Trip Reports

This was a really nice hike, with scenery that was much different than the typical forests or meadows that I'm used to. The mix of golden grasses, green grasses, gently rolling hills, and basalt outcroppings was awesome. Great views of Mt. Hood as well.

I hiked up the top edge of the cliff, and then dropped down on what I think was the Crybaby trail. Crybaby is extremely steep and narrow. The trail is so hard that it might as well be paved. It has a bunch of sand and pebbles on it, so footing is really difficult. I wandered around below the cliff for 3 hours unsuccessfully trying to get to Atwood Road. On the way back, I found the trail that I probably should've taken, but I didn't have time for any more mistakes. Instead, I just went back up Crybaby.

There was a ton of Poison Oak below the cliff. I'm really surprised that I didn't have any kind of reaction. The trail is also really hot and there is very little shade. Bring more water than you think you need.

The trail description for "Coyote Wall - The Labyrinth Loop Hike" is much better than "Coyote Wall". With the maze of trails in this area and the decommissioned trails, the "Coyote Wall" description might even be considered dangerous. I enjoyed the hike, but if I had read "Coyote Wall - The Labyrinth Loop" before I went I probably would have had a much better experience.

I recommend this hike, but bring a map or leave yourself plenty of time to explore.

Sorry for the lack of photos - I'm really busy this week and didn't want to hold off on the trip report just for the photos. Other trip reports have them. If you're really desperate to see mine, let me know and I'll post them in the next week or so.

With a sunny weather forecast, we headed over to explore this area that we had long wanted to visit. It's a bit of a drive from Seattle, but with permits in hand, we were at the TH about 11am. Friday was sunny, making for lovely light filtering through the forest canopy, with some high stream crossings as well. We camped at the Pyrites Creek camp, and evaluated the crossing there, the most daunting, and planned to cross in the AM. Indeed, water was lower the next morning, and we enjoyed the final bit of the hike to the Valley. What an amazing, magical place!!! Waterfalls abound, flowers at our feet, and views of the glaciers higher up. Eventually, we retrace our steps back to basecamp, and find that someone has brought in a few more rocks to make the Pyrites crossing a little easier. Of course, being a rain forest, rain began during our second night out, so trail out is somewhat wetter, and side streams higher yet again. Some wet feet are still trying to dry out, but apart from that, only fabulous memories remain. The Olympics truly are a world heritage site!

Came out on Friday 5/10 for a planned two night camping trip in Douglas Canyon. Weather was great and scenery looked beautiful. First sign of trouble was the group of guys shooting from the road just inside the canyon, seemingly oblivious to our presence. I got no problem with people shooting on public land, but nobody should be shooting from the road and we didn't particularly feel like dodging bullets.

Drove on a little further into the canyon and found a nice spot to scramble down to the creek. Again, a beautiful spot, but when we got down to the bottom everything was covered with gang grafitti. (South Side Locos, I believe.) Did not feel like setting up camp with the prospect of being visited by a bunch of gangbangers who had marked this as their territory.

So we left. Might be nice for a day hike, but wouldn't ever consider trying to overnight there again. VERY disappointing!

Lots of trilliums along the trail, no snow & only two logs to step over, one to go under.
We spent a pleasant afternoon on a very nice hike in perfect spring weather on this well-traveled, easy trail, admiring moss and big rocks, bright greenery, big trees and roaring water. On our scenic snack stop on a huge rock overlooking the lake, we watched the floating logs slowly drift in the breeze.
There were about 20 cars at the trailhead, and about that many hikers scattered along the trail, including several with dogs, one with a fish pole (no fish caught), and a young boy with a pack containing a sleeping bag and a couple light sabers he was willing to show and share. Fun for all!

Though I got a bit of a late start, the trail was in perfect condition - if anything a little dusty and a little buggy. The trail is a remarkable in study in contrasts. The first 1.5 miles is through the lake bed sediments of Ice-Age Lake Skykomish. Here the salmonberry is thick and in bloom (see photo), with a few devils club and skunk cabbage in the particularly wet spots. There are numerous streams which either start on the Bridal Creek alluvial fan or as seeps on the broad slope above. The trail in this portion is moderately steep, but smooth and relatively rock-free. Though it was a road only a few years ago, the vast salmonberry seed stock has made the trail closed in to a couple armlengths for most of its length now.

Near the halfway point you reach the paleoshore of Lake Skykomish. This is where the cabin site and the trail split is. The Bridal Falls trail (to the right) gains elevation quickly and leaves the lake bed sediments behind. The trail has been blasted into the Index batholith (granite, or granodiorite to be precise). The falls was roaring and the outermost part of the loop was in the spray of the falls. Given the vegetation present there, it would seem that the spray reaches that point only occasionally. It was also nice to see that the loggers decided to pass on the hearty cedar old-growth that clings to the rocks near the falls.

Heading back down to the trail split and on flat land, the trail to Lake Serene (or taking a left at the trail split) follows the paleo shoreline to cross Bridal Veil Creek over a large timber bridge. The trial continues to follow the paleobeach until it gradually heads up onto the Index batholith. The creek seems to have been a barrier to earlier loggers as the east side of the creek is old growth. The understory changes dramatically though once you are are on the bedrock. The salmonberry is gone, replaced with salal and huckleberry. What salmonberry remains is diminutive, clinging to small patches of fine between the more massive pieces of bedrock.
  
After one mega-switchback (to the east at first, then back to the west), you arrive to the avalanche chutes that flank the bowl that defines the lake. There was still a little snow hanging on in this area, though the heavy traffic up to the lake made the way easy to find. Follow the postholes! I would imagine that the snow will be mostly gone from the trail in a few weeks.

At the lake there was still plenty of snow - including covering about 90% of the lake. There was a still a little remnant avalanche activity on the far end of the lake, but that was also about wrapped up for the season too. The spires of Mt Index are comprised of metagabbro and gneiss. These old, tough rocks, more resistant than even the granite underneath them, are impressive. One of them is aptly named "Fang" on the USFS map. The spires even make their own microclimate. Though it was a bit breezy back in the Puget Lowland, the lake in its glacial cirque was quiet, glassy and, well, serene.

It was a beautiful day with plenty of snow. The entire ski area (which is currently closed) is now available for snowshoeing and appears to still be very skiable as well. This route will probably be snow covered for at least another month. Like virtually everyone else I started at about 10am.

There is a network of trails and roads at the lower end of this route. The road the snowshoe guidebook talks about actually runs through the downhill ski area and when the ski area is open one would have to use the snow mobile tracks on the edge of the ski area to approach the ridge. I should also note that the Mount Baker Highway cannot be followed initially as it is quite literally beneath the ski area and frankly is not worth following as there are more obvious and direct routes to get to Austin Pass.

Austin Pass is really just the top of the ridge where there is a large dip in the ridge. Currently the best approach to the pass is directly up one of the downhill ski runs after following the road for a short while. Aim for the dip and when you get close to the top of the ridge you will see an “out of bounds” sign and will see a trail that splits off of the ski run to the right. This is the trail to Artist Point. The trail continues to climb very steeply but is now on top of the ridge. In the morning when the snow is more solid you could almost shoe in a straight line on top of the ridge to Artist Point.

Because I started backsliding in the mushy snow on the steep slopes after the pass, I chose to follow the easier grade of the winding highway which becomes more obvious on top of the ridge the closer you get to Artist Point. The trail is uphill the entire way to Artist Point and one cannot see Mount Baker until you have topped out at the point itself. The entire area is really a complex of ridges and knobs that might be confusing to some and there are a few different possible routes.

Huntoon Point is visible from Artist Point and I watched someone easily snowshoe there while I ate lunch and took lots of pictures. The area is beautiful to put it mildly and the 360 view is well worth the trip. The entire trip to Artist Point was probably only 4 miles total. Most of the other snowshoers never left the ski area and I had the point all to myself.

Great hike. The trail is pretty well maintained but there are few trail markers and if you don't pay attention, you can miss the fork that leads up to the Dome. Lily Lake is a quick diversion but don't forget the bug repellant!

Remember the map, or better yet, bring one. We saw at least three separate groups of people who were lost. I saw a lot of warnings about the trails in this area criss-crossing nonstop, and I assume that's how everyone got turned around.

We started hiking down Tiger Mountain Trail from SR79. I was worried that the noise from I90 would follow us the whole time, but after a mile or so it faded. The beginning of the trail had tons of bugs in the morning, and there wasn't a whole lot to see, but we worked up a good sweat with a ton of switchbacks. Tiger Mountain Trail itself was pretty deserted. Rather than hike the whole loop, we cut through at K-3 (which had a "unmaintained" warning sign, although it was completely fine).

From K-3 we hit the RR Grade trail and ducked over to West Tiger #3, where the underbrush cleared up and we got some pretty good old growth forest to hike through, although a lot more company to go with it. The view at the top of West Tiger 3 was solid, although coming down it was pretty rough on my knees, and everyone we saw going up Tiger 3 looked like they were dying. It's mostly a nonstop climb all the way to the top.

It looked like I may have been the first to hike this trail this season as there was no evidence of any boot or hoof tracks. There were also quite a few branches that I cleared off the trail. There were also a couple blowdowns, one really big one, across the trail but very manageable. In bloom: Balsam-root, Lupine, Paintbrush. I only went the first 3 miles (the steep part) to point 6622 where it got snowy (and cliffy to the lake). I started to post-hole in the snow so I decided 6622 was good enough. I believe it is the high point of the trail. The views were great across the Twisp river valley to the Sawtooth range to the south and Mtn. Gardner views to the NW. Wonderful, warm, sunny spring day for a hike. We saw just 2 guys on the way up upon our return. They were hoping for any overnighter at the lake but I think they were going to turn back like me.

3600 gain in 3 miles is STEEP. Funny how I forget about losing my breath on the way up and my heart pounding because it was so steep. Of course, frequent stops are OK since the scenery is so good.

The weather was perfect, a little cloudy in the am, but by the time I got to the view point the clouds had lifted. Trail was well maintained, and there were trail workers working on parts of the trail. (Trail was still usable). There are many waterfalls along the trail. My personal favorite was the Middle Falls! Just breathtaking and the view of the Skyomish River Valley was just gorgeous!
Also its worth visiting the Little Falls, at the bottom of the trail. its a gentle falls cascading down the rocks. Just beautiful.
If your looking for waterfalls I strongly recommend this hike.

Spent the night near Opal Lake. There are currently multiple open water sites in Necklace valley, so no need to pack in water or fuel to melt it. There is one possible small campsite melted out at the entrance, near Jade Lake. I ended up camping on the snow-pack.

