 3.75 hours; our time down was two hours. We were in micro spikes, study boots and good poles. (For referance the same group of peope who did this hike have complete Mt.Si to the base of the hay stack in 2.25hours)

This hike is tougher than Mt.Si, but not as tough as Mailbox.

snow on the trail within the first quarter mile, snow shoes not super helpful because the snow is mostly packed, but some post holing as the weather continues to warm up. Clear path to follow. Steep open face right below the summit, we kicked in some good steps to follow, but pay attention to the weather as that area is high avalanche danger depending on weather.

There was a lot of snow on the trail. I'd definitely suggest bringing snowshoes to increase your chances of summit. Couple of people in our group didn't have snowshoes and they had to turn back since it was getting very difficult to continue with postholing. Gaiters would be highly recommended, traction I'd say optional - but good if you have it.
  
Keep and eye for the unmarked trail from the Iron Horse trail - you should be able to see a clear boot path. Once on the right trail, there is a well beaten footpath that you can follow. At the Grand Wall junction stay on the mt Washington trail (right fork). There is a steep section just before the summit - after you cross the pond area. It's a fairly difficult hike - but the views are well worth it!

I enjoyed a gorgeous day on Mt. Washington, with balmy, springlike weather prevailing even on top. Hazy clouds obscured Mt. Rainier, but otherwise the vista from the top of the mountain was impressive in every direction.

The trail to the mountain was still snowy as previous reports indicated. However, heavy use on Saturday along with warm temperatures has resulted in a packed-down trail all the way to the top. No postholing required. The snow route mostly kept to the path of the summer trail, but there was one short fall-line climb up a steep open slope that may present an avalanche danger in some conditions. I used snowshoes, even though they hardly seemed necessary. Without showshoes, I would recommend using boot traction aids to maintain grip on the sometime steep trail.

Slushy snow began right at the start of the trail and steadily increased with elevation. The snowpack at the first Washington Creek crossing (elev. 2800') was impressive, about 5 feet deep. It's going to be months before the trail melts out.

 

A quick update on conditions before the nice weekend... Lots of new snow on the trail, starting at the parking lot. I did not bring snow shoes and made it to the Owl spot before giving in to the inevitable...about 10 inches of new snow at that point and enough old snow to sink to the waist if stepping off the packed tread. The new snow made it hard to stay in the tread, but that should be better tomorrow as there were a few of us packing it down to the Owl spot. A guy with snow shoes went a little further up, but if you plan on going to the pond or beyond, you will probably be breaking new snow so bring the big feet. Gaiters a must, traction a maybe.

Started from the TH about 8:45 with only a couple other cars in the lot. Overcast and light rain. Almost missed the turnoff from the Iron Horse trail. There was a dusting of snow on the trail almost from the very beginning.

That soon turned in to a whole lot of snow after less than a mile. Kind folks on snowshoes had tramped a very good trail in the snow the day or two before. We didn't need any sort of traction (just good solid boots) all the way up following the established track. Minimal post-holing, usually only when stepping off to the side.

Trail may get icy depending on temperatures. A good number of other people came up after us (20-30) and the trail started getting slick. Lots of cars in the lot when we got back down. No views today!

A couple trees down on the trail but nothing major. Easy enough for the shorter folks to duck under or the taller folks to step over.

The Mt. Wa. trail is slowly melting out. Snow now begins just before the Owl Hike vista and rapidly deepens beyond. There is about 2 - 3 feet of snow at the Washington Creek crossing and 4 feet in the basin around the pond. However, hikers have compacted a solid trench all the way to the top of Mt. Wa., and snowshoes are not really necessary. You might bring some along if you want to leave the trench and do side trips.

The weather was foggy and cloudy until we arrived at the top of the peak, which was just slightly above the top of the clouds. A bright, late winter sun occasionally beamed through the mist and warmed us up while we ate lunch. Even Mount Rainier made an appearance to the south, before the mist rolled back in.

The lower portion of the trail was rocky and rough as usual, but improvements must wait until the issue with the square mile tract of private property that the trail crosses is resolved (probably by purchase of the property by the FS or DNR).

I believe Scotty and I were the first on the trail this day, we saw 6 others. If you plan on hitting this summit by way of the direct route(not the Great Wall route), do yourself a favor and turn left (west) at the 3rd juction. You can't mistake this turnoff as it is along the bank of the only pond near any trail on Mt Washington.

We made the mistake of heading East, and the further mistake of continuing past where the snowshoe tracks we were following turned back. This overgrown remnant of an abandoned forest road dissapears at the base of the steep North face. It was slow going in well over 3 feet of snow, and there was probably some risk of avalanche, but we weren't turning back.

It took us nearly 4 1/2 hours to reach the summit, by far my slowest trip. The sky was slightly overcast, but we got a few sunbursts and the summit was relatively windless. Baker and Glacier Peak were clearly visible to the north.

Part II (continued from http://www.wta.org/[…]/trip_report.2012-02-05.4120476308):

Snow fully covered the trail from the Owl Hike spot. Creek crossings were not difficult. We decided not to take the longer Great Wall Trail since daylight was a precious commodity. Despite the thickening snow, there were plenty of bootprints to follow, which had created a compacted trail for walking. Blowdowns were not a problem on the upper part of the ascent.

We passed the boulder garden in the bowl, and we continued up towards the pond, which was iced over. At the pond, there were footprints going to the right, deviating from the summer trail, but we stayed to the left, passing through the horse restriction gate. 1/2 mile past the pond, the footprints left the trail and proceeded directly up the eastern face of the summit for several hundred feet of steady upward climbing. We followed, and soon we headed north again to the shoulder from which West Defiance Ridge and Mount Si are visible. We were treated to vertigo-inducing views of I-90 3000 feet below us. We then headed back to the forest, roughly following the summer trail, heading up to the summit. We were able to summit using poles and boots alone.

At the summit, we could see Rainier and Chester Morse Lake. We could see Baker and Glacier to the north. McClellan peak was visible to the west. Someone had traced out the initials "BK" in the snow--what could it mean?

The trip down was faster, and we were able to glissade downwards along the segment where we had executed our vertical climb in the snow. However, my left foot sank into the snow twice, requiring digouts. This was likely due to the act of descending and the slightly warmer afternoon temperatures. Fortunately, my friends helped me dig out.

This was not an easy hike. Three of five summited. Ascent time: 3 hours 15 min. Descent time: 2 hours 30 min.

A sunny day meant that my next appointment with the summit of Mount Washington had finally arrived! My previous two visits to the weather station were marred by clouds at the top. This time, I would not be denied.

This report is divided into two parts, as the "Mount Washington" trail page only describes the ascent to the Owl Hike viewpoint, 2 miles from the TH. The name originates from a time when "night owls" liked to use the start of the Mt Washington trail as an evening hike, ending at a natural rock bench with a view of Rattlesnake Mountain. The second part describes the ascent beyond the Owl Hike viewpoint.

Part I:

We arrived at the Homestead TH parking lot at 10 am. The parking area had been partially cleared, and there was no difficulty parking. There were wisps of clouds high above the mountains, but it was a very gusty day at all elevation levels.

Snow was present throughout the hike, starting with the spur trail from the parking lot to the Iron Horse trail. Snow at the start was a few inches deep, though the trail was bare in places. Snow became thicker throughout, with complete coverage starting before or at the Owl Hike spot. We did not require traction devices, but poles were helpful. Blowdowns during the first mile of hiking were significant, forcing us to climb under or over under many occasions.

At the Owl Hike spot, the clear day provided excellent views of Rattlesnake and its three ledges. On the return leg, from the Iron Horse Trail we could see the moon rising above West Defiance Ridge.

For the ascent to the summit, read Part II: http://www.wta.org/[…]/

A few blowdowns at the beginning of the trail but overall trail is in good condition. Trail is icy/snowy and and while I used the microspikes, snowshoes were not necessary. Very windy @ the summit.

Started up the Mt. Washington trail yesterday with Snowshoes on my pack with the intention of going onto the Great Wall Trail and up to the summit of Change Peak. At the very beginning, there are a number of blow-downs from the ice and wind we had recently, but this is largely at the very bottom of the trail. Once you get going, they're not an issue.
Even below the Owl Spot, there was enough snow on the trail that the postholing got bad enough to warrant snowshoes, although many other hikers didn't have them. I put them on and headed up. At the junction to the Great Wall trail, there were no tracks headed that way. I took a few steps in my snowshoes in that direction, and postholed all the way in. There is an icy crust on top of what appears to be powder snow that made me reconsider. I continued up the Mt. Washington trail to about 3500 feet where I acknowledged my exhaustion and turned around. As I say, there were a number of others on the trail following the bootpath up toward the top, postholing often. In short, bring snowshoes!

This is the second time I did this hike this winter,and like before, I brought snowshoes. There was a lot less snow since Novenber 26, but the snow was a lot more frozen and firm. We used our snowshoes after the ponds at 3600 feet for the traction, but microspikes would have been better because the snow was very slippery.

We reached the summit before noon, and were visited by some birds who stole some of our lunch. The views were, as always, amazing. We could see Mt. Rainer clearly, as well as the Olympics and the surrounding Cascade peaks.

On the way down, my companion slipped and fell and slid into a stump. Because of the ice, an ice-axe would have been beneficial. It started raining when we reached our car, but overall, it was an enjoyable outing.

