This short hike guarantees a great, open view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day.

Instead of starting the hike at the trail sign near the parking lot for Holder Creek which takes you to Holder Ridge, it is nice to follow the logging road until you reach a Y which leads to the left uphill to Holder Knob. This afternoon at the start of the hike, there were six horse riders returning from their day out along with about 15+ cars coming down the logging road - most likely a trail work party finished for the day.

The logging road ends near the top of the knob and a narrow foot path allows you to see Tiger Mountain, Rt. 18 and downtown Seattle in the distance. The trail circles around and presents an unobstructed view of Mt. Rainier and the valley below. As you continue on the trail, catch the small side trail which takes you a bit higher back up the knob for a better view of Mt. Rainier and a few downed trees to sit and enjoy the sunset.

Once ready to move on, continue on the trail until you reach an intersection - signs are high in the trees - Holder Knob and Holder Ridge (which returns to Rt. 18). Instead of continuing on Holder Knob back to the logging road to return home, Holder Ridge is a nice, woodsy hike to complete a loop to the parking lot. Plus, taking Holder Ridge allows you to continue to enjoy more views of Mt. Rainier and view the Olympic Mountains as you ultimately meet up with Holder Creek. The trail is in good condition and trees have been cleared since the January storms. A large tree has fallen across the creek and additional debris is collecting at this point close to the new bridge for Holder Creek.

This is a nice hike for a quick get away and is family-friendly offering outstanding views of Mt. Rainier.

A nice short jaunt out:

http://alpinelakesaficionad[…]r-mountain-2600-112911.html

Revisited Holder Creek today.
Not much has changed since my — Feb 23, 2009 — trip report, except Holder Creek trail is even more overgrown. The elaborate bridge across Holder Creek next to Issaquah-Hobart Road has cost King County plenty of $$$, but it currently leads to nowhere. Standing on the bridge and watching for fish, none could be seen. Is this a potential salmon spawning stream? The "Overgrown" flag in this trip report applies only to the Holder Creek trail. It would be nice to build at least a temporary crossing of Holder Creek at the washout and re-connect it to the trails leading up to Carey Creek pond and Taylor Mtn. summit. That would allow us to make a loop out of this without having to take one's boots off and wade through the creek. Today we hiked on an overgrown trail upstream along Holder Creek to the washout, but did not cross the creek this time. Instead, we hiked back down and re-did the much more pleasant Holder Ridge-Holder Knob trail for the second time this year. A good time to do this hike is when the red flowering currant is in bloom in the spring. In the fall, the golden colors of bigleaf maple leaves are attractive. It would be nice to have a picnic table or even a picnic shelter at the top of the knob, similar to the pleasant picnic site about 1/3 up the ridge. When we arrived at the parking lot today (mid-week on a sunny day) the parking lot was completely filled with horse trailers and we preferred to park our little car along the road, but away from the gate. This is the first time we encountered this situation at this trailhead. In spite of the heavy use by horseback riders, the Holder Ridge and Knob trails were in halfway decent shape with a few wet spots that could use some gravel. Nice view from the top on a sunny day is the main reward of this hike. But of course this view will be blocked by trees in 20 years from now as the clearcut begins to fill in again. Elevation gain 740 ft. going up, 170 ft. coming back out.

A warning: my car was broken into here--first time I've forgotten my wallet and ID back at the car and the first time some jerk breaks in. Upon leaving, I noticed two piles of glass from other break-ins. It wasn't busy in the parking lot even on a beautiful day--good for nature lovers to get out and enjoy the forest, but even better for petty thieves. In my opinion, the risk isn't worth the return on this one. The trailheads nearest to Seattle seem the worst for broken windows! What a shame.