Snowshoes recommended, although on the way out I saw someone had followed my tracks in, wearing crampons. Tough dude, he sunk in 16" in many spots, and had post-holed up to his waist several times as well.

There is a hazardous traverse above the creek, and I needed to cut steps down to the Nesby footbridge, so an ice axe is helpful.

Continuous snowpack above about 3,000 feet, route finding skills were required. No bugs up there yet, although you'll encounter them in the Foss River Valley on the way in.

Hiked in 9.96 miles (according to GPS) to Mary's Falls. The total elevation gain was 1665 feet, most of it in two climbs, the steepest out of Lilian Camp. The climb crested at 2047 feet and then started a 3 mile decline into Mary's falls. Fours hours in, Four and a half out. Trail is entirely clear of any obstacles. Nice campsite, first time I'm had grass to pitch a tent on and a dry fuel source for fires. Mild temperatures had me over-heating in my sleeping bag. No animal sightings other than the deer roaming the trailhead parking lot. I did see Harlequin Ducks on the water. No mosquitoes at Mary's Falls, but Lilian Camp did have some. I think they are just coming out, because I got nailed a few times on the hike out.

Trail is in good condition but is covered in thawing snow 1/4 mile before the Lake. I recommend hiking poles in case you slip or your leg falls through a soft spot/tree well, which happened to me and my dog twice. Other than that, food, water and an extra layer are always good to have. Lake Serene is picturesque and I was treated to the thunderous sounds of snow cascading off Mt. Index.

On another note, I stumbled across a fully loaded Smith and Wesson .357 revolver in a rock outcropping before reaching the Lake Serene signpost at the top. To whoever dropped it, I handed the weapon over to the Gold Bar police.

The White Chuck Bench trail is a beautiful walk in the woods along the White Chuck River. Unfortunately it peters out about half way along and the second half of what is hikeable is deteriorating and getting overgrown.

The trail starts off a small forest road above the White Chuck boat launch. Go south on the Mountain Loop Highway from Darrington to a sign for the boat launch on the left. Cross a really impressive strong bridge to a junction. There is parking and outhouses at the boat launch area. Go up the dirt road to an upper parking area and signs for the White Chuck Bench trail.

The trail starts out with a good tread winding through a pleasant forest of tall trees. It skirts the ledge above the White Chuck River, crosses a sturdy wood bridge, and continues upstream. Occasionally one gets a peek at Mt. Pugh which is still domed in snow. There are several nice overlooks if you step off the trail a short way.

After about a mile or so, the trail descends gently down to river level and then it gets lost in underbrush. Not much altitude gain or loss on this path. Green Trails map 111 shows this trail going 6.6 miles to connect with the White Chuck road which apparantly skirts the left bank of the river.

The Old Sauk river trail used to be a great early season hike through lush moss bedecked forest. However the Sauk River washed out the northern portion and a new trail has been constructed that is wheelchair accessible. It is broad, flat, paved in fine gravel and lined with stones and trimmed logs. It apparently loops between two refurbished parking lots - one on the north end and one in what used to be mid-trail. There is no more access to the little mid-channel island.

The only remains of the old natural trail is about a half mile on the south end. It is lush as ever. The forest floor is thickly carpeted with mosses, vanilla leaf, young bright green ferns, bleeding heart, violets, and tasty miner's lettuce. The tread is good earth and duff winding gently underfoot. The river is running deep, fast, and full. Because this trail has been severely abbreviated, we decided to drive further south on the Mountain Loop Highway to the White Chuck trail #731.

Ike and I had planned to hike into Goat Lake today, but found MLH still gated at Deer Creek. We'd both thought it would be open by now. D'oh!!!There wasn't a speck of snow in sight and I doubt there's any at Barlow Pass, but it was closed just the same. Looking for a quick back up plan we opted for Lake 22, always a great place to visit. There's been very good reports on this hike recently so there's nothing much to add except for the usual steady stream of unprepared hikers making their way up the trail, but I suppose this is a good trip to learn preparedness before more serious endeavors. We briefly chatted with a group of late teen type guys at the trailhead planning an overnight. I'm not sure if this is allowed at the lake, but it sure was nice to see such an enthusiastic group of young people with fishing poles and sleeping bags strapped to their packs! I've been seeing more of this lately......groups of young, polite and very enthusiastic people looking for fun and adventure. It's very hopeful and besides, it takes me back.......

Otter falls is a nice easy starter hike if your waiting for the snow to melt in the mountains. The trailhead is around 30 minutes outside of North Bend, and pretty easy to find. This is a perfect hike for younger kids with a great payoff. There is only around 800 ft of elevation gain and the trail is in good shape. There are a few stream crossings and one river crossing that takes a little planing jumping from rock to rock.

Make sure you keep your eyes open for the pile of rocks along the trail. This will be your 'Sign' to take a left off the trail and hike up 200 feet to the falls. If you aren't paying attention, you can miss it. If you come to the concert 'car' bridge you have passed otter falls.

No blow downs, a few patches of snow right before otter falls.

It's 7:30 AM at the trailhead along Tiger Mountain Road SE, a quarter mile NE of the Issaquah-Hobart Road. There's room for a few cars - mine is the first today - along the west shoulder. There's not much signage visible from the road, but this really is the southern terminus of the main Tiger Mountain Trail, the TMT.

It's a sunny day here, and many wildflowers are blooming. On the way to Hobart Gap I note the first vanilla leaf and Hooker fairybells I've seen flowering this year. The trilliums and coltsfoot mostly are past their prime here, although the yellow violets, Solomon's seal, and a few others are holding their own.

At Hobart Gap I stay on the TMT, heading NE. At the power line the trail disappears briefly, but I walk east along the power line road, listening to the wires crackling with corona, and the trail soon reappears on the left, beginning its traverse around the east side of South Tiger Mountain.

I press on along the TMT. Gradually it becomes more like a road than a trail, and eventually it is crossed by the West Side Road that connects the Tiger Summit Trailhead (Hwy 18) and Poo Poo Point. This is my planned turning around point for today. I hiked the TMT north of here earlier this week.

I backtrack a hundred feet or so from the West Side Road and look for the faint boot path leading west. This is the route to tiny Otter Lake. It's about a five minute walk to the lake, such as it is. It's smaller than Tradition Lake or Round Lake, but it's larger than the ponds of Beaver Valley. It doesn't look like otter habitat; more likely it once was the domain of muskrats. In previous years, earlier in the season, an amazing chorus of frogs was audible some distance from the lake. But this year I'm visiting later, and all is silence.

I return to the TMT/road and in a couple of hundred yards south note the South Tiger Traverse heading uphill. My map shows it as a trail, but the first part has been a logging road for a few years. It's the steepest part of my hike today. As the route levels out, the trail splits off to the right, and a sign points up a small knoll to the Carole Hapke lunch area. It's only 9:30 AM, but a snack is appealing. So I switchback up the few feet to the lunch area. There are a couple of crude benches and a fire pit, and a rail to tie horses. A large stump invites a scramble, and as recently as two years ago the top of the stump offered a view of Middle Tiger and East Tiger. But surrounding young evergreens have grown vigorously and the view is no more.

I descent the knoll and find the South Tiger Traverse directly across the way. It crosses an area that two years ago was a raw clear cut. But transitional vegetation is growing rapidly. It's not the tall timber, but it is green and is much easier on the eyes.

As I reenter the forest, I note a trail showing the marks of horses hooves heading uphill to the left. I suspect this goes to the north summit of South Tiger Mountain (it does,) but I will check it out on my way down. I press on a couple of hundred yards along the Traverse, and I see my old friend, a large stump carved with a face, on the left side of the trail. It marks the start of the unofficial trail up to the south summit of South Tiger Mountain. It's a short walk, with a few logs to clamber over, to the top. The high point includes an official USGS bench mark, set in concrete. The "summit" is forested, so there is no view. A few years ago, this high point sported a "summit register," and I recall adding my name when I first came here. Today, a piece of an old wooden box leans up against a tree, but instead of a register it covers a small glass jar with a rusted lid containing a pocket knife (NOT Swiss!) and a twenty-five cent piece. Don't ask. It's just there.

A faint boot path leads north toward the other summit of South Tiger. Along the way I encounter a much better trail heading toward that summit. On top I find benches and a firepit. Clearly, the equestrian crowd has been here too. The whole northern summit is within the recent clearcut area so the views are good. Middle Tiger, East Tiger, and Sally's Summit are clearly visible to the north and east.

I descend the trail from the north summit and encounter a logging road. A short detour north on that road reveals another trail continuing downhill. It's clearly a horse trail and, as expected, it rejoins the Traverse where I had noted it a few minutes earlier.

I continue south on the Traverse, eventually crossing the power line. The trail resumes as a road and a sign proclaims "Tiger Mountain Trail." But this is a trail typo. The sign should read "South Tiger Traverse." In any event, the road does rejoin the TMT at Hobart Gap, from where it's an easy return to the parking area.

This was a good day to be out on the trails. Total distance, including my side trips to Otter Lake and the two South Tiger summits, was about 8 miles. Trail conditions were good the entire way, slightly moist but not muddy. I encountered only two other hikers, and no equestrians. And many wildflowers were in full bloom.

I hadn't hiked this in over 10 years. It really brought back some good memories. Except this time, the falls were AMAZING. Full report and more pictures on my blog.
http://kellbell-whywouldany[…]allace-falls-revisited.html

Note: I'm a newbie hiker so take all comments with an appropriate grain of salt.

We saw quite a few wildflowers, even more butterflies. The creek rushed and burbled with fresh snowmelt.

The trail was mostly obvious. There are a couple of splits, but it doesn't take long to figure out which is main vs. offshoot. You cross the creek three times, twice using stones and once using a bridge. At the time of our outing, our feet stayed dry, but if the creek is running heavier, it could be a wetter crossing. There were two places where the trail was a bit washed out, leaving foot-sized stone outcroppings as the means to cross. I'm sure experienced hikers laugh at such things, but it was a bit of a challenge for me, with short legs and little experience, to safely get across the washed out areas.

At 90 degrees, the shade on most of this trail was welcome. No snakes or beasts encountered. Definitely enjoyed it as my first hike in WA!

This is probably the most rewarding payoff for the difficulty of the hike and its distance from Seattle. Pretty great views, extremely well-maintained trail, and no passes required. That said, it was super crowded, even mid-day on a weekday. If you're looking for an escape into nature, keep looking, but this is a killer hike if you just want an easy way to end up somewhere beautiful.