What a great mountain, even on the 20th of December. I was looking for a hike today and happened upon the unmarked trail to Mt WA (now that I read the directions above, that will get you exactly to the right trail). I was fully prepared for a nice climb today and was getting a little to used to the usuals (Mailbox, McClellan, Bandera, Granite and Si). This was a great long climb on a very overcast and foggy (a little rain) day.

Key gear today was MICROspikes, Poles, toe heaters in my boots, and a warm Hoodie. I always carry too much to make sure I am ready for the problems that may arise for me or another party. I kept to my light leather gloves today (only one pair). This is a fun mountain, with the overcast day, I kept thinking I was topping out for that last hour...3 1/2 hours up, and almost 2 hours down.

Lots of snow in the top half and the path is a bit unclear in places. The weather today was weird, cold below, rain at the middle and cold cold with wind at the top thousand feet.

I enjoyed the day and plan to return to Mt WA again...it was a fun solo day.

Mt. Washington is as beautiful as ever, now that its upper realms are home to over a meter of snow. M. and I took the winter route up to the summit, and were fortunate enough to have dry weather and some views until we got near the top, when it started snowing.

The current conditions are: wet and slightly slippery trail for the first mile, and patches of snow for the second. From the Owl Lookout, the snow deepens, although you don't need snowshoes. There are a lot of water features in the half mile or so from the lookout to the major creek crossing. At that point, you head uphill and the snow gets pretty deep, and snowshoes would still be optional since the snow provides pretty good traction here.

Once you get to the ponds, snowshoes become almost necessary. We took the slightly steeper and shorter winter route to the west, but plenty of people were taking the summer route...the trail is very obvious the whole way (although it's been snowing). The winter route has a couple of very steep parts that aren't easy, but they're short. Eventually, you connect up with the summer route, then it's no more than half a mile to the top.

This is a fantastic hike at different times of year, and in addition to the summer and winter routes, you can go the back way around Change Peak, although that trail is probably hard to follow right now (see my trip report from earlier this year for details). Mt. Washington is peaceful since it's not as popular as other nearby hikes, but it's very accessible, being just off of I-90.

Directions: from Seattle, take exit 38 on I-90, turn right at the bottom, immediately cross over a small bridge and turn right into the parking lot. The trail head is clearly marked with two large rocks. Climb up a steep, short path to reach a road, and climb up that a short distance to connect with the John Wayne Trail. Continue west about two minutes until you see a trail heading off to the left...this is easy to miss: it's flanked by two small trees and descends a couple of steps from the trail initially.

The Mt. WA trail starts climbing immediately. After about 1.5 miles, there's a fork...follow the small sign and stay right for Mt. Washington. After about 2 (total) miles, you're at the Owl Lookout. After another half mile or so, the Change Peak trail splits off to the left...this is clearly marked. A little further on and you'll cross the big creek. After another 15 minutes or so, you enter a meadow/valley with several very wet creek crossings, then climb another 10 minutes to the ponds. Here's where you can elect to go left (east) to follow the summer route, or right to take the winter route.

Hiking at a decent pace with only a few short breaks, it took us just shy of 3 hours to go up, and just shy of 2 to descend the same way. The snow gave way to freezing rain for the last 20 or 30 minutes, but otherwise it was gorgeous.

Mount Washington is a snow playground right now with snow right at the parking lot. Four of us started out at the leisurely time of 9 something which gave plenty of time for lots of other people to punch in the trail for us.

We donned snow shoes at the Owl Lookout spot although they were not really needed for a while. No one had gone up the secondary trail towards the Great Wall from the flat area before the creek crossing. By the time we got to the next major junctions (new trail vs old scramble route) near the holding pond, we caught up to people that were not using snow shoes. They looked really tired by that point with the tell tale signs of postholing along the trail.

Last year I had gone up this trail without snow shoes while Jim had them. I was asked several times today if I was happy that I had them today - yes, I was quite happy to have them today.

At the next junction where the new trail and old scramble route re-connect, we started to run into people we knew: David and Tish, Bill and Sheryl, Linda. Many times this next section across some steep side hills can be icy and down sloping. Today, it was in the best shape I have ever seen thanks to all the folks that preceded us and punched in a very nice trail.

As we neared the summit, we were informed that the sun had been out and it had been nice and warm up there. We did have limited views down towards Chester Morse Lake and north towards I90 but the skies never really cleared for us. We tagged the top and descended a short ways for a nice but brisk lunch.

Today, the entire snow shoe route follows the trail. Sometimes, especially near the top, the snow route follows a very steep and direct route to the summit. I was happier with the trail route today.

Hoping to get in a hike and some kind of a workout today so decided on Mt Washington; trailhead was easily accessible and we would go as far as time and conditions allowed.

Arrived at the trailhead about 8:30A, we were the first car. Was raining lightly but no worries, that is what gortex is for. Note: the actual Mt Washington trail begins about 50 yds west of the dog leash sign on the Iron Horse trail.

There was a dusting of snow for about the first mile and then at about 2000' got up to about 2" deep, was very slushy and slippery, good boots and poles were adequate; however, just made for slow going. We had rain, wind, hail and snow, little of everything this day.

Unfortunately, we did have a time limit and turned around at Owl Spot at about 2 miles in. Oh well, was nice to get out!

The trail is steep and rocky the first two miles but in good shape. Those two miles are harder on the feet on the way down.
There is still a little fall color.
At about 2.5 miles powdery snow on the trail starts that quickly increases and stays at about 3" up to the summit. It was fairly easy to walk in and the footprints made it easy to follow the trail all the way up.
There are a couple of fairly easy water crossings.
We saw just four people the whole day.
I totally agree with the poster that said the upper part of this trail is better than just going to The Owl Spot. On a clear day you can see Mount Rainier from just below the summit in addition to the nice Mt Si area and beyond views from the summit.

Trail is a little hard to find. But what a great day,

Wow, what a spectacular early fall day! To take advantage of the sunny weather, I did a long ramble in the hills near North Bend, using the vast interconnecting trail system around Mount Washington.

From the official Upper Twin Falls trailhead parking area just off Exit 38 (Discover Pass required), I followed the Mt. Washington Trail all the way to the top of the mountain, where I was greeted with a great view of Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak gleaming in the clear air. The Mt. Washington trail is a wonderfully diverse route that has been described here in many trip reports, so I won't mention too many details here.

Next, I descended the east ridge of Mt. Washington on a short steep trail, then followed the various ridgetop logging roads that comprise the Great Wall route. There were good views from this road/trail also, and a surprising number of flowers such as foxglove, dandelion, and pearly everlasting brightened the roadsides.

At the 3800' junction, marked by a weather-beaten sign, I veered right and followed the decaying logging road that heads down to Change Creek. This road was carved out of a precipitous hillside and offered more spectacular vistas of the I-90 area peaks. A mile beyond, near the bottom of the valley, I located the top end of the Pond Trail (marked by a metal post), and followed that indistinct path down a steep wooded slope. Took the short side trail (signed) for a brief visit to the pond, whose water level was still low, then followed the rest of the Pond Trail to where it rejoins the Change Creek road.

I continued by following the brushy old logging road as it gently descended the Change Creek valley in broad switchbacks. Lonely and little traveled country here. About 3 miles from the Great Wall Trail junction, the old logging road came to an end at the Hall Point junction. The final mile of the Change Creek trail descended steeply to the Iron Horse Trail, its narrow tread weaving a tricky, scenic course around cliffs and through rockslides. The trail ended on the Iron Horse Trail between the Hall and Change Creek trestle bridges.

To close the 11 mile loop, I followed the Iron Horse Trail a mile back to the parking lot. All in all, a nice day in the woods, and hardly anyone was to be seen.

Maintenance needs: The Mt. Washington Trail is in good shape, free of mud and blowdown, although it is rocky and washed-out in places. Drain dips and rocky tread need repair in these sections. The newly constructed trail leading to the top of the mountain has excessive outslope in spots.

Part 2 of 3: Ascent along the Great Wall Trail

Approximately 0.5 miles from the bench viewpoint on the Mt. Washington trail, we took a left turn at the junction of the Mt. Washington and Great Wall trails. Going along the Great Wall trail, we encountered an abundance of wildflowers and critters, such as slugs, butterflies, and frogs. As we started to break out into the open along the northern side of the mountain, we were rewarded with spectacular views of Mt. Si, West Defiance Ridge, and McClellan Butte peaking through the clouds.

We then turned south, skirting Change Peak, and finally traversed the Great Wall. One word of advice: after crossing the Great Wall, the road/trail "merges" with another road that comes from the right—make a sharp turn to the right and continue. You will see “No Trespassing” signs, but continue on 0.5-1 mile until a clearing. On the opposite side of the clearing, the trail narrows and heads upwards along the ridge of the true summit. This trail was slightly overgrown but passable. Just below the summit we rejoined the main trail and summitted into the clouds. Sadly, the cloud level had climbed during our hike and we could not take in the views of Rainier and Si that can be had from the summit. You know you are at the summit by the presence of a short weather tower.

