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Little Si

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Rock climbers use the first half of this trail to get to the rock faces on the east end of Little Si. Hikers use the full trail to sweep around the west end and climb the tall knob on the easier (though still a bit rocky) route. Like its big sibling, Mount Si, Little Si offers phenomenal views of the Upper Snoqualmie Valley after a nice hike through forests and over rocks. The trail is steep initially, then mellow, then steep again as it scrambles straight up the northern spine to the 1576-foot summit.

This area was logged extensively, but in the intervening decades the forest has regenerated nicely, and a diverse collection of evergreens and deciduous trees shade the trail.

As you near the hulk of rocky bluff known as Little Si, the trail levels off into a swampy area. Small streams link bogs filled with trillium and skunk cabbage. The trail is generally high and dry, though you will encounter an area of mud or three.

At around 1.5 miles, views open up onto the high, craggy rock of the southeastern face of Little Si. You might see rock climbers crawling up the rock routes here. Continue along the trail as it loops north and then west to the gentler north face of Little Si.

The trail turns and runs straight up this northern spine, climbing steeply up the rocky ridge--you'll be forced to use your hands at times as you scramble up the biggest rocks--until finally capping out on the 1576-foot summit on the southern edge of the rocky prominence. Enjoy stellar views of the North Bend valley before heading back the way you came.
Driving Directions:

From Seattle drive east on I-90 to exit 32 (436th Avenue SE). Turn left (north) over the freeway and drive 0.5 mile to North Bend Way. Turn left (west), and in 0.25 mile turn right (north) on Mount Si Road. Shortly after crossing the bridge, the road banks right. Just after this curve, look for a paved parking area on the left side of the road (if you get to the intersection with 444th Avenue SE, you've gone too far).

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Recent Trip Reports

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There are 117 trip reports for this hike. See all trip reports for this hike.
Little Si — May 05, 2012 — babs0824
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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Weather was partially sunny with slight rain on and off, perfect for hiking. Had a great time with t...
Weather was partially sunny with slight rain on and off, perfect for hiking. Had a great time with the Tacoma Mountaineers learning basic scrambles skills. Off-trail some areas with loose rock and slippery. Not too technical, very fun!

May have left an iPhone with purple case in parking lot - please comment if found.
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Little Si — May 05, 2012 — mRED
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Mudholes
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The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds in Seattle today. Finally decided to head out to L...
The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds in Seattle today. Finally decided to head out to Little Si and on the way was greeted with some rain on the I-90.

But by the time, we reached the trail head, the rain stopped and it was cold and chilly.
Started the hike at about 12:30 PM. Worth noting is that the trail is pretty slushy and muddy with all the rain from the past couple of days. Took us just less than an hour to reach the top.

There weren't too many people on the top. Thank the chilly weather for that. Spent sometime sitting on the rocks at the top and watching the valley from there. Mt. Si was covered with clouds and so were the other mountains. But the sun was peeking out of the clouds and it was a good time to be on top.

Started back down and reached the trail head by 2:30. Good workout overall.
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Little Si — Apr 29, 2012 — detectivemuffin
Day hike
Issues: Mudholes | Water on trail
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We started around 1.50. The trailhead parking lot gets full quickly even on a slightly clear day. Th...
We started around 1.50. The trailhead parking lot gets full quickly even on a slightly clear day. There is limited parking for little Si. The first incline was dry but rest of the hike was extremely muddy and there was water on trail. There were a lot of families hiking with kids and dogs when we were coming down. A very good warm up hike for the hiking season coming up.
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Little Si — Apr 17, 2012 — sweetgreen
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
Issues: Water on trail
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It is the first warm up hike in the year. The weather is cloudy, some sunshine but luckily no rain....
It is the first warm up hike in the year. The weather is cloudy, some sunshine but luckily no rain. We get to the parking around 9:45 am and started to go uphill. Just realized the Mountains to Sound Greenway did the trail work on April 7, 14. No wonder the trail was absolutely in good shape, no trashes at all along the path. There are lots of small rocks but easy to follow. We only saw 5 people on the way. It was quite and nice to go up without any difficulties. We didn't use any poles and device except some parts of the road was quite muddy. But we were able to manage this. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to the summit. We get to sit down and enjoy the view by ourselves. We could see the Mt. Si ahead of us. On the way down, there are many people just started their day hikes. We finished our hike around 12:30. I really recommend this for the family with small children. It is not too steep about 2.2 miles one way and the it is so close in town.
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Little Si — Apr 08, 2012 — AP
Day hike
Features: Wildflowers blooming
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Little Si is a great spring warm-up hike, or short day hike. We got to the trailhead around 1 pm and...
Little Si is a great spring warm-up hike, or short day hike. We got to the trailhead around 1 pm and had no problems parking in the main lot. Although, it was crowded and the second lot was almost full too. The trail is dry the entire length, and in excellent condition. Weather was amazing (almost too warm) and quite windy at the summit.

Wildflowers: At the rocky, beginning part of the trail, the flowering red currant is just about at peak. As the trail flattens out, there are salmonberries and Indian plum starting to bloom. Along the side of the trail at the base of the climbing walls, there are some excellent patches of white trillium.

Also, please remember to practice proper trail etiquette - yield to uphill hikers, and do not cut-off the switch-backs. Thanks!
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Little Si by Day Hike.JPG
Little Si by Day Hike
Location
Snoqualmie Pass -- North Bend Area
Department of Natural Resources, South Puget Sound Region
Statistics
Roundtrip 5.0 miles
Elevation Gain 1200 ft
Highest Point 1576 ft
Features
Mountain views
User info
Good for kids
Dogs allowed on leash
Discover Pass required
Guidebooks & Maps
Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Pass (Nelson & Bauer - Mountaineers Books)
Green Trails Mount Si No. 174 and Bandera No. 206

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Note: the description and driving directions for this Mountaineers Books entry are copyrighted and can't be changed.

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Red MarkerLittle Si
47.4877833333 -121.7563
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