Did a quick morning loop with a friend. The falls is still going! It wasn't too busy in the morning but when heading back to the car the parking lot was packed.

New Moon night was May 10th. I lead full moon hikes each month with the Cascadians and recently someone suggested going on an adventure during a new moon night for the purpose of star gazing in the dark night skies, without the light of the giant orb.

I planned a trip with that purpose to Steamboat Rock (and ended up going solo). I tried to time it for full-on floral displays at the same time. Did I ever!!! May 10th was a calm, 80 degree day, without the typical winds that can suddenly ravage the shores of Banks Lake in the late afternoon and evening. The balsamroot below the giant rock were in full bloom, lovely in the afternoon light. I headed up the trail to the top a bit before 7:00pm, anticipating an 8:25 sunset. The sunset wasn't very spectacular, as there were too many clouds in the western skies. However, the glow against the walls of the Grand Coulee to the east of Banks Lake was amazing! I love the view from the northern edge of Steamboat Rock, of scattered rocky and grassy islands, inlets, and secret alcoves and shorelines. The flowers were pretty atop the rock; I forgot how many grasses sweep across the high ground, with the backdrop of distant cliffs and the dark waters of the lake below.

I met two rattlesnakes before making friends with some other folks who wanted to walk out after dark by headlamp. On our decent, we began counting pairs of glowing eyeballs. The deer had bedded down on the lower bench of Steamboat Rock. One set of eyes, then another, and another... right off our pathway. We counted five sets of eyes, likely wondering how rude that we were disturbing their rest. The route down is dicey in the dark, as the trail is dry, with little pebbles and moving scree in places. But, what a wonderful experience to be atop this ancient flood rock in the pitch black of a new moon night! It's amazing how dark these new moon nights are...

We started at Rialto Beach about 5 pm due to working during the and waiting for the tides to go out. We made it to Chilean memorial for the first night. Found a nice site for 1 tent just to the left of the memorial in the trees. A fresh water source was near so that helped. The next morning, we were hiking by 6 am due to the tides. The first problem is Cape Johnson which must be crossed at low tide. This part of the hike was a bit slow due to the size of the boulders but if you stay as close to the cliff as possible, the rocks are dry and easy to walk on. This lasts for about 1.5 miles and then the rest is nice beach until Norwegian Memorial. This was camp for the second night since we did not know what was beyond this point and the ranger said it will take about 4.5 hours to travel 4.5 miles with no escape from the rising tide. We got to camp at 9:30 in the morning and hung out for the day, walked the beach looking for beach glass. One of the camp sites had a blue tarp and when it started to rain we walked down the beach to get it. Did not realize the tarp was about 30 feet long and 20 feet wide so it was a bit heavy. Hung it from some trees, moved our tent under it and stayed dry for the night and had a nice fire going. The scenery this entire hike so far was amazing. A lot of large rocks sticking out of the water like the Oregon Coast, sea lions, sea otters, eagles, tide pools, etc. The third day was going to be about 10 miles to the ranger station. The first 4.5 miles from Norwegian to Yellow Banks is slow going. Slick rocks, seaweed, tide pools, etc. We covered the 4.5 miles in 3 hours so much slower than a normal hike. Once on Yellow Banks, the sand is hard and flat and easy to walk on to Sand Point where the trail to the ranger station starts.

This is fun hike, lots of places to camp, scenery is great but be mindful of the tides. Go to the ranger station in Forks and get a tide table, map, and bear canister (for raccoons and $125 fine if you don't have one). Do not use a Green Trails map for the this hike because there is not enough information. The ranger can explain how high a tide can be to safely cross certain areas and the maps also mention this.

Our group of 14 set off in the evening with the hopes of catching the sunset. It was warm and clear out. The view from the lookout is stunning, and worth the trek up the hill. The trail is mostly free of mud - we only hit two small squishy patches. Overall, it's in great condition, and was the perfect hike for the evening!

It was a beautiful day!
I drove 2 hours from Seattle to hike Mt. Philchuk but couldn't make it to the TH because last 1.2 mile was still covered with deep snow.
I could see quite a few cars parked at there but I decided not to hike Philchuk.
It was already around noon and I wasn't quite sure if I could make it to the top.

The Heather lake TH was not very far from there and, eventually, this trail was the best decision for the day for me.
The last half mile of the trail was covered with snow but not too bad.
I could make it without anything but my hiking shoes.
But, I recommend to bring gaiters if you want to hike the lake all the way round.
Actually, I didn't bring mine and got my boots and socks all wet.
(It wasn't that bad though on warm day!)

I believe Heather lake is one of the wonderful paradises day hikers can do easily from Seattle in this season.

Please find more pics with a map @ http://www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/harris/9008/

On a warm, sunny day Stan Miller and I decided to see how far we could get on Excelsior. The trail begins at about 1800 feet elevation of the Mt. Baker highway and we ultimately hit our first patch of snow at 3600 feet. A few hundred more feet of gain and the trail is obliterated. It essentially becomes a cross-country trek from that point. We chose to stop at about 4000 feet, where there was 4-5 feet of snow underneath us, and have our lunch. NOTE: don't attempt to travel very far from the known trail if you do not have off-trail skills. It's very easy to get disoriented, even with the tracks of others to follow, and your best efforts to remember landmarks. It all looks different going back downhill!

Trail notes: The trail to 4000 feet is mostly in the woods, where it begins to open up a little. Along the way we encountered what _may_ be a bear or animal den immediately adjacent to the trail at about 2300 feet. Be careful! This is a large, deep hole. With the exception of a few, inconsequential blowdowns, and some water higher up the trail is in good condition until the snowline. At about 2800 feet there is a lovely waterfall, pictured here. We had some peekaboo views of Mt Baker, Mt Shuksan, and the Black Buttes at our lunch site, but no great shakes for the most part. In that regard it would have been nice to get higher but the good news is that the warm weather is melting the snow pretty fast.

All in all, a good early season hike to get your conditioning improved, and your muscles unpacked.

If you're heading towards this hike the next few days, read ddubatudub's report from 5/9.

The main stream that crosses the trail about 0.5 miles up is still flowing heavily. The log bridge that ddubatudub put down on 5/9 was still in place. It's manageable, better if you have poles or a couple people to work together. I added a couple more logs on my way down, so hopefully it'll be available the next couple days.

The first snow field you'll reach is very soft. Punched through a few places. The upper snow field near the top is much better, though I did punch through once up there too. It is definitely doable, again having poles (and gaiters don't hurt here either) makes it more manageable.

The boot trail through the snow mostly follows the real trail and is easy to follow.

This hike is in rapid transition from winter to summer conditions, which have changed already since Hiker Jim's thorough May 6 report.
There is a recent blowdown, easy to get around, but it was at the beginning of snow, and right around there several people, including us, initially lost the trail. Follow the bootprints towards the left.
Plenty of watery creek crossings, but they were shallow and trivial, and snow traction wasn't necessary. Boots were definitely in order though.
What snow bridges remain are pretty rotted out. Watch out for postholing risks.
The lake is almost completely melted but the snow on the perimeter still creates a high bank.
Didn't see or hear any avalanches today. The waterfalls were spectacular, and the old-growth trees always are.

Trail is clear. Beautiful hike. One of my favorite in the Cascades.

I hiked early in spite of the fog and had the trail to myself. I found a pair of Canadian Geese with four gosslings. They would not let me get close, but my 42X zoom lens captured the family quite nicely.

Some of the many flowers blooming are Common Camas, Paintbrush, Yellow Stonecrop, Fairy Slippers, and Daisies. Pea Vine, Yarrow, Cow's Parsnip, and Wild Strawberries are also in bloom.

I also hiked the Bluff and Upper Loop trails at Sharpe Park. Beware of salamanders. They charge at multiple locations along the trail.

I have been hiking in the gorge a lot and this is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. It does not seem to be that well known. There were 2 of us on a beautiful sunny Thursday and we saw no other people or cars.

Like the previous report there are still places where the trail is blocked by snow and downed trees that required some scrambling, but worth it. The views are spectacular. We went about as far as Cold Springs Camp.

Saw 3 bear cubs running on the road as we drove in. No sign of mamma.

It is a steep hike in places, I would rate it as difficult.

Be forewarned, pay attention to the roads as you are driving in. At the trial head there is a junction and on the return we inadvertently took the wrong road out (not well marked) and had to back track, probably lost about 1.5 hours

What a wonderful day to head up the Ira Spring trail.

The road is clear and in great shape all the way to the trail head.

The trail is in great shape there is only one creek crossing that you need to be careful on that is in the first section of the trail. Some one was kind enough to lay some logs across that are not slippery at all but barely keep you out of the water.

There is no snow till you get up to about 3000 feet or so just a little ways before the trail splits heading to Mason lake or to Bandera Mountain. If you are going to go in the next week or so I do recommend that you take your Ice Axe with you as you get up to Little Bandara the slope is step the the boot tracks are melting out as soon as they are made. The slop its self is stable and appears to be well anchored in the talus field. If you are going to go get there early so that the snow is not to soft. On my way down I kept post holing up to my knees and with the rocks below you need to be really careful.

Other then that it was the perfect day to go up. once at 5000 on Little Bandera I was able to see all the way down to Mt Adams and all the way north to Mt Baker and everything in between. Round trip with the snow was about 5 hours including a long lunch break..

If the warm weather keeps up most of the snow should be gone with in the next couple of weeks I would think.

Myself and my friend Greg set out 9am up the Snoqualmie Middle Fork road looking for some hiking adventure. We drove all the way up to Dingford Creek, the road was in ok shape, I’ve seen it better and worse.
We set out hiking from Dingford Creek and crossed down to the Middle Fork Trail. The upper Middle Fork trail is in good shape, NO snow to be found or even seen and only a couple small blow downs along the trail. The few creek crossings were easy enough and we were able to hop, skip and jump across without getting our feet wet.

After arriving to the Rock Creek (Snow Lake) trail cut off we stopped and discussed our options. We quickly decided to try the Rock Creek trail not thinking we would get very far due to snow. I must say starting up the trail it’s not your typical perfectly maintained Mount Si trail, which I have to say I prefer. The lower trail was in relatively good shape, we did a little impromptu trail maintenance by clearing blow downs but there are 15 plus larger blow downs that will need a saw to clear them. The snow patches started at about 2500 feet but was very traversable without traction devices. Once we got higher in to the steep open areas having poles was a must. In the open areas the views of Mount Garfield and the Rock Creek Waterfall are stunning, look north and you will start seeing chair peak show itself more and more with every switchback.
 