Continue to part 3: http://www.wta.org/[…]/trip_report.2011-08-31.1908242154

Part 3 of 3: Descent along the Mount Washington Trail

We gave the clouds some time, but they did not disperse. We descended along the 4-mile standard route, which was in good shape. Our last visit, on May 28, was a slosh through deep snows from the Great Wall/Mt WA trail junction up to the summit (and back down). Many wildflowers, such as tiger lilies and foxglove, were still in bloom. We completed the downward leg in about one hour and 45 minutes. Since it is somewhat steep, poles really help to reduce the wear-and-tear on the knees. Other treats along the way included maidenhair fern, a view of Rattlesnake from the bench viewpoint, and more slugs. We reached the car after a total time of 7 hours on the mountain.

I will divide this into 3 reports: ascent to the bench viewpoint; ascent along the Great Wall trail; and descent along the standard Mt. Washington trail.

Part 1 of 3: To the Bench Viewpoint

We started from the parking lot at 11 am; there were 4 other cars in the parking lot. During our hike, we encountered only two other hikers during our entire time on the mountain, though we utilized the slightly less utilized Great Wall trail for our ascent.

We parked at the Homestead Valley Trailhead in Ollalie Park just after exit 38 from I-90. We ascended the short trail from the parking lot, encountering some magnificent slugs along the way, and then we reached the John Wayne Trail and traveled west a short distance until the Iron Horse State Park/John Wayne Pioneer Trail sign, then turned left 100-200 feet after the sign at an unmarked trailhead between two birch trees.

The trail is an old logging road, rocky at the start, but in good condition. The grade is steep, with about 1600 feet gained over the first two miles. We reached a natural bench along a rock wall, where there is a viewpoint towards Rattlesnake Mountain. This is where the description for the “Mount Washington” trail on the WTA website ends.


Continue to part 2: http://www.wta.org/[…]/trip_report.2011-08-31.5393550547

It's a bit of a workout, but Mt. Washington's trail is well engineered and the summit has wonderful views. The trail is completely clear and dry, the bugs aren't bad, and there are still salmon berries ripening in several places due to the late summer. There are even patches of miners lettuce up near the summit.

The trailhead is off I-90 at exit 38. A right turn from the off ramp and then another quick right turn arrives in an ample parking lot with clean outhouse. The trail starts right up at a brisk gain to the John Wayne road-trail. Go west along the road, past the junction to a sign about keeping dogs on a leash. There is a reflector on the post that beams back to a spy camera attached to a tree. This is probably a simple counter but maybe it is the NSA? Anyway just 10 yards beyond this sign is an unmarked trail off to the left. This is the Mt. Washington trail.

The trail climbs briskly up a stony tread through several switchbacks. Pass a dry waterfall and a cave used by climbers to a junction. Here is the first directional sign. A blocked trail to the left follows the contour. My friend and I explored it for a mile on a previous occasion. It's easy but boring. The sign says to go right which continues at a more level pace and friendlier dirt tread to a nice lookout. Beyond that is the next junction. Left bushwhacks through the underbrush to a nice road which climbs around an adjacent mountain and eventually arrives at The Great Wall. This is an impressive ridge connected this mountain to Mt. Washington, 40' wide and 200 yds long. It's a valid route to the Mt. Washington summit even if it adds a mile or two to the journey.

A right turn at the junction charges into the brush, across a stream and up a very stony trail. This switchbacks to the stream and through a heavily overgrown section. Once past this, the trail improves remarkably. It gains up to a washed out road, sharp left through another switchback, through a horse barrier and on to the newer trail. This section climbs aggressively through rock piles and trees but is very well engineered. It finally emerges at the summit where a small floral display competes with a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier. The summit itself has a nice rock to sit upon, a weather station, and an interesting little flat place in a cluster of trees that somebody might use to pitch a tent.

There is still ample water along the route up to the newer trail. Gain is 3000' in 4.5 miles. I did it in 2 hours, 15 minutes and had the trail all to myself - and three frogs. Sighting frogs on a mountain trail is great good luck.

A couple buddies and I decided to make the trek up Mt. Washington on sunny Sunday afternoon. As indicated in previous posts, the trail is not 4 miles. It is more like 4 miles one way--my GPS recorded the route at just under 9 miles roundtrip. The trail remains in the trees for nearly the whole climb and it tends to be rocky for much of the way. You pass through some grassy valleys, but those areas are brief. I would suggest hiking in boots with toe protection, but it can be done in mid-hikers, or even sneakers if that is your only option. It was pretty quiet the whole way and we saw less than ten people throughout the day. The trail is mainly dry with a few patches of mud to circumvent and opens up a bit near the top. There's a good viewpoint of the river and valley when you breakaway from the trees, but it lasts for only a few hundred feet before you pass more trees to the summit. It took 2 hours and 30 minutes for us to reach the top. The views from here leave you wanting more. To the east is North Bend and the west McClellan Butte. Be sure to bring bug spray as the mosquitos are swarming at the summit. We jogged for roughly two miles on the way down and made it in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Nice to cross off the list, but there are many other hikes in the area that I would prefer to this one. If you're looking for a really quiet climb with good distance and elevation gain, this is for you.

Decided to finally cross this one off my list- been staring at me for long enough! Trail has no signs of snow (yay!). That was my biggest concern as I had attempted it a few months ago and turned back because of it. A machete would have been nice as it is getting overgrown after owl hike. Flowers and baby toads were quite abundant. Mosquitoes were out but not as bad as they could have been- didn't seem like they minded my bug spray at all. Had the mountain to ourselves the entire trip up- chatted with a nice couple once they met up with us at the top- overall a very fun hike!

Awesome hike.

Trail was in amazing shape. No complaints it was great.

Also, not another soul on the mountain (granted I started at 5 pm on a Wednesday).

Parked in the climbers lot on the side of the road to avoid needing a pass. Walked about a mile west on the John Wayne trail and then got on the Mt Washington trail from there. Trail is pretty tricky to find, luckily I had gpx route of the trail (downloaded from hikingwithmybrother.com) so I knew right where it crosses the John Wayne.

You will probably want to bring some bug spray. I did not have any, but bugs were a little bothersome when passing a pond and at the top, but overall they were not too bad.

According to my phone, about 3112 ft. elevation gain (highest point 4325 ft) in 4.4 miles. Take out the mile I walked from my car and I would say the trail is about 3.4 one way, so almost 7 round trip. I think this page describes a hike just to Owl Spot, which is a great stopping point but the trail continues right along to the top of the mountain. Took me about 1:40 to summit and about 1:20 back down the the John Wayne trail.

While there was no one on the mountain, I did come across one person while walking to the trail and one on my return. First one was a biker (lots of these people on weekends) and the other person was driving a van! I lol'd

Great weather, great trail, great hike.

Edit: Didn't even notice Rainier till after looking through my pictures! It blended in with the clouds too much :(. You can see it in my last photo on here.

Trail is 100% snow free and in great shape the whole way. Entrance off of Iron Horse surprisingly hard to find. At the clogged up pond, take a sharp left. Mosquitos are out in force at the summit. See trip report and photos here http://peakery.com/Mount-Washington-12/

1) Discovery pass needed, or pay $10 day pass
2) This trail is hidden! but if you climb up the one and only steep trail that pushes you onto a gravel road and make a right, follow that until you pass a trail head on the left (it has a bunch of other trails but not mt. Washington) and you'll find a little hidden trail to the left. it's sort of covered with shrubs but it's the first opening you'll see, take it!
3) After about 1.5 you'll see your first trail marker on a tree pointing right!
4) Steeper than expected and winds around so much you won't know where you're going but use your best judgement and once you get to the clearing where there are boulders to rest on you're almost there!
5) I spy climbers =)

*2 patches of snow, lots of big slugs for company, fog, there was no one on this trail

At the recommendation of a work colleague I did a quick jaunt up Mt. Washington this afternoon. A first timer to this trailhead, I easily found my way up the mountain with a trail map I found at switchbacks.com. The hardest part is finding the initial turn off of the John Wayne trail.

Trail is free of snow and only a few very small wet areas. No blowdowns to speak off. After turning off of the John Wayne I immediately saw two other solo hikers and then not another the rest of the way. Returned to a completely empty parking lot...i'm guessing thick clouds on a Tuesday afternoon keeps the crowds away. In fact, it was so quiet and still at the opening about 2/3 of the way up that it was almost creepy. Some wildflowers in bloom.

Does anyone know the actual distance (took the short trail not the Great Wall)? Judging by my clock i'd guess around 4 miles each way.

Quite the bang for your bucks. The trail climbs steadily through lush forest with many wild flowers blooming: twin flower, salmon berry, thimble berry, blue bells, trillium, bistort, vanilla leaf and bear grass. No snow on the trail, just a bit here and there next to the trail. Some mosquitoes. The views from the top are panoromic: Mt. Ranier, Puget Sound, the Olympics. Along the way there are views to the north, and the top of ?Glacier Peak.
Two things to know: The trail is hard to find. After leaving the parking lot at Ollalie State Park, you climb steeply to the Iron Horse Trail, turn right (west) and walk a quarter mile. Ignore the left which is signed to Snoq Pass and keep heading west, looking for a very small trail unmarked to the left. Someone has put a very small cairn there. That is the trail to Mt Washington. The trail is much longer than 2.5 miles listed on the wta website. It is probably 4.5 miles to the top. It took our party of 5 fit gray-hairs 3 hrs up and 2+ hrs down including plenty of stops for water and picture taking. Very enjoyable!