About a half mile from Snow Lake we hit steep snow fields that would have required crampons and ice axes to safely cross. Due to us having neither this was out turning around point. With the weather we are having I would say by June 1st this will be passable.

The trip down was a nice easy walk through the old growth. One heads up would to bring all the water you need after crossing Rock Creek on the Middle Fork, there are no water sources after that until you reach Snow Lake.

We stopped for a nice freeze dried bean and rice dinner on a rocky beach on the Middle Fork River and sat in the twilight glow until the bugs drove us to run for the car.

In short this was an amazing trail if you’re looking for something with no crowds and a little adventure. I will definably be back later this spring to finish the hike. Maybe lave a car at Alpental and get dropped off at Dingford and hike all the way through.

Side Note: We spoke with 2 guys that had just come down from spending the night at the Dutch Miller Gap trail head. They reported that the area up there is still under 5 plus feet of snow.

See you on the Trail,
Chris & Greg

My First Multi-Night Backpacking Experience.


May 9th / Day One.
Thunder Creek Trail Head 11:45am To McCallister Camp 4:00pm

- Nice Trail, Around 700 Gain To McCallister Camp, River (Creek) Raging. A Few Tricky River Crossings Were The Only Tricky Parts. Between Neve & McCallister Hiker Camps A Crew From The North Cascade Forest Service Were In The Beginning Stages Of Replacing A Small Bridge. 2 Crews. One Other Hiker Out On A Day Hike. The Wash Out Near McCallister Horse Camp Had The Best Views In My Opinion Up To That Point. Shortly After Is The Most Difficult Crossing, No Bridge, River Rushing Too Hard And Deep To Comfortably Cross. Large Tree Has Fallen To Cross Over But It's Pretty Slick. McCallister Camp Was Clear, Chowed Down Happily On Some Mountain House Beef Stroganoff. We Found A Great Spot That Was Both About 70 Paces From The River & A Place To Raise Our Food & Toiletries Out Of Bears Reach. First Time Using A Steripen Pre Filter & Ultraviolet Light To Purify The Creek Water. Worked Great! 7mi.

May 10th / Day Two.
McCallister Camp 945am To Junction Camp 11:00am

- Today McCallister Camp To Junction Camp. Around 1100 Gain. Excellent Views From Junction. Nice Trail. A Few Small Blowdowns. Nothing Major. Nice Steep Switch Back Section. Father & 2 Sons On Trail. Plus A Hippie Back At McCallister Camp. 7mi



May 11th / Day Three.
Up And Out Of Camp By 7:30am
Difficult Crossing Right After Horse Camp.
A Lot More Folks On The Trail. 7mi


Excellent Hike Over All!
Logged 21 Mi In These Three Days.
Personal Best.

Pictures In Imgur Link
http://imgur.com/gallery/G4rO2/new

We hiked a series of trails and a car shuttle for an 8.6 mile distance and a total gain of 2600 feet. All the gain was from lots of up and down while on the Upper Ridge trail and the steady steep gain on the Double Diamond trail.

We began at the parking lot near the Clayton Beach trailhead heading to the Fragrance Lake trail via the Interurban trail. After 1.8 miles we got on the Double Diamond and on to the Cyrus Gate Overlook for lunch and views of Chuckanut Island and Bay below. After that was the Upper Ridge, Middle Ridge and the Lower Ridge trails and connected with Cleator Road and Highline road where the other car was parked.

The views along the Upper Ridge trail included Mt Baker, old growth and the trail itself that sometimes was all roots and rocks. Part of the trail at times made you feel like you were walking on the exposed spine of the Chuckanuts as you tread on lengths of smooth solid rock.

Along the way we saw Trillium, Wild Strawberry and even some early Paint Brush in full bloom.

Perfect mid-spring hike. Some water and mud on trail where you would expect it, but fairly easy hiking. Waterfalls were beautiful, and the river was roaring through the narrow gaps. Some wildflowers blooming. No biting bugs. We hiked in almost 3 miles before going back.

With the past week in the mid to upper 70's, we thought it would be great to get away and go hiking for the day. The last thing we expected was to see snow. The road to the trail head is still not cleared so you have to park right before the snow starts and walk about .5 miles. DEFINITELY bring some sort of waterproof shoe or boot...the whole trail is covered in a ice/packed snow except for a few parts. Watch your step because some of the snow is soft and can give away leaving your foot falling deep to the base of the mounds. Be careful if you bring children! Just as you're getting to the end of the trail, it becomes a little hard to navigate; you cant really see any set trail. But follow the tracks of others, or the river upstream and you're fine. Overall it's still an amazing, not matter the conditions!

What a difference a week makes especially when that week sports 80F degree days. Last Thurs, the last mile or so was snowy and slippery. Today there was barely any snow with a few patches about 15-20 feet long at their longest. None of those patches were on sloping trail but in the flat areas just by the Snoqualmie Valley View and beyond.

Played leapfrog with a couple I later discovered were from Eastern Canada. They flew in yesterday and sought out a hike and found Mt Si. They particularly enjoyed the view of that big white mountain off to the South - later identified as Mt Rainier.

A pretty good number of hikers were out, again, midweek and fully enjoying the dry trail and pleasant temperatures.

It was a good day to hike Mt Si and I think my time up is improving SLOWLY.

Have fun before the rains return this Sunday.

Gorgeous day for a hike. Not a single cloud in the sky. The trail to the falls is perfectly clear and not too difficult. The only hard part are the stairs; good leg workout, though!

The hike to the lake is where this trail becomes difficult. There are 23 switchbacks (count them! It'll help with the progress.) The last switchback I came across a ton of snow. Some were up to 6 feet deep and you gotta be careful here. Some of these patches of snow are hollow or really soft under the surface, so you may suddenly sink in when you put your weight on it. Carefully test the snow before putting your full weight on it. Just follow the footprints and you should be fine.

Word of advice, don't throw your bag to test the stability of the snow. I made the mistake of doing that and watched as my bag rolled down the slope slowly. It was a nightmare. Luckily I was able to slowly make my way down the slope and retrieve my bag. That probably wasn't the smartest idea since I was by myself.

I made it to the lake without any snow gear; I just had on my regular hiking boots. The lake is still mostly frozen, but it was a beautiful sight! Bring a jacket because it gets COLD up there.

Update to the Ira Spring Trail: About 0.5mi past the trailhead, the river crossing is VERY sketchy. The river/waterfall is currently at full steam and was all but uncrossable until we crudely laid some logs across it. Upon our return after a very warm day, the river was even higher and the log bridge was taken out. We laid some more logs from what we found but I would be surprised if it lasted another day.

In Short: Use caution, with the river this high, there is a significant chance to lose footing on a crude log/stick crossing and the consequences could be devastating with the river drop/waterfall mere feet from the crossing.

There seems to be confusion as to the correct name of the trail, but in both cases the name Road should be now be removed. This 5 mile long logging road has been converted into a meandering trail, such that new hikers would never believe that this had been a road. Even the bridge over granite creek is gone, replaced with a log bridge. The log bridge, now has a side rail on one side, unlike the photos taken in February in other reports. This was an amazing conversion. The many stream crossings had stones making crossing easy. The conversion does make the this a harder trail on the legs, with the continuous meandering, and a lot of small ups and downs, but much more attractive.

The trail head is not signed, and the old yellow gate gone but there is now a parking area to the side of the road large enough for 4 cars. We had the trail to ourselves.

The trail was clear of snow up to about 1/2 mile from the turn off to the lakes, and the new drainage meant minimal mud, despite lots of snow melt. About 1/4 mile on the snow was continuous. We were glad of gaiters, but now need of snow shoes or crampons.
After the turn off there were 2 stream crossings, involving negotiating snow banks 3 feet high and a confidence testing step between stones. But nothing too tricky. After that it was thick snow the rest of the way. Snow is soft, and occasionally post holed, so pick your route carefully.

This hike has seen little attention and the only reason that I can see for this is the rather small trail head and the beginning climb is... boring. But I am very happy that I put it on my hiking list a long time ago- and today was the perfect day!

Got to the trail head at about noon as I mistook auburn black diamond road for maple valley black diamond road (Doh!). There is very minimal space for parking cars here- I would estimate 5 or 6 cars worth (it is on the side of the road).

The trail starts on a logging road that has been torn up many... many... many times as they left the area. I like to think of these obstacles as mini mountains- as it seems to make them less annoying. Lots of summits that way!

After a while of climbing, the trail levels out right before the first clear-cut. From this area- you can see all the way to Mt. Si (including the incredibly popular Rattlesnake Ledge) After a bit more climbing after the clear cut- you will reach the radio tower (this is not the true summit, but had good views)

Do yourself a favor... don't stop there!

Continuing up the logging road will lead to some bushwhacking to get to another clearing with AMAZING views of Mt. Rainier. There are a couple 1ft deep snow patches that don't require any special gear, just try not to get it in your shoes!

From the clearing, you can continue through the logs to another logging road- this will lead to the true summit (with no views at all) so you can probably skip it... your call however. There was a bit more snow up there- but nothing serious at all and it will be gone fairly soon as long as our weather continues its warm trend!

We ended up searching to see where the actual Summit was, so we wandered around a bit. Specs were 11.7mi with 2,740ft of elevation gain. If you don't mind clear-cuts, and walking on a logging road the whole way- this is an excellent hike. Just be sure to bring sunscreen!

With all the warm weather I thought I would explore the Meadow Mountain Trail, but snow blocked access. Since it was such a nice day I decided to explore the decommissioned White Chuck River Road. Started out a little after 10:00am. The first mile there were quite a few blowdowns and windfall, but after a mile it wasn't to bad. This is not a bad hike. There were waterfalls, forest, peek-a-boo summits. It seemed like a cross between the Meadow Mountain Rd and the North Fork of the Sauk. Quite a few stream crossings and some of them not good for small children or small dogs. You can tell this is the road less traveled and felt like you were in a wild wilderness. Went a little ways past milepost 9 and had to turn around because of snow. There was also a great viewpoint at what I think would be about milepost 8, but no milepost sign. A great day to be out exploring. When I got home I looked at my Glacier Peak map and it looked like the road ended at Owl Creek. I crossed the Owl Creek bridge, so I must have been on the trail, but did not see any signs. Earlier, when heading to the Meadow Mountain trailhead, I saw that the road crews have been clearing the road of blowdowns and windfall as far as the snow.

I did what that Cascadian group did the week before. I hiked up the steep trail on the north side of the creek mouth to the top of that hill. I didn't go all the way to the bigger hill to the south like they did, though. The trail is easy to follow at first but then fades away. So you get to choose your route to the top. You may see occasional cairns. Balsalmroot and lupine was spectacular although it is already past its peak, so hurry if you still want to hike around here! The bitterroot is still blooming nicely. I luckily didn't encounter any rattlers but I know they are there, so be careful!

Two of us hiked the 11 miles from Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Point, leaving a car at each end so we could hike just one way. At 11am the ledge was still socked in, but halfway between there and East Peak we emerged under pure blue skies. Frankly I liked the view from East Peak more with clouds below than I did last time when it was clear and I could see the exurbs in all their glory.

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

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

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

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

Total hiking time at a good pace was about 4 hours 15 minutes plus stops.

Index town wall is a very tough hike in fact I gave up 1/4 of the way through, turned around and took the trail leading left from the rail road tracks. This trail was slightly easier but after about an hour I gave up as it just kept going and got a little crazy for me. Heybrook Lookout has some water flowing across the trail but not really any mud. There is a sign at the lookout warning of going to the tower on days in case there is lightning.

Sunny and warm above the 3800' ceiling of the lingering marine-layer; making for a cooler ascent on the steepest part of the easy-to-follow trail. Snow patches appear above 3900' with the largest over the north slope of the boulder field. Even for mid-week this mountain gets plenty of visitors; probably 30 seen during our trip. Parking is still along the Middle Fork road until DNR completes the new trailhead parking in September.
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http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

Here's a lovely spring hike with enough uphill to get your pulse rate up a bit. FYI - you'll now pass the NPS ranger station for the Carbon River area several miles outside the park entrance, on the left.

Our group parked at the park entrance on a sunny, mild day. We enjoyed the first 3 miles up the Carbon River valley, through a marvelous old-growth forest. Watch for Sitka spruce trees along the route in the lower valley - the only place they occur at Mt. Rainier. There's early season wildflowers, skunk cabbage & trillium in bloom along here.

There's been some recent work along the old road, with improved trail bridges in a couple of places. At about 3 miles, note the dry channel, choked with lots of gravel. This was an active river channel a year ago. Once again, the Carbon River is seeking out new ways to wind down the valley.

Just beyond this area, we turned right at the well-marked trailhead for Ranger Falls & Green Lake. This beautiful trail is in excellent condition. We found only one small fir across the trail, just below the Green Lake basin, which presents no obstacle. We also hit snowline at about this point, but could easily follow the trail across the creek footbridge to the lakeshore.

Ranger Falls is running high, carrying snowmelt in this warm spring weather. The trail up to the falls is something special, as it passes below giant downed trees that have been in place for decades. highly recommended - THEM, Olympia.

The snow was already getting a bit slushy on top when we started up but that was the given for a bright clear day. The scale of features on the mountain in that the balance of Mt Rainier and it's summit above us seemed only a couple hours away and in reality it was another seven thousand feet and to many miles away to imagine. We had great views of Mt Adams and Mt St Helens beyond the Tatoosh Range and somewhat of a side view of the Nisqually Glacier.

On the way back down I turned to watch a small cloud cruise over the top of Rainier and noticed that it began to grow and I was hoping to see a lenticular cloud take shape-it seemed to be on the way and then it just came apart.

My hiking companion noted that our average hiking speed was 1.4 mpg but the maximum rate was 9.4 mpg-Glissading!

did a four night trip going up thunder creek, first night camped at Junction, had a few blow downs but nothing to bad, had to get on my hands and knees once to go under a particularly big log.

the second night was the short walk to Skagit Queen. The snow started around the creek crossing before the camp, lots of patching snow at the camp but was able to set up my tent in a flat dry spot at one of the camp spots. all the camp sites still have snow on them and the watering hole has a couple feet of snow at the bank making it to hard to get water so I went to the creek by the old mine with easier results.

the next day I headed for Thunder Basin and started getting consistent snow about 2/3 of the way up the switchbacks past Skagit. Got to the top of the switchbacks and to Thunder Creek and started to post hole pretty regular. I made the mistake of leaving home without checking to make sure my snowshoes were in my car so I was with out. I dropped my pack and continued to parallel the creek but couldn't find and good safe crossings to get to the other side with less deep snow so I turned back and went back to Skagit Queen and explore the area.

The next night I moved back to Junction, then on out the next morning.

I may go up there again in a few days but this time I will remember my snowshoes. still had a great time .

Surprised by the amount of snow still on the trail. It slowed us down, but was readily navigated without hiking poles. This is a pleasant hike. We did it from Rattlesnake Ledge to Snoqualmie. Only saw three people once we turned west from the ledge. There's still a bunch of downed branches and small trees in places due to the winter snow, but it's not tough and quite scenic, especially considering the ravaged landscape a lot of it traverses.

Great hike close-in! Although it was a hot day, the switchbacks up to Teneriffe Falls go in and out of deep shade, cooling as you approach the falls. The falls are very impressive at the moment as you end the trail directly under them. Great views for most of the hike with a lot of variance in terrain/foliage. The makeshift trail that proceeds up the mountain from the falls is a tough climb/scramble, but it is interesting to check out.

We had hiked this trail 6-8-12 and the Tweedy's Lewisia were past their prime. We returned today to hopefully see them at their peak which they were! There were hundreds of bouquets along both sides of the trail, in nooks and crannies of the rocks above the trail, and a few on rocks across the river. The river was flowing loud and full! The trail follows the river the whole way with Ponderosa pines on the hillsides above. We played "leap frog" with and talked to 3 men who were clearing the trail--2 forest service workers and one from OHV. Many thanks to them! The trail is mostly level, gaining 300 feet in 3 miles. We were on the trail for 8 hours, but hiked only 6 miles RT because of the many wildflowers asking to have their pictures taken! :)! The Tweedy's were the star of the show, but the Columbia Clematis was a close second. One area had many blossoms climbing in a bush. Hooker's fairybells, Star-flowered and False Solomon's Seal, long-flowered bluebells. lavender pea-flowers, larkspur, popcorn flowers, balsamroot, and one scarlet gilia were some of the other flowers seen. We saw 2 rattlesnakes and a small rubber boa. There is a new toilet at the TH which begins at Pine Flats CG.

It was going to be 84 degrees in Seattle. About the same east of Cascades. The warmest day of the year so far. No escaping the heat on the west side. Janet and I decided to head east for a wildflower hike. I had done this hike one time. Janet had hiked it a number of times. It does provide some great wildflowers in the spring. Starting at 2000' and going up to 4300' there are a number of zones with different flowers in bloom. We headed out early meeting in Bellevue at 6:30 am. A quick stop in Cle Elum then exiting I-90 near Ellensburg. We did a driving loop for the day. Going we went down Canyon Road to Selah and then on to Black Canyon. We returned via Umptanum Road to the same freeway cloverleaf. It was 9:30 when we parked and started hiking. The dirt road up the canyon goes 1.3 miles to the end. We drove .3 and walked the road for one mile. There is a gate at .5 miles with some parking. Higher clearance cars did make it to the end of the road. A determined driver could get many sedans there. By walking the road we did see a number of wildflowers that drivers missed.

It was already getting warm at 9:30 the road walk took us by lots of balsamroot, lupine, and phlox plus a number of other flowers. At the end of the road there is a berm and the old road continues up the canyon. Open meadows turn to canyon where driving ends. There is still some water in the creek. Prime snake terrain. My previous visit was three weeks earlier in 2008. The flowers were much farther along this time. Balsamroot, lupine, and phlox continued and now we saw bluebells, larkspur, and prairie star. At 2.4 miles, 1.4 miles from the road end, we reached the old cabin. It is still standing. A good time for a break. Some shade was appreciated too. There was a cool breeze blowing. It continued nearly all day. That made for a much more comfortable day.

Farther along Janet thought we were near a patch of shooting stars. We went just off road and found... a huge patch of them. Some grass widows, many spring beauty, and a lot of shooting stars. All those flowers were right at their peak. The road is open to vehicles a little way above the cabin. To my surprise two jeeps passed us going downhill. We also passed two hikers coming down. The grade steepens as the ridge top nears. Lots more flowers near the ridge. The wind really picked up. I went from uncomfortably hot to a little cool. Very nice. At the ridge we could see out to the Stuart Range and down to Ellensburg on the other side of the ridge. Mt. Rainier came out too.

Last time we turned left and followed the ridge for some distance before going cross country down to another road that completed a loop back to our uphill road. This time we turned right. The road climbed steeply. We found a number of very large big headed clover. Some white and some reddish. An old spur turned right and headed to a high point. The road is signed for no motorized vehicles. The main road goes up and down and can be seen for a long distance. We had a strong tail wind pushing us uphill. The view was even better at the top. Three hundred sixty degrees with nothing to block our view. Add the top of Mt. Adams to the other peaks.

We managed to get out of most of the wind and enjoy our stay on top. The GPS logged 5 miles to our 4300' perch. Only a few small trees survive on the summit. There were a few blooming balsamroot. Time for the rest of our lunch as we hunkered down out of most of the wind. It was only about 1:15 when we headed down. I had my hat tightened trying to keep it from sailing away. We dropped back to where we first reached the ridge for a final look at the views. Rainier, Stuart, Ellensburg, Selah, and more. As we dropped off the ridge the wind died down and the temperature seemed to go up by about 20 degrees. Thankfully there was some cool breeze all the way down.

As usually happens, the trip down seemed a few miles longer than the hike up. Many fewer photos on the descent. We did take another break at the cabin. We did see a couple groups heading up as we came out. At the end of the drivable road we found two SUVs. As we ambled down the road I heard a loud "hissss' and Janet moved quickly and then pointed out a rattlesnake right at the edge of the road. I have it a wide berth. It was in strike mode. Maybe it would not be such a good idea to wanter into the sagebrush for more photos... Only the second rattler sighting I've had in 31 years of hiking. It was plenty hot when we reached the car.

My second visit to Black Canyon was much different than my first. No snow and later season flowers this time. The wildflower show was better than I was expecting. The lack of other hikers was surprising. A sunny spring day and only a handful of other hikers with all those wildflowers in bloom. An easy 10 miles with 2300' of gain. Thanks to the breeze it was not too hot though it turned out to be a warm afternoon. It is a long drive from the Seattle area but well worth it when the wildflowers are putting on a show.

I have posted 30 annotated photos on my website located at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2013" on the left margin.

It was a sunny warm day, so my husband and I decided to hike up Pyramid Peak. We normally hike in the Southern Cascades and were looking forward to hiking in the Olympics. Sure, there were warning about the landslide, but we are experienced hikers and decided to go anyway.