A very nice hike that is a good workout, too. Only one patch of snow on the trail that was very passable. If you don't have your Discover Pass, be prepared to pay the $10 day-use fee at the parking lot. The trailhead is a little hard to find, but I've included a picture of me standing at it as it goes north off of the Iron Horse trail, about 1/4 mile east from where the trail up from the Olallie lot is. We stayed on the Mt. Wa trail and did not go around the Great Wall loop. There were great views from the top, and a nice rock "table" to have a bite to eat and a rest before the descent.

We hiked up to the summit of Mt. Washington on the Great Wall trail and then returned down the main Mt. Washington trail. The trail was in good shape and easy to follow, and we didn't see any other hikers during the entire Great Wall portion (we saw some other folks once we hit the final climb and on the way down). Our path was the same as outlined in Christopher's excellent trip report from 5/29 (http://www.wta.org/[…]/trip_report.2011-05-29.1922843809)

The Great Wall trail is a bit longer and less steep, and a good stretch of the trail is on a wide and mostly flat logging road (note: this part is pretty open, so use sunscreen). There were some great views during this stretch, including stunning views of Rainier from the top of Mt. Washington.

On the way up, we ran into a bit of snow on the trail right around the big switchback before heading toward the summit (point #5 on Christopher's map linked above). It was probably less than 100 yards of snow total that was all very manageable.

The trip down on the main trail had a few snowy and slippery spots, but the vast majority of the trail was free and clear.

Overall, a great hike on a beautiful 4th of July!

Monday the 4th was a beautiful day to hike in the Cascades!!! I chose Mount Washington as it would provide a good combo of elevation gain, length and scenery for a conditioning hike. With my hiking buddies bailing I headed out on my own. The parking lot only had 3 cars besides mine and one needs to have a Discover Pass or run the risk of incurring a $99 ticket (there was a ranger checking a full lot of cars when I got back from my hike).

Hit the trail at 8:05am – temperature was still cool but warming up fast. The trail starts steep and is a short hike before it intersects with the Iron Horse Trail and a sign about Olallie State Park/Twin Falls. Turn right and follow the Iron Horse rail-trail west a few hundred yards before turning left (south) onto an unmarked trailhead. There was a white road marker on the left hand side of the Iron Horse Trail which was marked with letters/numbers which is about 20 yards from the trailhead. There is also a trail camera slightly after that road marker but that is a bit harder to find.

The climb from the trailhead can be defined as up, up, up and up. There are large rock cliffs which hug the trail which are interesting to observe. Their exfoliation of material (pebble to VW-bug size) has provided trail crews with more than ample material to mark and repair/maintain the trail. The walking surface ranges from rocky to very, very rocky all the way to the Owl Spot which is about 1.7 miles from the parking lot. I stopped here to catch my breath, take in the view and snap a few photos. The trail is starting to get just a bit overgrown and the lack of any breeze makes for humid/hot hiking (well at least for me).

From the Owl Spot, the trail mellows out just a bit wrt elevation gain, becomes softer to hike on and starts to open up – there is still ample tree cover from the sun. Follow this until the trail T’s at a pond/swamp which is about 2.8 miles (N47 25.610 W121 41.468) from the parking lot. I decided to turn left as that section of the trail has recently had a significant amount of trail maintenance – turning right leads one to a much steeper climb which still has snow and is very slippery as attested to by a few hikers who aborted that route earlier in the day and followed me.

From the ‘T’ the trail climbs slightly before encountering a wooden gate which keeps motor vehicles/horses out. The trail starts its next steep climb which remains pretty much constant to the top. The numerous switchbacks, while grueling, provide one with nice vista views of the valley and surrounding mountains. There is little sun cover on the switchbacks so remember to bring a hat or sunscreen – both of which I forgot (ugh!). There are a few snow patches but nothing that presents any navigation issues – it should all be gone in the next week or so per my estimation.

After climbing your last switch back, one arrives at what I call the ‘Ahhhh-point’ – a very small ridge-like area which provides an incredible vista view and a much needed breeze. This part of the trail lasts for a short while and one is placed back into heavy tree cover and a particularly nasty, steep climb up to the next trail intersection point which crosses what I believe is an old logging road. Cross the road and head for the rock carin (about 3.6 miles - N47 25.655 W121 41.741) and you will be able to pick up the trail which will bring you to the top which remains steep (imagine that!) until reaching the weather station. The view from the weather station is becoming obstructed by the growing pine trees. That said the view of little/big Si and all the other mountains is spectacular – the weather was clear enough that one could see the top of Baker. On the return trip, one is presented with a fantastic view of Rainer and the surrounding ranges.

After a short lunch and dumping 20#s of water, I started the hike down stopping frequently to take photos of wild flowers and views. Encountered lots of folks headed up. All-in-all a great hike and very glad to have revisited this area since my 19-Mar snowshoe hike.

Happy Trails!!!

The trail is in good shape and easy to follow. The snow starts about 3 miles up, just before the basin. There are clear patches and difficult patches. It became deeper as we went up. It was slushy and I did a lot of post holing. It was challenging for this fat fifty year old. IT was so worth it! The views at the top are amazing! We saw just 8 other people the whole nine hour we were on the trail.

J., B.A., J. and I endeavored Mt. Washington today, trying out the Great Wall approach to the summit. This was a bit enterprising since we had little information on the hike, and there was a lot of snow and limited visibility (sun was forecast, but it was completely foggy/cloudy in the entire time...visibility was often 100 yards or less). We ran into a few confusing parts on the trail (see below), but took educated guesses and ended up getting there and back just fine.

The hike looks like it's just shy of 12 miles total when you take the Great Wall trail up, and the main trail down. Net elevation gain is about 3,100'. The snow made for somewhat slow going in parts of the ascent, so the hike took about seven hours, including about an hour total for breaks. Snowshoes were useful for over half of the hike, but not necessary, since the snow is deep, but pretty solid. You sink in a bit, though, so gaiters are useful, and YaxTrax are nice to have if you're not snowshoeing it. The snow is rapidly disappearing, but it will clearly be several weeks before it's gone up high.

The attached map indicates the location of a few tricky parts and points of interest:

(1) This is where we split off of the main Mt. WA trail to take the Great Wall trail (well marked by a small sign at eye level). From this point, we followed the loop clockwise up to the summit and then down, returning to this point on the main trail and then back to the car. The snow started about 10 minutes up this trail, rapidly becoming several feet deep.

(2) Somewhere around here, the trail became a bit difficult to follow...the most confusing thing we ran into. It looked like we could have continued forward, but the only clear footprints headed right and up the slope, and there was a ribbon tied to a tree that direction, so we followed it. The trail was only easy to follow because of the prints ahead of us, and this lasted for 1/4 mile or a little more, approximately indicated on the map by the blue dots. At least we think this is where we walked. We ended up on a road, and more or less figured out where we were, and continued to the NE and on the main trail. The gray road at the south end of the blue dots seamless continued into a valley...we didn't see it fork like the map seems to indicate. This whole part will be a lot easier when the snow melts.

(3) After finding ourselves in an impressively large valley, we spotted the trail above and east of us, and headed up to (3). This confirmed our location, as the intersection of the trail road there is unmistakable. There's a sign pointing down and left to Change Creek, and up and right to Mt. WA, so we headed right (the photo here is of that fork...this is representative of the snowy ridge portion of the hike). The snow got deeper. The walk along the ridge is partly flat and partly some gentle uphills, but walking on the sloped snow was a bit tiring. The views would obviously have been amazing if we hadn't been socked in.

(4) Somewhere around here, there was a road or path heading back and to the right, and we wondered if we were already at the major switchback (5). We decided that we weren't, and continued. Maybe this spot will make more sense in the summertime, since nothing on our map suggested a path like that.

(5) You know you're at the big switchback after you've made a pretty steep (100'?) ascent curving to the left. The switchback is obvious, and then you walk along a ridge for some time toward the summit. The snow is deep, but very stable and easy to walk on.

(6) Here, the road ends in a clearing, presumably a truck turnaround. It looks like there may be snow-buried roads or paths ahead of you to the left and right, but the trail is narrow and steep and immediately in front of you. There's no snow on the initial steep portion, but then it gets a few feet deep by the top. This last part of the trail is steep, but only lasts ten minutes, and then you're there. On the way to the top, you'll see the main trail descending to your right.

(7) The summit would have amazing views on a clear day, but it was still nice to be there. There's a small weather station, and an impressive drop to the north. We followed footprints on a steep path from the summit that cut off a few hundred yards of the initial descent, and it connected up with the main trail shortly. Again, the snow was deep but stable here, and the journey down was easy to follow and it warmed up quickly, which was appreciated by all of us with wet feet.

Overall, the hike was a fair amount of work, and despite the lack of views and occasional confusion en route, it was very satisfying to have a little snow adventure, and we definitely feel like we earned the beer we enjoyed at the Issaquah Brewhouse on the way home. The Great Wall section of the hike is really neat since there are large drop-offs on both sides...we'll be back this summer for sure to check it out.

My third trip to Mount Washington. The previous two were called off before summitting because of time constraints. It was a cloudy day at the outset, but the trail was in good condition in the lower reaches. At the bench viewpoint (2 miles in), Rattlesnake was completely obscured by clouds.

We encountered snow at about 3000 feet elevation, shortly after the junction with the Great Wall trail. We stayed on the main trail. We encountered several hikers who had turned back due to snow on the upper reaches. The snow became thicker after reaching the pond, and snow was halfway up the height of the horse restriction gate. We were able to follow good footprints however. There were occasional spots where the snow gave way. It was anywhere from 2 to 10 feet thick, by our estimation.