There was a nice view of Lake Crescent from the top, and it was fun checking out the cabin built during WWII to spot enemy aircraft. I’ve only rarely seen Calypso orchids and chocolate lilies and was surprised to see whole patches of them.

In retrospect, however, the reward wasn’t worth the risk of crossing the landslide. The Romano description was spot on: “Scraped bare of vegetation, the slide is several hundred feet across and highly exposed. Trail tread is only a few inches wide in spots.”

It took a lot of focus to cross, with my pack bumping into the rock wall on the uphill side, the narrow tread skiddering away under my feet, and the mind-blowing drop in my peripheral vision.

My husband and I reset our priorities and decided that looking down on a lake and seeing pretty wildflowers is just not worth endangering our lives. Next time that we see a warning sign that says “There is NO safe way” to do what we were intending, we’ll turn around.

  Move this hike to the top 5 of our list of favorites! Started out from whiskey bend about 9 am. sun cascading through the trees casting long shadows that beckoned a beautiful journey. Almost everywhere you look there was serenity in green lush mossy forest.
   Our first stop was at Micheal's cabin perfect spot to mill around and imagine what it was like back in the day. Pressing on through the forest our next point was Hume's ranch much the same as Micheal's cabin but sitting up on a hill overlooking a huge meadow, the meadow where we made our camp for the night.
   After setting up camp we took a short walk up to the suspension bridge, the roar of the mighty Elwah was incredible its milky green water churned to a frothy torrent as it makes its way down the valley. I'm still trying to figure out the 'low clearance' sign on the bridge however, unless your a squatch there is no need to watch your head!
  Back at camp as we were settling in for the evening deer started to appear from the forest, 2, 5, 9, till at least 17 were all around our camp checking us out, munching on some tasty grass... and then...BEAR! Marilee my wife, was a little um... un nerved for a bit as she knows that I can easily out run her ( after tripping her first! ) LOL The bear seemed very un interested in us as he made his way around the meadow looking for what ever bears look for on the tall grass. Marilee had one eye opened as we finally made our way to the tent and enjoyed a star filled night sky. My advice here, bring your bear canister or use the in place bear wires for your grub.
   The next morning I woke to a beautiful mist shrouded meadow and fog filled river valley, Im sure this must be how Geyser valley got its name.
     The hike back to whiskey bend was as enchanting as the hike out, we took the lower path to Goblin gates through Rico canyon. Goblin gates is a site to behold, The Elwah making its turn through this rocky obstacle and on past the area where the dam has been dismantled, breathtaking!
     Folks this is a great Day hike and even better overnight er, don't miss out on this Gem.

I had hoped to be able to hike to Mowich Lake, but didn't quite make it all the way. There is about a foot of snow just inside the park boundary on the road. I parked about a 1/2 mile from the trail head where, again, there is about a foot of snow. The trail to Paul's Peak and the junction with the Wonderland trail has patches of snow during the first mile especially as you head deep in the first creek valley, however, the bridge is clear and passable and the snow soon clears completely off the trail. In fact, for the next 4 miles the trail was snow free. It was just as I was getting close to Mowich Lake in mile 6 that the snow began again and quickly became a couple of feet. I probably got to within a half mile of the lake but decided to turn around.

The good news is that the trailhead is now easily accessible. Once you get on the trail the first part is fairly easy, with a clear view of the trail. As you go on things get a bit trickier. There is still quite a bit of snow and in many areas the snow is melting and getting weaker. Be prepared for slippery footing and expect to often find your leg going through 3-4 feet of snow, as there are still multiple snow bridges on the path 4-5 feet above ground. Going around the snow is sometimes an option, but the ground is very muddy and soft.

Often times I found my self sliding into the snow and having to leverage myself out with my walking pole. In other parts of the trail where snow has melted the ground is extremely muddy and many small streams running through. Since I am new to the trail, I don’t know what the normal conditions are. I can tell you that it took nearly 1.5 hours to get to the lake. If you are a novice hiker looking for an easy trip, I would not recommend hitting this trail in the next two weeks.

Also important to note, as we got closer to the lake we ran across a pair of hikers who could not find their way back to the actual trial. Apparently the normal trail down to the lake is still covered and there are rocks everywhere it would be very easy to slip and break an ankle or hit your head on a rock. We took a different route to the lake and couldn’t make it down.

Based on a basic knowledge of geology it looks as though there may have been a small avalanche during this past winter that will be more apparent as more of the snow melts. More experienced hikers may have an easier time accessing the lake and campgrounds, but we saw no visible campgrounds. Hikers arriving at the lake didn’t seem to stay long.

We left our car at about 12:30pm and made it back at a bit after 4pm. Our slow time was probably due to navigating the snow bridges and trying to determine where the trail continues. Had I read a trip report before going I would have waited until later in the season, as this trail presented some challenges that I felt were a bit above my skill level, but I did gain some new experience which is why I committed to completing the hike.

This was the third day in less than a week doing trail maintenance with WTA on the trail leading to Snoquera Falls. The hike in each day was easy going and dry. The last day was spent finishing a rock wall in an area of the trail that passes through a small rock slide. The trail was starting to erode, but we were able to build up a supporting rock wall and make the trail look as if nothing had happened.

Great day for a hike. The weather was warm and the trail was wonderful. We did a figure 8 to enjoy every inch of trail. Lots of salamaders and ducks swimming in the water and the creek was clear and beautiful. Perfect for little ones. Our 4-year-old had a wonderful time looking for wildlife! Our only complaint was the bathrooms which were littered inside with garbage and feces on the toilet seat and no toilet paper. On a positive note, there is a nice picnic area!

I had to be home by mid afternoon so I chose a close in destination and a short easy hike. It would also be the warmest day of the year so far. I left early cruising along the Mountain Loop Highway to the trailhead. I was on the trail by 8:30 am. There were already more than half a dozen cars in the lot. It was a little cold for a short sleeve shirt so early but shorts were fine. The day warmed up rapidly. I expected snow at the lake but did not know where it would begin. I did not bring snowshoes but did pack Yaktrax. I did not use them. There was more skunk cabbage down low than I ever recall seeing. At the bridge there was a lot of water in Twenty Two Creek.

The big trees are one one of the best features of this trail. The area was set aside in 1947 and holds some of the easiest to find old grown near Seattle. There are no logs down across the trail making for fast and easy travel. At the last switchback before the trail enters the open rock field, I took the short way trail over to Twin Falls. These side by side beauties were gushing plenty of water. The early morning light was especially good. I took a medium long break enjoying the falls and playing with exposures for photos.

Back on trail I quickly entered the rock field. It was only 9:20 am but it was already heating up. No longer any need for long sleeves. From the last switchbacks I had nice views to snowy peaks beyond the ridge to the north. Then it was back into forest for the last bit to the lake. Patchy snow immediately giving way to patches of dirt then all snow. There are a few creeks to cross. I had heavier boots, put on gaiters and kept dry feet all day. Folks with lighter boots or sneakers had wet feet immediately. The open forest with broken trees shows the spot of a deadly avalanche several years ago. The low angle terrain close by belies the steep slopes behind that were previously hidden by trees. Upon nearing the creek and turning into the lake basin the snow went from 6 inches to 3 feet deep and more. There is one problem spot where a creek is crossed.

The drop down is at least 7 feet. Tracks drop downhill to the left and cross on a snow bridge. It is holding now but is getting thin. There will be quite a drop to the creek when it goes. With the warm weather we are having the snow will melt enough before too long to be able to climb down and back up. Just be a little careful with that snow bridge in the short term. The last bit went quickly and I was soon at Lake 22. Bright white snow, blue sky, and that near vertical back wall made for a beautiful sight. To my surprise, There was nobody at the lake outlet. I took a look at the bridge over the outlet. It is a good seven feet from the snow down to the bridge deck. As was demonstrated to me just before I left, some folks are jumping down to the hand rail and then to the bridge deck. Not for me.

The lake is still snow covered except for near the outlet. While I saw footprints out on the lake it is getting thin enough on the edges that it is way to risky for me. I brought a very wide angle lens and for the first time I was able to get the lake and back wall into a photo. I had hoped to go part way around the left side of the lake with the sun behind me. Instead, I started around the right side of the lake. There were a few footprints but not many. I think I was on or near the summer trail much of the way. The snow was pretty well consolidated though soft in some spots when out in the sunshine. It was not a big deal to sink in knee deep in a few spots. I went bout 80% of the way around the right. side. I did see two folks across from me on the left side. There were footprints near the shore at the back end of the lake.

I saw several big avalanches coming down the back wall. One was huge and loud. It did not appear that the snow had made it to near the lake itself. Still, I would not press my luck by passing under those big avalanches. I had lunch in the sunshine admiring the views. After a nice long break I headed back. At the outlet there were now lots of people. I arrived at the lake at 10:00 am and left just after 11:00 am. There must have been twenty folks at the lake.

Starting down I immediately passed groups coming up. One was more than a dozen. Lots of others were 5-8 people. I did not could but I would guess I passed about 90 folks coming up in the 75 minutes I was on the trail coming down. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. I'm sure some were not expecting the five feet of snow still at the lake. I took a short break at Twin Falls but the light was not nearly as good as it had been in the morning. Even with stepping off the trail dozens of times to allow folks to pass I was down quickly. By 12:30 I was ready to drive home. The lot was packed as I knew it would be.

This turned out to be an excellent morning trip. With an early start I saw few folks on the way up. The morning light was outstanding at the falls and the lake. By gong part way around the lake I had close up views of the avalanches and again avoided the crowds. For the day I logged about 6 miles with 1400' of gain. A fine way to spent a spring time morning at a snow covered lake.

I have posted 30 annotated photos on my website located at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2013" on the left margin.

  Even though I took the Oyster Dome Trail, I went to the right at the T. The left goes to Oyster Dome or Lily Lake. If you go to the right there is a great look out where they launch hang gliders and you can connect to the Larry Reed Trail and continue on to Lily and Lizard Lakes and also reconnect with the Oyster Dome Trail. I use these trails for conditioning for later in the hiking season, but they are great hiking trails in their own right. Forest, wildflowers, wildlife, and lakes, with significant elevation gains. Also great views of Puget Sound and no spring avalanche danger. Trails are in great shape and feels like your in the middle of the Cascades.

  Beautiful day on one of the best combination puget sound hikes around. We headed north on the cliff trail and then down to the beach with a gorgeous beach walk back to the car. This is about a 6 mile round trip but it seems you could walk "forever" along this beach at low tide. Wildflowers are blooming and great beachcombing are just a few of the reasons to go.

We followed the directions to the trailhead from the WTA site and had no problem parking (we arrived around 2pm on a weekday though). The trail is in excellent condition and we saw about 12-14 other hikers throughout the afternoon who all seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were.

We enjoyed the shady walk through the trees and met a few gardner snakes along the way that were enjoying the spots of sun that made it through the trees. We hiked on a clear day which afforded us lovely views from the overlooks which offered nice sunny views (don't forget sunscreen or a hat).

It is a rather steep incline at the beginning but my mom had a walking stick so that helped on the way back down.

BEAR! We hadn't gone more than about a half mile from the trailhead, when out of the brush not more than ten feet in front of us, came a small black bear! He/she ran up the trail a ways, then 'bearing' left disappeared into the brush on the opposite side of the trail. I don't know who was more astonished, us or the bear! It was a small bear, probably a yearling. This is a great hike for bridge lovers, there is one really cool one that zigzags over a large waterfall. The trail is in great shape, but there are a couple of tricky stream crossings, water 'streaming' over the trail from the rapid snowmelt higher up. The first one was the hardest, not safe for small children and small dogs, at least not today, very swift, with no secure rocks or logs. The next two were easier, with rocks or a log across. No bugs out yet. The lake was calm, with reflections of Mt. Baker. All peaks visible today. A great day to be in the mountains!

I finally found the trail (path) to Lookout Point at the East end of the Wall. This is the best viewpoint on the entire wall.

Directions: Park at the Bush House, which is an old motel being remodeled at the second intersection in Index after you cross the bridge. Hike 0.1 mile away from town along the railroad tracks. Look for a small wooden bridge (see photo) on the right down in the ditch. This is the beginning of the trail.

Hike up and down through the forest. The trail becomes a faint path, but if you look closely, you can find it. Bear left when the trail forks and go until you find a cairn on a moss-covered rock. Look up to the right and find a pink ribbon with black dots and follow the path to another cairn (see photo). The way is pretty much straight up the boulder field to the base of the wall. Look for a pink ribbon at the top, and then look for another pink ribbon downward to your right. Follow the path up and down along the base of the wall for about a tenth of a mile and look to the left for a trail leading steeply up the mountain. I marked the upward trail with a beer bottle that I found. It is sitting on a rock beside the trail.

Now the fun begins. Ascend using hands and feet up the steep gorge to the top of the wall. I felt like I was climbing Aasgard Pass above Colchuck Lake! The hike to the wall is only 2.5 miles RT, but the elevation gain is 1,150' and the trip feels like a five-mile hike.

When you reach the top, turn around and find Old Glory backed by Baring Peak and make your way to the lookout. The views of the valley and the surrounding peaks are excellent.

Happy Hiking.

After setting up camp at Fox Creek CG along the Entiat River, we did this 1.8 mile loop hike with a 700 ft elevation gain counter clockwise. The trail is a work of art with its stone steps. bridges with unique hand rails, and many benches along the way. We were the only ones on the trail. Flowers seen were a few ball-head waterleaf and a few paintbrush. The falls and creek were full and beautiful!

Another beautiful day! We had originally intended to take the poor man's route up to the Oyster Dome from the Samish Overlook because it was my buddy's first hike of the spring. We found the road closed at the Blanchard Lower Trailhead. Sign said to expect delays Mon-Thur.

So we bit the bullet and drove around to Chuckanut Drive and went up that way. Not really anything to say that hasn't been said before. There is signage (new since last March to me, at least) that says the bat caves are closed. The views were okay from the dome. Don't think I'd make another special trip to come back (the first time I was up there it was in wind, clouds, and rain).

Afterwards we decided to pack on some miles so we headed east towards Lily Lake. Instead of taking Max's Shortcut as we had the first time we continued on and took the longer Lily-Lizard trail route to the Lily-Max connected, finally arriving the the empty parking lot where we'd originally intended to park, before headed down to Chuckanut Drive.

Nice day. Hot weather. Not a lot of people on the trail. Glad to be out of the snow.

The bugs and mudholes were only on the trail within a half mile either way of Lily Lake where all the standing water is.

http://www.lemarts.com/2/post/2013/05/may-06th-2013.html

I wanted to take advantage of this incredible weather and do this loop. Got to the Ozette Ranger station around 10ish and after chatting with the Ranger set out for Cape Alava. Some of the boardwalk has been replaced with a gravel path, which is better.
Weather on the beach was foggy and cool, about 52 degrees with a steady southery breeze about 10 knots. This persisted until I returned to the parking lot 4 hours later.
The tide was out so I got past all the headlands with no problems and got the shot of the petroglifs that I had com for.
I met and chatted with maybe seven other hikers doing the loop.
Lots of fishing net, rope, and plastic flotsom on the beach along with the rotting carcase of a dead whale.

Beautiful sunny day planning to hike to Big Huckleberry Mtn. Trail not cleared of downed trees from winter--just a minor nuisance. Encountered snow just below Grassy Knoll; about 75' snowfield to cross or scramble to left through trees.
Grassy Knoll snow free with some nice early flowers! Continued along ridge towards Big Huckleberry Mtn. For about 2 miles hit intermittent snow drifts but easily walkable. Fantastic views of Mt. Adams.
Just past Cold Creek Camp at about 4.2 miles from trailhead the snow becomes widespread under the thick, timbered true fir stand. It is a couple feet deep and the trail disappears. I turned around and ended up with about a 8.5 mile hike.
I saw no one on trail except two women close to end of my hike. I suspect snow will be gone in 30 days or so.

We were very much looking forward to this day hike when we went up to Leavenworth on sunday. We got there semi early (depending what you consider) at 10am, to find that eightmile road was closed at the very beginning of the FR.

There was no warning, just the closed gate. I assume maybe a washout, due to the history of the road. People had parked and trekked in, but we decided that an extra 6 miles (3 miles down to trailhead from closed road and back) to our planned day hike, would indeed, make it not a day hike on our time schedule. We ended up checking out Fourth of July Creek right up the way... If water is on your mind (or an easy hike), this is not the hike to resort to. I'd drive up icicle road a bit further.

We were pretty sad that it was closed, definitely want to return. Thought I would alert everyone that it was closed. I was thinking that because there was no report since 'hiking season' started, it was fine. But that's what you get for assumption!

Nice hike, but not even close to 6 miles or 2800 feet of elevation gain. I was expecting this hike to take some work, but it was pretty easy. I would just guess that it's about 4 miles and w/1000 ft of elevation gain.

Started off with taking a right into the campgrounds instead of turning left to get to trail 1313. Wondered around the campgrounds for a bit to check it out then headed in the right direction. With about 3 miles to go to drive to the trail head we ran into snow. A lot of snow. Decided to park the car on the side of the road and snowshoe it in. There was still anywhere between 2-4' of snow on the road. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed the hike to the trail head. We decided not to go any further since we got a later start than we wanted but the trail itself was also deep in snow. Going to try this one again after the snow has time to melt off.

Many flowers blooming at different elevations, including shooting star, lupine, larkspur, sagebrush violet and hedgehog cactus on the ridge. I could not find any bitterroot in bloom. It was a beautiful day to hike, but I had forgotten how steep it is up to the ridge! Strenuous, but worth it for the great views and all the variety of flowers. Parking lot was only about half full when I arrived late morning.

This is a great trail to get an overview of the city of Wenatchee (East & West) along with the Columbia River. It's usually very dry and hot so make sure to bring water. Also be cautious of rattle snakes (I haven't seen it in person but the locals say be cautious). It was about 75F with a slight breeze so it was perfect for hiking this usually hot and dry trail. This is the greenest I've EVER seen it!


My youtube video of the trail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4-DN9Xpbo8

If link doesn't work search: Hike Up Saddle Rock Hiking Trail In Wenatchee, WA

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we thought we would get an early start arriving at the trail around 9:40 am. The parking lot was already full, but we found a road side spot.

The first two miles were pretty straight forward. At the sign to the falls it said one mile to go, but it was more than that at least a mile and a half if not two.

That portion was a little tougher with the elevation and loose rocks. But it was doable even with sneakers on although I saw the appeal and desire to wear hiking boots.

The view at the falls was amazing, and they generated a refreshing breeze. With such great weather and clear skies there were scenic views along the trail. It was about a 3 hour round trip, a great hike on a sunny day.

Great weather! It was over 90 degrees outside of the forest but once you got inside it was much more comfortable. The parking lot was packed (as should be expected) but the trail itself was not too crowded. Hiked all the way up to the Upper Falls and got to see some wonderful views. Read more here, with pictures : http://thepierogiemama.blogspot.com/[…]/squirt-earns-his-keep.html

The road to this trail was nearly inaccessible, we managed to get by in a Subaru outback but a standard car would not have made the trip. On the trail, there are A LOT of blowdowns in the first couple of miles, but it's passable. We made it through the avalanche chute and through the woods beyond that, but then at the first ridgetop we lost the trail due to snow, and had to end our hike there. It's dicey with the snow right now, a frustrating experience to route-find and post-hole, so I would recommend waiting another month or so before giving it a shot.

Hiked up to the Falls Creek junction. Nice spring hike with the river roaring, green foliage with a few flowers, and nice views of the still-snowy mountains on either side.

The trail is in pretty good shape, and is now entirely snow-free. The most significant issue was a couple of fallen logs to scramble around (the first one is actually the hardest), but not a big deal.

And as the last review states, it's brushy at times, but doable in shorts if it's hot and you're willing to take a few minor scratches. (I didn't see any ticks or anything, but your mileage may vary).

A few wildflowers blooming: Indian Paintbrush early on, quite a lot of trillium, and a few other ones I don't know the names of. I get the sense the big bloom is yet to happen, though.

Overall, a very pleasant early-season hike to stretch your legs out on.

Beautiful sunny day in Seattle to go hiking. At 10am, the TH parking lot was full, so we drove a half-mile down the road to park on the shoulder. The gentle grade for the first portion is pretty nice, but don't forget to turn right at the obvious junction. I'm surprised there's no sign here. At the higher elevation there were nice cool breezes and there was a minimal amount of water on the trail in a couple spots. Turned right at the sign for the falls, and into the rock trail we went. Great views but it got pretty warm.

You'll run into the falls, but keep pushing on with the switchbacks until you get to the real Teneriffe Falls. I wouldn't call this an easy hike, with the rocks and more intense elevation gain during the last mile up. Bugs were not a problem. Wear sunscreen.