As we got closer to the northern shoulder of the mountain, there were fewer footprints and less evidence of trail, so we were essentially following the tracks of two more intrepid hikers who had gone in front of us. I would not be denied my summit, so we trudged onward, despite having treetops at waist-level. Our only equipment consisted of boots and poles (perhaps somewhat foolhardy). We eventually reached the summit, which was shrouded in clouds. There were steep sections which required nearly vertical climbing through the snow.

The summit was enshrouded in clouds, though on the way down there was a brief opening that hinted at the 3000-foot drop-off down to I-90. The vertical sections gave the opportunity for a couple short glissades. Going down, we were treated to a couple Pacific banana slugs (Ariolimax columbianus)--a reminder that the Mt Wa hike is a great hike for slugs. Also, as we reached the bench viewpoint, the clouds had lifted a little, permitting a view of Rattlesnake bathed in rays of light. At the end of the day, our feet were soaked and our legs were sore, but Mt Wa had not defeated me that day.

J. and I strolled up to what we've heard called "Pinnacle Rocks" on Mt. Washington on a cool, gray, dry Sunday...perfect weather for hiking. The trail is very well maintained. Wildflowers are just starting to come out, and the numerous small waterfalls at least pretend to cover up the I-90 noise you can hear on much of this hike.

Our route was taking the Mt. Washington trail past the lookout (at about two miles), then up to the ponds (forgoing the Great Wall trail a bit past the lookout), then heading northwest to the rocks, a fine place for lunch. The trail was easy to follow, and the round trip was probably about eight miles.

The trail is relatively dry and free of snow until the Great Wall Trail forks off to the left, perhaps just over two miles up. At that point, the trail is entirely snow covered, becoming a few feet deep pretty quickly. The snow is heavy, wet, and soft, sometimes with running water underneath, so you have to watch your footing. Although we did the upper portion of this hike with Yaktrax, snowshoes would have helped prevent us from sinking through in places, though they're not necessary. Gators and spare dry socks are your friends.

We're looking forward to coming back soon and hiking the Great Wall and the Mt. Washington Summit!

There was only occasional snow on the trail before Owl Spot. Not to far past this, the trail became snow covered for the duration of the ascent. There was occasional post holing mostly to around knee level, so gaiters were a huge plus. We did not use traction devices or bring ice axes, and had no trouble reaching the summit. The route was fairly steep in a few sections and we needed to kick in steps for some of these. Great views today at the top.

I like this as an early season hike (I guess it's not technically early anymore) because it's a good conditioning hike (9 miles + 3500' more or less), and the snow generally doesn't present too many problems in getting to a real summit. Having said that, there was an ridiculous amount of snow up there today, more than I've ever seen on this hike. It was over the top of the access fence to the left of the pond, and let's just say 'several' feet on the summit.

I was able to make it today without the use of traction devices, snowshoes or poles. I believe there were parts of the final hill climb that I would not have been able to make it up without crampons if the snow were solidly frozen.

Snow starts about a quarter mile before the Owl viewpoint and is solid from there to the top. There is a 12" wide packed trail all the way to the back of the basin pond where, so long as you don't step off that narrow track, you won't post hole (much). A couple inches to either side will have you punching into the abyss. Gaiters were a good thing to have up to that point, and required beyond for the final ascent.

Once you've rounded the pond and start up the last big hill, things start to get a little dicey. Whoever plotted the snow route was a bit of a sadist, turning straight up the hill and continuing that way pretty much to the top, weaving through the steep forest and deep snow, eschewing the gentle switchbacks of the regular trail. Since the other trail is nowhere to be seen, you really don't have many choices right now except to claw your way up. If it had not been warm and the snow soft, this section would be brutally icy and very treacherous without crampons.

Today, the only absolute essentials were sunblock, sunglasses, gaiters, and gloves, which were a Godsend for clawing my way up that final hill. I only saw a few old tracks heading up the Great Wall turn off, so snowshoes are probably required if you want to go that way.

All in all a beautiful day and not too hard considering how much snow there still is. Just stay on the track and you're good.

I had wanted to do this hike for some time, so despite the weather forecast, I went for it. The lower part of the trail was in good shape. The snow started at about 2400 ft. The trail was obvious to follow and compacted enough that postholing was not a problem.

Higher up the trail does not follow the summer route. The trail is still easy to follow and continues at a reasonable grade until it runs into a stand of young trees. At this point who ever was breaking trail appeared to have gotten fed up and turned straight up hill. The last several hundred vertical feet go straight up. Here the trail is less compact, so you have to watch where you step if you don't want to posthole.

At the top there was a weather station, and a 360 degree view of the inside of a cloud. I need to come back on a nicer day.

The trail is fairly easy to see all the way up. This may change if we get a lot of snow. Since it was a fairly chilly morning, snowshoes were not needed. I would have liked to have my micro spikes in places, but they were not required.

After driving almost up to Snoqualmie Pass; we turned back deciding on Mt Washington. Since I had not been out recently, I was hoping for something a little less rigorous and I was pretty fried at the end of the day. The weather was a mix of rain, snow, sun, and all combinations in between. There was snow and slush on the trail after a few hundred feet of gain and gaitors were important from the Owl Spot onward. We donned snowshoes a short ways past the "Pond". Only one person made it to the summit without snowshoes - he was young and Germanic - our group was neither of those. A track was punched in on the trail until the last 250 vertical feet. From here the route was a "diretissima" approach - straight up. Our choices were break trail on a steep side sloping hillside or follow the previous tracks straight up. Did I mention that it was straight up? The rest step became my new BFF. There were also comments about how steep this was going to be coming down. We went straight up.


The clouds broke periodically for nearby views and the wind was calmer than ususal at the summit which made for a nice lunch. Fortunately, the trip down was uneventful except for my screaming quads.

What an incredible day for ‘UP’. Washington State and especially the Puget Sound are imho, one of the best places to be a day hiker or backpacker. We certainly live in a special place.

Today, I had the great fortune to hike Mount Washington with a friend. Now in full disclosure, let me inform all that we did not make it to the summit. The 3 to 5+ feet of fresh powder that dropped the night before sort of messed us up with our climb. That said, we still had a great time.

We were the first hikers on the trail and started out at 8:30. Considering the large snow fall the days before and wisely strapped our snowshoes to our daypacks. As guide books and previous trail reports log, the climb starts immediately and does not really stop. After a short climb you intersect the Iron Horse trail and turn right onto it. After approximately ¼ mile, you pick up the trial head on the left – for now, look for the small sinkhole in the road that had several branches sticking out of it with an orange marker. Oh, while walking on the Iron Horse Trail look for the trail camera posted on a tree on the left – it is easier to find the camera on the hike back.

Like the lower trail to the Iron Horse, the snow was slushy but as we approached the Owl Spot, the snow quickly deepens and as we started to posthole past our ankles we put on our snowshoes – this was just prior to the Owl Spot. The view from the Owl Spot was incredible, sun out, snow glistening and small clouds floating by. While many hikes do not have much to view along the trail, Mount Washington is the exception – large rock formations, water falls, cliffs and spectacular valley and mountain views have placed this hike on my ‘must return to’ list. This hike must be equally scenic when the snow melts.

The climb is steep for most of the way with the exception of a one area where you cross over from one mountain side to another. Here the fresh snow drop was almost 3 feet and very light/fluffy – we commented that this is what it must be like to be in a snow globe after it settles down. It was here that we found the beginnings of snow donuts (see photo) – I’ve read about these in the paper and it was a thrill to see them in their young stages of development.

While the virgin snow view was incredible, the amount that had fallen had pretty much eliminated out ability to follow the actual trail and we had many opportunities to ask each other ‘where does the GPS have us now’ and ‘I think that looks like a trail…sort of’ and my favorite ‘ I’m getting the map out’. There are several small streams to cross and having to remove and the replace our snowshoes slow one down a bit.

At the 3000 foot level, the fresh snow pack was about 4 – 5 feet and the travel was slowing down. We had to abandon part of the ‘trail’ as the snow was exceptional deep and with steep walls which were fairly unstable. No worry of avalanche but if one were to fall, they would be buried up to and most likely over their head – definitely not a happy time/place and we will be bringing a snow shovel next time. We picked out a path which appears to be an alternative summer trail to the summit which walks along one of the lower ridges. We followed a path which had trees which had their lower limbs cut and occasionally found some orange markers

For those who come after us, do *NOT* follow the tracks we made to the WNW past coordinates N47 25.618 W121 41.462 as the climb is crazy steep in the deep snow. It had just turned noon, we were still 800 feet from the summit and the snow was still amazingly getting deeper and harder to hike through. We wisely avoided summit fever and turned around at the 4000 foot level coordinates N47 25.747 W121 41.701. We climbed down and had lunch overlooking a beautiful snow covered valley. Encountered a couple hiking up to the Owl Spot and had brief and enjoyable conversation about GPS’. We smiled for the trail camera and made it back to the truck at 2:43PM.

Happy Trails!!!

J.F. and I hiked about 4/5 of the way to the summit of Mt. Washington today. The first mile is very slushy snow, and some walking in exposed, wet stream bed. The second mile, ending at the Owl Lookout ledge, starts to get snowier, and we donned snowshoes at about mile 1.5.