Tried Lord Hill from the southside this time.
Less help from signs and maps down on this end.
First question was whether to stay down by the river or climb up the road. The map we printed from the county website didn't show the trail along the river, so we took the road. There were many other trails not shown on the map. But it was a good day for adventuring so off we went.
Didn't hurt that there were 12 vehicles parked close to the trailhead (3 of which were S&R trucks). Help was near at hand.
The trails were in pretty good shape with bleeding hearts, buttercups and wood wren song to accompany us. Still some muddy spots and evidence of heavy horse usage about. Later, as we got farther north, signs and maps were more evident. Very nice hike and pretty lightly populated for such a gorgeous day.

Some pictures from today's hike: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/

Ok, I liked this hike, but I gotta say the directions in the description are a little confusing. The White River Trailhead isn't signposted anywhere. Instead it's Buck Creek you gotta look out for. Here you can park and then cross the road to find the trailhead. It's basically all switchbacks through the forest. At 2.6 miles you get to the Little Ranger Peak viewpoint. It's a good spot for a rest and maybe lunch but the views aren't that amazing (see pictures). From there Dalles Ridge is signposted at 3 miles. Looking at the map it seems at Dalles Ridge you got various option to connect with other trails. I went on another mile and ahalf or so after the viewpoint (more switchbacks) until I ran into snow, then turned around.

The trail climbs pretty gently, so good for early season out of shape hiking :-) No problems at all on the trail until the snow starts. All in all this was a good workout on a sunny day but there are hardly any good views. I'd love to do this one again later in the year and catch one of the connecting trails, might be a good backpacking option.

A bluebird, cloudless sky brought us down to Mt Rainier to enjoy the day. Camp Muir was our destination, but the windy weather aborted our attempt about 1000 feet below Anvil Rock. The wind was reported to be estimated in the 30 mph range sustained, which made the going a bit chilly at times.

The route is still all snow covered right out of the parking lot. We used snowshoes for the first hour or so, then abandoned them when we hit The Big Hill. This route is normally not the true route, but with all the snow...everyone is just going UP as opposed to around. There was a nice boot pack up this hill, so it wasn't too ugly. Some people kept their snowshoes on, but for me personally, that would have made it quite a challenge.

The trail is partially wanded now, from about Pan-Point up. There isn't a great boot pack trail from that point up, however, perhaps due to the wind blowing over the snow--there wasn't a lot of post-holing, so we kept to our boots without the snowshoes. Lots of folks were there to ski or board down from Muir, but those who were carrying their skis/boards had a tough time with the wind gusts.

We had lunch at our turnaround point, then headed down. We enjoyed a fun glissade down The Big Hill and then put our snowshoes back on. At that point, the wind wasn't as intense, the snow more slushy and post-holing nasty. It was a bit of a slip and slide on occasion even with the snowshoes, but overall, it wasn't bad.

Tips for folks who may be venturing up: Always bring hat/gloves/jackets. I know you know that...but it is surprising to see the people who venture up there in clothing that is not conducive to 30 mph winds.

All in all, a fun day even though we didn't get to Camp Muir. Next time....

For Cinco de Mayo, I finally made it out to a hike that's been on my list for awhile - Boulder River - since I'm a waterfall lover. This was a great hike! The 700' elevation gain part was a bit of a curveball as it felt like there was more than that, but one foot in front of the other moved us up an down as the trail requested. I was not ready for the stunning waterfalls that are a part of this trail - two main ones and many creek crossings w/baby waterfalls if you stop to enjoy them. Those are the hidden gems in the hikes I enjoy - the baby waterfalls. They have so much character!

This would make a great backpack destination as there are quite a few campsites - though getting water may require a bit of tramping from some of them.

There were trilliums, bleeding hearts and the little yellow flower - whose name escapes me - blooming. The blow downs were quite manageable and the mud made it interesting. We did not come out looking like Tough Mudder participants luckily!

I don't hike many trails more than once because there are so many more to explore in this great area, but I'll be back to this one for sure!

I've been waiting for the snow to melt to attempt Little Ranger Peak again... Today was a success! What an amazing day! As the previous trip report mentioned, snow starts above 4000 feet. It is solid, with no trace of avalanche danger. I did encounter 2 burly tree issues, but as I decended, I came upon a few people clearing these problems up. THANK YOU!

Snow continued up to the shelter and ridgeline, but was melted off at the summit. Scored a 4-point deer antler at the base of the summit... which is now risiding in the hands of a happy 5 year old. Amazing view of Mt. Rainer! Oh, and I only needed waterproof boots and poles for the trek! ^_^

Beautiful day, and we made it to the second tunnel for the first time in years. Between the bottom of the switchbacks and the river, there were numerous blow-downs, but there was no problem navigating over and under them. Once you get to the river, the makeshift trail to the canyon entrance was pretty dry and fairly easy to navigate, but with a little rain, it would be a real mess.

The trail officially ends at 1.2 miles just before an older landslide blocks the trail. It used to be treacherous going across this, but several years of foot traffic have worn a pretty good path across it, although I wouldn't want to cross it with small children. From there it is a short jaunt along the concrete railroad bed to the first tunnel.

Immediately past the first tunnel, there used to be a steep landslide that was difficult and dangerous to cross. Now trees and other debris have come down to fill in the area, making the crossing very easy and safe. We stopped at the end of the second tunnel where there is still a steep and dangerous landslide to cross.

The river was roaring through the canyon, really spectacular. Just a few kinds of wildflowers - yellow violets, bleeding hearts, and lots of skunk cabbage.

Great day for a hike on this trail along some spectacular rapids. The trail is easy going and the loop is nice however a little short for our taste. At the bridge junction we stayed left and headed to 4 stream where we ate lunch then headed back. A few trees were down over the trail to 4 Stream but nothing to complain about. When we arrived back at the bridge junction we followed the bridge and completed the loop. Very warm today and nothing but sun!

SNOW! You still can't drive up to the trail head and there is more than a foot of snow on the road. It is slippery and COLD, even with 80's in the towns below it - dress warm and with good shoes.

Today was a great day for a hike, and Wallace Falls did not disappoint. The parking lot was completely packed when we started at 1, with many more cars parked on the side of the road outside the gate. The trail is in great condition, offering plenty of views of Wallace river, the various creeks, and eventually some surrounding peaks and the valley. The falls themselves were magnificent, although the overlooks were slightly crowded. We ate a late lunch at the upper falls overlook, which wasn't as crowded as the lower one - perhaps the climb up the last half mile scared off some groups. We made it back to the parking lot by 4, and there were still more people starting up the trail.

The Kamakazie trail up Mt. Tenerife has often earned its name. However, Mountains to Sound Greenway has built a new trail with switchbacks up to Kamakazie Falls. On a sunny Sunday in May there must have been 30 cars at or near the trailhead and at least 100 people on the trail. Our Outventures group (gay & lesbian outdoor group) added another 21 to the traffic.

The trail starts out at the school bus turnaround on the Mt. Si road past the Mt. Si parking lot (that lot was full to overflowing today). The first two miles are boring road with two very nicely constructed drainages. As the road narrows through the trees it comes to the start of the trail. There is a sign that says 1 mile to the falls.

That mile is stony climb up riprap tread to the falls. Fortunately it switchbacks to the stream in the shade once in awhile so it is not too exposed to sun. The final destination is both spectacular and disappointing. Spectacular because the trail takes you right up to and almost under the falls. Disappointing because there is no place to stand to appreciate the scene. The old trial continues faintly up from there to the summit of Tenerife.

Tunnel still closed even though everything says it should be open May 1st.

A state trooper in the parking lot "heard a rumor" that it will not be opening until some repairs can be done to the ceiling.

It was a warm Sunday, and a cool cave just sounded like a great idea. The cave itself was dark and cold, so a flash light and warm clothing are a must. The lower cave was not much of a challenge, but it started to get very narrow, to the point where we had to crawl through, and we decided to turn around at that point. After that, we wanted to try the upper cave, and that was a bit more of a challenge. We had to climb over many rocks, and there were many puddles, so if you don't want your feet getting wet, you had to watch where you're stepping. The dark cave had some openings where some skylight came through, that was absolutely beautiful. After we got out of the cave, the hike back to the car was quite beautiful. It was warm and sunny and there was some snow. Although we encountered some mud puddles, we didn't really care much. Overall, there were many families there, but I wouldn't say it was overcrowded. All in all it was a great hiking/caving experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested.

The trail was snow free for 2 miles.. Keep an eye out for bright markers on limbs. The higher you get the farther apart they are.. Mountaineering Snowshoes and poles are helpfull to reach the pass. Beware of the low valleys where you can hear the percolating water from below. I personally had no problem reaching the pass. But ive gotten used to the extended cross country travel in the cascades.. I didnt have the water for further exploring of the ridge conecting church, but the pass had some great views and was worth the effort getting there. Expect to climb 2000ft cross county through snow. In the shadowed areas by trees its solid ice and in the sun exposed areas its much softer. Routefinding skills and avalanche awareness recommended to reach the pass.

The hike was nice, a steady increase in elevation until the turn off for Coal Creek Falls, then it was a switchback. At the falls there was a lot of mud and uneven terrain but it was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. The old mine holes were cool to see.

Camas flowers were in full bloom along the 3 mile loop trail. Also saw blooming buttercup and violets.

No snow until about a mile and half before the lake. As you get closer the snow gets heavy, probably about 5 feet of snow still starting before you get to the junction that splits the trail to thompson lake or granite lakes. Did not go down to granite lake turned around at the junction, however it is doable. Snow has settled pretty well so post holing will not happen a lot. There are several decent sized creeks causing wide gaps between snow. Hopefully by June the snow will pretty much be melted out on this hike. We will see as long as this weather continues :) Great hike for dogs, only saw 5 people all day and most people never even make it to the lake even when the trail is snow free. Not the most exciting hike but the route does provide some backdoor avenues for summits of mount defiance, little visited thompson and granite lakes, and revolution peak.

We drove down 3 hours from Seattle on a whim yesterday and were pleasantly surprised by this hike (and particularly enjoyed the lack of snow, coming on the heels of a number of snowy and muddy ones around Seattle). There were wildflowers all along the trail as well as (not surprisingly given the gorgeous weather) many fellow hikers (and dogs). Very windy at the top - kind of nice to cool down with. Not to mention the spectacular views of the Columbia River, Mt Hood, and Mt Adams!

Took us ~4 hours at a pretty relaxed pace. There were some steeper/rocky parts on the way up, but nothing too bad. We did the loop, so the way down (Hardy Creek Trail) was quite flat - though it lacked the views of the "more difficult" way up.

The trail is currently closed for a reroute project. There are no signs announcing this until after you have walked the 2.3 miles up the access road to the trail head.