The snow then got progressively deeper, and there were a few creek crossings to attend to, and by mile 3, the snow was deep enough that it would be been very difficult to proceed without snowshoes.

At the ponds, we went right (the winter route) and ended up near Pinnacle Rocks before turning back in the interest of getting back early.

It was slow on the way up since the snow was deep and heavy, and we were breaking trail. The way down was fast, walking in the tracks we had made.

This hike was wet all around, so waterproof boots, snow pants, gaiters, etc. are highly recommended right now.

Quite gorgeous, though...love this hike.

A trip that was harder than expected:

Read about it here:

http://alpinelakesaficionad[…]t-washington-4420-400p.html

This is my first trip report here. I appreciate this site and hope to contribute more in the future.
It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny day, and a perfect day to go for my first summit of Mt. Washington. I got off I90 eastbound at exit 38, turned right, and took the first right. This lead to the parking lot. I parked by the donation box at 11:40am. There was only two other cars in the lot. I headed straight up the trail by the donation box, turned right on the road, kept going past the fork that was marked for far-away places, and started looking for the unmarked Mount Washington trailhead on the left. It was the first break in the forest I came to.
Above 2000 ft., there was light dusting of snow covering the trail with occasional ice patches. By the time I reached the Owl Hike Spot at 2800 ft., it would have been appropriate to strap on the micro-spikes. I waited until about 3200 ft. to do so, however. On the way down, I left them on until the snow was gone.
There was increasing snow on the trail all the way to the top, but there was a great boot path all the way to the top, and I didn’t encounter a single blow-down. It looked like the snow was relatively new. It was dry, fluffy, sparkly, very easy to follow. When I encountered the frozen lake at 3400 ft., I almost accidentally took the old trail which looks like a shortcut. I caught myself very quickly, made the sharp left and continued up the route described by HikingWithMyBrother.com. Their gpx file matched the packed boot path I followed the whole way.
I encountered two groups going down, and was passed by one group about 800 ft. below the top. They were kind enough to wait for me and take my picture at 4400 ft. before they headed down. I enjoyed about 30 minutes at the snowy summit, thankful there was no wind, enjoying the clear skies to the north and east. There was an increasing haze to the south, so I didn’t get a full look at Mt. Rainier, but I’ve seen it before!
On the way down, I went about 50 ft. down toward the Change Peak/Great Wall trail, but caught myself and turned around. I should note that the only post-holing I did was on that short diversion. I never fell through the packed snow once on the main trail. I must say, I was very thankful for my poles and micro-spikes, however. One thing I learned: Micro-spikes are not immune from slipping on shiny ice!
I made it back to my car at 5pm, so thankful for days like this. I was the last one out of the parking lot.
My GPX track is uploaded to http://connect.garmin.com/activity/69380068
It includes both of the above-mentioned immediately-corrected wrong turns.

Beautiful day for a trip to the mountains. Went up Mount Washington again but the trees have grown much taller since last there in 1993. Trail easy to follow and bare until around 3000' then snow patches. Be careful crossing the stream at 2968' as the rocks are very icy; recommend poles for this crossing. After about 3300' the trail is continuous hard snow with previous tracks easy to follow all the way to the summit. Views were good, although somewhat hazy, from the top but many hanging icicles enroute made for some interesting photos. Traction devices might help approaching the top.
http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

Started hike at noon, reached summit at 2:15, stayed at top until three and got back down at 5:00. Parked at Ollalie State Park Trailhead and went on Iron Horse Trail until I got to unmarked mt Washington trailhead, which was marked with a teepee of sticks (someone just put it there). Trail is relatively bare but there are some pretty treacherous ice slicks that are going right through the trail, caused by water coming down off the rocks. There is a point at which there is a stream that I'm sure normally wouldn't be that bad but it was pretty hard to traverse during the winter, any rock that wasn't submerged in water was covered with ice. I'd highly recommend trekking poles. After this point there is snow till the top, about the last 1/3 of the hike is on snow, no problem for grippy boots but make sure you keep your feet warm, gets cold at the top. Views are spectacular and relatively secluded, even for an incredibly beautiful winter day. Be safe, have fun :)

Started where Twin Falls State Park meets the Iron Horse Trail at about 10:30 AM and walked west along the IHT until I came to Weeks Creek and turned off the trail between Mt. Washington and Cedar Butte. Followed some pretty steep game trails off and on until I found the game trail that runs up the ridge towards the top. The trail has a lot of debris on it and it is quite steep. At about 2600 the so-called trail comes to what's left of an old logging road that comes around the ridge from the back of the mountain. I continued to follow the same ridge beyond the road but from then on the game trails were few and far between. At around 3200 the going got way too tough and I decided to take a less direct rout and started around the south side until I came across a pretty impressive stream bed which I followed up to around 3400 and came to a road at around 3600. I followed the road west till I found a switchback that brought me back to the front where I stopped for a while because there was an awesome view. From that road to the highest road was an all out scramble that was made harder because now there was also snow to deal with. I'd say this was the most physically demanding part of my entire trip. I finally got to the top road which was at 4000 feet. Followed that road up to around 4200 feet where I was just below the peak and had another scramble to the very tip about 200 ft. Apparently there is a trail that I could have taken if I had followed the road to where it comes to a "Y" but I didn't know that. By this time it was about 3:30 PM, and I knew that I didn't want to go back down the way I came, because I wasn't sure how possible that would be from where I was. I decided to go down the regular way which is 6 miles or so, so I decided to head down immediately to take advantage of as much light as possible. I followed the Change Peak trail down and it got dark around the time I got to the pond that feeds Change Creek. I'll have to look more carefully next time I do this one because I'm pretty sure that if I had found it, the "Pond Trail" is a quicker and more direct rout to take, but I didn't see the sign until I got to where the bottom of it meets up with the road. Stayed on the road until at long last I found the sign pointing me to the IHT. The last (or first if you go the way you're supposed to) leg of the trail is a mile long 1200ft elevation difference that I personally find to be my least favorite part of the hike, mostly because it's steep, very rocky and you have to listen to I-90 the whole way. I landed (so to speak) on the Iron Horse Trail at around 7:30. By this time I was completely drenched (should have mentioned that it had rained a lot the night before and I was trudging through a lot of brush) frozen stiff, and pretty much exhausted and sore and loving every minute of the pain and adrenaline. It was about a mile heading west on the IHT to where I managed to convince my brother to pick me up at the parking area just off exit 38.

Over all, it was a great hike. I would have liked to have had snowshoes for some of it, I should have gone back down the way I came, and I suppose spring or summer would have been a litte better timing.

Today Mt.Washington and trail was all mine.No one seen on the trail.
I started from Olallie State park.I90 exit#34.Two miles to Iron Horse trail . Then up pass Hikers Owl,then up to Summit.7 miles total one way.Time was 4h and 20 minutes.
See photos and my GPS.
Trail itself was wet,Raining day.first 1/4 was easy,then 2/4 hard and steep,trail using old creek.From3/4 was snow on the trail,but not hard,because was "worm" and snow was soft. 4/4 final hike to the summit was all on snow and wind on exposed ridge.
Going back was needed 2 h and 30 min.

Decided to skip engineering homework and take the girlfriend for a trip. Started around noon with a cloudy day but no rain and ended with high wind gusts and pouring rain. Camped just below Mt. Washington's summit, any tent other than a mountaineering tent would have been destroyed just from the wind, would have helped to dig a wind break in the snow. The trail was easy to follow but the rain is has melted most of the snow pack, and if this weather keeps up dont worry about packing snow shoes as it will be nothing but gravel. It was a fun trip and will do it again!

Thanks all.

Went to the Mt. Washington Trail to see what the Sunday deluge did to it. The good news is that all of the lowland snow has been washed away from the parking lot, as well as from at least the first mile of the trail. However, runoff from the heavy rain has damaged portions of the trail up to what I call "Sallal Point Creek", the unnamed creek that tumbles down from East Mt. Washington. The Mt. Wa. trail is still perfectly hikeable, just rockier where the runoff eroded the trail's tread.

Sallal Point Creek was running so high that it actually looked a bit hard to cross. At this point I turned around, and did some quick drainage work to dry up the trail.

Trailhead: If you don't have four-wheel drive, due to the abundance of snow you'll probably have difficulty getting into the parking lot. Many parked on the street before the turn into the parking lot. We parked in the parking lot.

Weather: A few snow flurries early in the day; later, overcast improving to broken clouds; limited visibility.

Avalanche condition: the snow seemed very stable.

Trail conditions: the trail was sufficiently compacted that two of us made it to the summit without snowshoes - though we carried them. Away from the trail though one sunk to mid-thigh or more. The trail was not icy.

Companions: Matt, Mike, & Amy.

Times: about 3 hrs to summit; about 5.75 hrs from car to car.

We went on the 4 miles hike described. Trail was in good condition. The rocks made it a tougher on the feet -- so wear some good shoes. It is extremely easy to miss the start, off the Iron Horse Trail. See the photo posted by Winter Coyote to recognize the start. We saw only 1 set of hikers making it up, while we were coming down.

Wow! Just when we were all thinking in September that we were in for an early, cold, and dreary winter, Mother Nature keeps giving us one nice October day after another. Taking advantage of the sunny weather, I did a moderately strenuous, eight mile loop hike in the Mt. Washington area. I started the hike at the Deception Crags climbers' parking area near Change Creek on old U.S. 10. From there, I hiked up the short but pretty path that starts by the bridge and connects to the Iron Horse Trail. Nice views of the tumbling noisy creek, huge mossy boulders in the forest, and the soaring trestle bridge built by the Milwaukie Road railway to span Change Creek's gorge.

At the IHT, I turned left, crossed the big bridge, and hiked about two hundred yards to the start of the Change Creek trail (to locate the trail, look for a sign just past the big cliff). Followed that steeply climbing path (gains 1200' in a mile) to the Hall Point junction. This trail offered a number of nice vista spots, views of rock cliffs and knobs, and a bit of fall color in the vine maples.

From the junction, I continued straight ahead on the former logging road, now a little used trail, that gradually climbs the valley of Change Creek. Other than one spot hit with a rockslide, the old road is in good shape and easy to hike. However, it's a little brushy in spots -- bring some clippers and help keep it clear. After several long switchbacks, the old road/trail arrived at a ford of Change Creek and the start of the Pond Trail. I followed the Pond Trail through a deep, dark second growth forest to the shore of the pond, a fine sunny place to relax and have a bit of lunch. I had come about 4 miles and gained 2000' at this point.

After lunch, I backtracked a bit to a junction, and took the branch of the Pond Trail (signed "Mt. Wa"), that climbed steeply to a higher portion of the old Change Creek logging road. This next section of the road/trail was quite scenic as it climbed an open clearcut slope with good views of the mountains around I-90. After a mile, I arrived at a junction with the Great Wall Trail, elevation 3800'. Good views toward Mt. Si and North Bend from this high perch.

The "Great Wall" name comes from Manning's old Footsore guidebook--it's what he called the steep and narrow dividing ridge between Washington and Change Creeks. From the 3800' junction, I followed the Great Wall Trail downhill. Though this trail is no longer the official route to Mt. Washington, it seems to be getting quite a bit of use and even some maintenance. The path is in good shape, though one spot below a cliff has crumbled away, requiring a careful step. In a long mile the GWT joined the main Mt. Washington trail. I followed that trail down the long rocky switchbacks back to the Iron Horse Trail. The Mt. Wa. trail has gotten considerable volunteer maintenance and is in better condition than ever. Drainage issues need attention as usual, mainly more and deeper drain dips to get storm runoff away from the trail.

Once on the Iron Horse Trail, I headed toward the Upper Twin Falls trailhead. To save time, instead of using the Iron Horse, I walked old U.S. 10 (now called Homestead Valley Road, for what it's worth) back to the car parked at Change Creek.

All in all, another great hike in our local mountains!

Gary wanted to get out for an after work hike. By 1:00 pm I was sure I could get away. Since he is faster, I chose to start a little earlier. We planned to meet on the summit or earlier if he caught up. It was sunny and warm in Seattle. A last gasp of 70 degree weather. By the time I reached North Bend it was completely overcast. I took Exit 38 and parked immediately. There was no longer a sign at the gate stating it would be closed at dusk. In fact it was not closed well after dark. Still, to be safe I parked outside the gate. By 3:50 pm I was on my way.

It was plenty warm for shorts and short sleeves. I soon felt the humidity however. I wass soaked in no time. We seldom get that type of humidity in Washington state. Once off the railroad grade and into the woods the climbing began. This trail is a steady climb all the way to the top. The many rocks on the old road bed make for less than ideal footing. I was a little concerned about coming down it in the dark. There was no doubt we would be coming down a good portion of the route in the dark.

A trip report from a few days earlier showed all the vine maple changing color on the open upper slopes and so I brought a camera. Precious little to photograph before then. I figured to have a 30 - 40 minute head start on Gary. I kept up a steady pace figuring I'd likely summit first. I reached the Owl Hike viewpoint in 50 minutes and the crossing of Washington Creek in 60 minutes. There was more water still running than I expected.

I have reached the pond in the fall to find it completely dry. Not this year. Still plenty of water there. I finally slowed down where the color began. No sun for backlighting but still pretty good color. That alone made the hike worthwhile. After that it was back to grinding out the last of the 3200' of gain. Reaching the final ridge I could see down to Chester Morse Lake but peaks to the south were all in the clouds. No Mt. Rainier this day. On my May trip up I could not even see the lake so it was an improvement. I passed one person coming down earlier and there was nobody else on the summit.

My shirt was soaked so I immediately changed that. I zipped on pant legs and broke out my jacket too. I reached the top at 5:46, making for a 1:56 hike. I could see North Bend, Mt. Si, Mt. Teneriffe, and other Middle Fork peaks but to the south it was just clouds. In fact, pretty interesting clouds. I had packed away my camera for the descent but took it out again. Dark and white puffy clouds filled the sky. The setting sun turned the visible sliver of Puget Sound a deep orange. In addition to the leaves below the clouds put on a second great show.

Gary arrived at 6:12. He came up in 1:40. We ate dinner and prepared to leave when another hiker reached the summit. He turned around almost immediately and we did not see him again. Gary's thermometer read 49 degrees. Much different than at the bottom a few hours earlier. At 6:26 we headed down. The lower trail is a rocky old road but the upper part is newer trail and much easier to hike down. We had the easy part in the light and the harder part in the dark.

It was dark enough at the Owl Hike spot to require pulling out flashlights. A few minutes later we needed them to see the rocky trail. We made steady progress with few slips. Usually I can tell where I am on the trail due to landmarks. In the dark it was hard to tell much at all. One hiker we passed near the summit passed us again coming down. We also passed a group heading up for sunset though they were not going to reach the top before dark.

It took almost exactly the same amount of time for me to come down as go up. Nobody bothered our cars in the dark which was a relief. It was nice to get in a 3200' gain on an after work hike this time of year. It was plenty warm enough and flashlights made the descent to problem. The only surprise was seeing people coming up so late. By 8:30 we were on our way home. A nice way to break up a work week.

20 photos have been posted at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips-2010" on the left margin.

Mt Washington is still there.

The real point of this report is to stake my claim to a new place name. I'm sure I am not the first person to have this idea cross their mind, but there's an old saying "it's not real until it's manifested into the world" (and if that isn't an old saying, I'd like to take credit for that too).

Most of us mere mortal hikers don't get the opportunity to name things, so I'm going to put this one down for posterity and hope for a little hiking immortality, or at least a little footnote.

I am proposing "The Guard Tower" on the west end of the "Great Wall" (I thought about the Watch Tower, but I didn't want any other "group" making claims to that later). Here it is, in writing, for the first time that I know of, let the record show.

The Guard Tower is the high point of the Great Wall, commanding the west end of the crossing, daring all who pass ... to, well, pass. A 20 vertical foot, class 2 scramble leads to the summit, from which you can see over nearly all the trees that have grown on the wall. From a certain angle, it also looks eerily like the Kool-Aid Guy.

One of these days I'm going to put a summit register there. And perhaps a monument to the nice person who brushed out alot of the lower Great Wall trail sometime in the last few months.

Mount Washington doesn't get 'marquee' status in most hiking guides, but it's a hike that's really starting to grow on me. I took the "great wall" route today for the first time. While it adds a few miles to the trip, it also adds several nice vistas that the 'new' trail doesn't. It also spreads the elevation gain out into an easy walk. Although the GWall trail is mostly just logging road, it's a pretty nice road and the footing is alot easier than the rocky main trail.

I took the main trail down to save a little time, but I recommend taking the GWall on your way up next time if you never have (just look for the sign about 1/3 way up, just past the Owl spot). I think it would be easier to find your way up the GWall than down.

There is pretty much no water on the top half of the trail, and I saw no one at all on either trail.

We started this after work hike at a little after 5:00 pm and were on the summit at about 7:15 pm. The heat (92 at the start) must have kept people from venturing out as we only encountered one pair of hikers the entire trip. The last 500' of vertical the mosquitos were out in full force. By the time we reached the top we were in the midst of a full fledged mosquito attack. I would have gladly traded my water for some bug spray on this hike. We kept a pretty good pace on the way down and were back at the car just before 9:00 pm.

Hiked the Mount Washington trail on the 4 mile route described in WTA. We had a little trouble finding the trail since the description called it a two-track old logging road heading south from the John Wayne Trail. It isn't. It's a single trail! Fortunately a "regular" helped us get started.
Thought I'd post a picture of the trail that heads off from the John Wayne Trail. We hiked about 3/4 mile past the bench with the "grand" views and saw some even better (more open) views.

This was a wonderful summer solstice hike. The sun peaked out for us in the valley just before the summit. The wild flowers were spectacular, blue bells, wild ginger, beginning bear grace and corydalys.We stopped and thanked God for all this beauty at the Mt. Washington Stonehenge area. When the sun appeared our joyful yells echoed off the mountain.
The trail was not wet as decribed in the last trip report. We blessed ourseleves at the fount coming from a rock, a little bit before owl hike spot.
The trip is free of snow and easy to follow. Watch for the Mt. Washington signs and at the pond turn left if you want to go the easier route which is about 2800 feet eleveation gain. We saw only two gentlemen on this trip close to the top. These folks work for REI and were well prepared. The tortuga sisters.
Sorry, no coordinates for this trip I am over 60 and just have the old fashioned altimeter, map and compass.

The information in the trail description describes the trail as 1600 feet or so,but that is not true. Please change this.

Most people wanted to take advantage of the decent morning weather by starting their hikes early. So when i got to the trailhead at 8:30 AM there were already 10 cars (including mine) in the parking lot.

The weather was partly sunny when I left the trailhead, but the sunshine soon went away half hour into the hike. Then it was overcast all the way to the summit.

Overall the trail was in a good condition. Snow patches surfaced just passed "the pond", but only for 500 feet or so. Water and mud throughout some parts of the trail, but nothing major.

This was my first time hiking Mount Washington. My hope for a panoramic view atop the summit soon dissipated when I realized a good portion of the view was blocked by trees and overgrown. Apart from the couple I ran into on the way up as they were coming back down, I managed to get past all the parties ahead of me and was the first one at the summit. The dog and I got a good 15 minutes to ourselves before the other parties started to show up one by one.

The weather forecast was miserable, but I just needed to get out there and do some hiking. Mt. Washington seemed like a good idea as I didn't feel like snow.

I got to the trailhead around 11 and there were already quite a number of cars. The weather was doing the almost-raining; not enough to get really wet, yet enough to be annoying. I had never done this trail and my printout of an old USGS map didn't have it marked. But I found the trail easily enough, just a couple of hundred yards west after you get to the Iron Horse trail. The trail is in a very nice condition, and it was just what I needed; decent elevation gain and not much loose rock.

It was very wet and a couple of times the trail was more like a creek. And around 3600ft the snow started. It gradually became continuous around 3800. I didn't need traction devices. Gaiters and poles came in very handy though.

My trail guide said it was 12 miles round-trip, but it was actually only 8 miles. Too bad there were absolutely no views.

From Seattle I90 exit 38, right hand road to parking lot.
Mt Washington Summit Elevation 4,800 foot.
12 miles round trip.5-6 hours.
My hike started with Ok weather,sunny and windy in some area.on 4000 foot snow on trail on flat area for maybe 1/4 miles.then stepper hiking for one hour.Trail is well maintained.Awesome view from the top.On way back all time rain,forming in some area creeks.

We went up Mt. Washington on the new trail and looped back on the old. Given that we don't much care for maintained logging roads, we preferred the new trail section. However, we enjoyed the views up the I-90 corridor from the old trail, the views of the Middle Fork Valley from the new trail and the views of the Cedar River Watershed from near the summit. We saw less than 15 people on the trail. Plus, the drive was short and we had a 45 minute lunch on top by ourselves complete with chocolate cake and sun shine intermittantly throughout the day with only one brief rain sprinkle. It was a wonderful day!

For photos and more details about the trip: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

Took a trip up Mt Washington, sans pooches who were at the beauty parlor. Snow starts shortly before the pond in the upper basin and continues to the top. It's still pretty deep in the shaded areas, but some of the sunnier spots were clear. Post holing was not a problem, but the occasional 'really deep step' made me wish I had gaiters. The warm days ahead might change that and soften up the underlying ice, but for now, sticking to the beaten path was pretty solid footing. The soft surface snow makes for good traction and slipping was not an issue.

My first trip to Mt. Washington. Hikingglory's 4/18/10 report was helpful and guided me through the main route choices. It was a blustry day with rain and snow but still good to stretch the legs and explore a new trail. Occasional breaks in the colds gave a taste of how nice the views much be on a clear day. The view up the Middle Fork of the Snoquamile Valley looks lovely. The snow level is around 3,300 feet.

For an unmarked trail, the path is very clear and shows signs of maintenance. At the pond filled with logs, the trail to the left leads clearly to the summit. I also tried the old trail to the right but it became somewhat uncertain and with the steepness and snow decided not to follow it the rest of the way.

This little known hike is a true hidden gem. The views from top on a clear day like today are amazing. Rainier dominates the South and you can see the range near it, you can of course see all the peaks of snowqualmie area starting from Mt Si, mailbox etc. We also got glimpsed of Mt Baker and Glacier Peak from top.
Trail condition: From half way point, little after the Owl lookout there is quite a lot of snow. Since its warmer, the snow is not hard packed and snowshoes are required. Though I did see some people going without them, but some kind of traction is a must.
The beginning of trail is unmarked and it starts off on the logging road for Iron Horse Trail. Keep looking on your left for trail starting. It climbs quite steep in the beginning. You will soon reach a fork marked "MT WA", we took the trail on right from there. It becomes less steep after the fork. Next junction is a pond filled with logs. We took left here. This leads to a gentle trail that goes around the mountain. The old trail on right climbs very sharply to the top. The last 800 feet is also quite steep.
On the way back, we took Great Wall trail, its quite unmarked and much harder to follow under snow, we had to rely on GPS heavily. Without GPS, its best to head back the way we came up.

Reached the summit of Mt Washington without snowshoes, but was post holing often climbing the last 800 vertical feet. Carry snowshoes unless you want the aggravation! The views are well worth the climb: Rainier, Si, Teneriffe, Mailbox and the valley are all visible, and there are a few spots with good views before reaching the top.

Snow starts about 1/2 mile past the owl hike spot. Several inches at the top but the trail is packed down and pretty easy to navigate. I didn't need traction but there are some areas that seem like they will get pretty icy with a little more foot traffic. Spectacular day to be in the hills. The views along the trail are better than usual right now because of the lack of foliage on the maples and alders.

Three of us did a "lollipop" trip to the summit and back. The first several miles of trail are in exceptionally good shape. After a short break at the Owl Spot we headed onward. The Owl Spot is about 1500' above the parking lot with a nice view to the west and a rock sofa to sit on. At the junction with the Great Wall trail, we continued straight ahead and across the creek which usually has some excitement at this time of year - not today. At the "pond" we followed the new trail to the left versus going straight ahead toward the old scramble route. From here to the top there was patchy snow; never very thick and generally easy travel until the point on the ridge where the new trail and old scramble route re-converge. There was also a short detour by myself to find the geocache tucked away near this view point. The next sections through the trees were somewhat slick; okay sometimes quick slick. At the final ridge, things were pretty much snow free to the summit where we lounged in the sun for a nice long lunch.

We decided to descend via the Great Wall trail which is always much farther than I remember. The flat road terrain seemed to hold the snow much better than the other areas so we had a minor snow slog all the way from the south end of the Great Wall; down and past the bowtie junction; and to where the road ends and trail begins. Fortunately the snow ended here since there is a short but very narrow and cliffy area that has considerable excitement when snow covered. We re-connected with the main trail completing the lollipop loop of the trail. The Great Wall trail has significantly more brush than the main trail which is more immaculate than my yard in places.

There were considerably more people up in this area than usual and all were enjoying a nice day.

A great day for a hike! To clarify earlier route reports, which are a bit off: (1) at one point you reach a big pond with dead logs. The old trail goes right, and the new trail makes a hard left. To take the old trail you would have to cross a big ditch, which tells you it's the wrong way. (2) The next trail divide comes when you reach yet another road. DO NOT go to the right, as described in an earlier report this month. The trail is just 30 feet directly up the hill in front of you, and then goes off to the right all the way to the summit as a clear path. There is snow near the summit, and spikes do help. Fabulous views! We made our usual Starbucks coffee, with great company, and plodded down.

First time hiking this trail. Sure wish I had microspikes for the upper portion of the trail, which was covered in snow/ice. Pretty much everyone in our group, slipped a time or two on the descent. Otherwise, this was a decent hike, sunny weather and great views from the top.

From trailhead, hike up to Iron Horse Trail. Go right (west) about 100 yards and look for the unmarked trail to your left. A little ways up pass by a really cool rock climbing cliff. Soon you will come up to a junction. Go right. Who knows where the other trail leads. Soon get up to another junction. Left goes up toward the "Great Wall" road. Go right, straight toward the summit. Soon you will reach yet another junction with an old road. But this one in unmarked. I think the actual trail is to the left. But there is even a better way to the right, so go right. Soon you will reach another trail that branches off up to the left. Go that way because the road you are on will reach a dead end sooner or later. The trail that you are now on is actually an unofficial boot path. It begins to work its way along a small ridge through some snow straight toward the summit. Watch for icy patches. There will be off and on snow for quite a while now. This path offers great views to your left, right, and behind you. Soon you will run into the real trail that comes up from your left. Continue to another junction with yet another old road. Cross it and find the path continue up the hill. Soon come to one more junction right under the summit. Go right up to the summit. Enjoy views of North Bend, Rattlesnake Lake and Mountain, the Olympics, the south sound area, Russian Buttes, Mailbox and Glacier Peak, McClellan Butte, Bandera Mountain, Mt. Rainier, Si, Teneriffe, Green, Bessemer, Defiance, Baker, Chester Morse Reservoir

Now for the descent. Go straight down the main path (don't go down the path you came up, but stay on main path that keeps more to the right)to a large intersection. Go straight to the east. Follow the ridge road to another large road that come up to the left. Hike down that road and soon you will find yourself walking on the "Great Wall" which is a narrow north-south ridge that provides nice views. Continue to the right of the small summit ahead. The road wraps around the front of the hill and starts going west. Soon come up to another junction with a road that comes up from Change Creek. Go left but quickly look for the trail the your right. Follow the road trail until you come to large rocks that block the path. You will find the trail to your right. Hike the trail out of the snow and all the way out to one of the junctions you passed on the way up. Go right and hike back out to the trailhead.