This one’s a workout! I was lucky that a group of hikers had carved out a trail ahead of me - otherwise, I’d have turned around not far after the Balcony. Beautiful day in the Snoqualmie Pass area, but for all that work I was hoping for better viewpoints. The peak is surrounded by trees and in the winter you can’t get close enough to the edge for unobstructed views. Found myself wishing I’d been up at Mailbox Peak when I crested the peak to find partial views of snow-capped peaks backdropped by gorgeous steely-blue skies. Ah, well… this was an excellent conditioner (my legs were physically, involuntarily trembling on the way down) and less prone to avalanches than other options.

Dirty Harry's Peak and Balcony via DHPT on 3-14-2025. Happy Pi day!

The weather started off blue skies and sunshine. Some gusty wind blew lots of tree snow onto the trail, and created some really cool lighting and frames for the pups. Around 2200' elevation, the snow pack began to get dense. Where the trail splits for Dirty Harrys Balcony and Dirty Harrys Peak, there were no tracks or footprints. Likely filled in from any previous climbers by the snow drift from the trees. A group of 3 went ahead of me, but I caught up and was trailblazing for about 2 miles up to the peak. Snow was at least 8"+ deep around 2800' elevation.

Trailblazing was hard work, but fun and my two trusty k9 companions followed diligently behind. Near the summit, the snow got steep and deep. I had a few post holes up to my waist. The last quarter mile was a slow slog through thigh deep snow. It didn't look like anyone had been up in a while; the true peak was untouched powder. I followed the small gully (or maybe it's the actual trail) to navigate. A winter storm is blowing in tonight and tomorrow, so the winds were howling. Several times you could see it blowing along the tree line as massive waves of snow were dumped on top of us from above. Tree bombs were a real threat. Near the summit, the gusts were very strong and pretty loud. The dogs were cold, so I snapped a few quick pics, and got us back down. The powder was so soft for a mile and a half or so that we just ran through it (no fall damage on pow day).

Another group of 3 appeared to have turned around about a half mile from where the trail bifurcated. It was definitely a challenging scramble. I would not necessarily recommend taking your dog until it melts out a bit more. I didn't have concern for any avalanche risk, but there were abundant tree wells. I was careful to steer clear of them when making the trail up. It was a wild day! The descent was easy below the heavy snow and uneventful back to the trailhead.

In my infinite wisdom, I left my snowshoes in the car. They would have helped a lot towards the top. Microspikes were not helpful other than for a few steps down from the balcony back onto the trail.

Very underwhelming view at the top, but this was more for climb conditioning. If I had more time and no dogs, I maybe would have explored around a bit up there to see if there were better views through other sections of trees. I was able to snipe a few cool pics of Baker and Glacier Peak though.

If you are able to use my route after the storm blows through, cheers!

Distance: 9.0 mi

Vert gain: 3500 ft

Time: 4.5 hrs

Group: 2 dogs and me

My first time on this journey.  Went with 2 climbing buddies.  Started about 8:20 with a few cars in the lot which was compact snow.  Road is not an issue.  Nice clean bathroom.  We packed snowshoes, microspikes, wore high gaiters, and used poles.  Started just booting up the trail and decided to put microspikes on in the first 0.5 mile or so.  Trail was compact snow but a little slick.  We continued with microspikes as the fresh powder continued to deepen.  Trail was pretty wide and packed down until the balcony trail intersection.  Only a couple of boot steps were leading towards the peak.  I’d say the powder started to become a bit of an obstacle (slower pace) at around 2500 ft.  We took turns breaking trail even tho there was a set of steps already present.  We realized 2 people were ahead of us which is always helpful.  3 hikers had turned back.  The stream crossing was doable while stone stepping but moistened microspikes started to ball up with snow.  We still opted not to use snowshoes on this narrow trail because our boot tracks with microspikes were efficient with no postholing (snowshoes can be so cumbersome at times, especially on the climb).  We continued on in the fresh powdery snow which seemed to be close to 2 1/2 ft high (on top of compact snow) as we ascended the final ridge trail.  When we got to the summit we approached it cautiously as there is a big cornice especially off to the right.  We individually took in the views then attempted to sit on our packs below the summit for some lunch and much needed tea.  There was no wind and the sun was mostly out (fog lifted along the way).  We then decided to just boot down without microspikes going at a quick pace without postholing or sliding.  It was essential to pay attention to foot placement to avoid a fall or ankle injury.   We put the microspikes back on in the last mile or so because it was getting slick.  The temp seemed cooler on the way down then we anticipated.  No snow bombs falling from the trees which was nice.  It seemed to be below freezing for almost the entire hike. Glad to have layers and ski mitts.  Saw more hikers coming and going from the Balcony but maybe 10 had attempted the peak (3 turned back).  Great outing with friends and a nice long workout in the snow.  Snow creates a beautiful world in the forest and surrounding peaks.  We had several interesting glimpses of McClellan’s Butte on the way down.

Super fun trip today, as Glen99, SoaringEagle, DaniilMag, and I made it up to Web Mountain Summit via the Dirty Harry's trail. SoaringEagle and I carried/used snowshoes, Glen99 carried skis, and DaniilMag carried a split board.

We took the Dirty Harry's Peak trail up to the switchback at a bit over 3400ft. Trail was snow free to just before here at the benches at 3400ft, where the trail became a bit icy. At this switchback is where the trail to Dirty Harry's Bathtub starts. This trail is pretty brushy at the start as it follows an old abandoned road, before heading into the trees. SoaringEagle and I laughed a bit, as Glenn99's skis, and DanniilMag's split board would get caught in the overhanging trees or brush. They would pay us back later though, when they passed us going downhill, as we were struggling in our snowshoes, with big smiles on their faces!!😁

SoaringEagle and I were way out in front as we made it up towards the ridge, as it was much easier going up with snowshoes as it was with skis /split board. SoaringEagle got to the ridge at 5200ft, and had an easier time getting up to the summit. I made the mistake of getting to the ridge to early at  5100ft, and had to do some scrambling with my snowshoes on, which wasn't easy. Beware of this, as the ridge below 5200ft is quite jagged.

 On our descent off of Web, us snowshoers headed down the north ridge a bit, before heading down the huge bowl. This seemed a bit easier way than the way we went up, and we made good time going down. Not as fast as those other two, who blasted by us. We all met back up down by Dirty Harry's Bathtub, and hiked back out together.

We started at 8:12am and finished at 3:36pm 9.8 miles RT with 4383 ft gain

First time going to the top of this one and I really enjoyed it! Here’s some info that should be good until the next precipitation with estimated distance and elevation gain for different points along the hike: was at 2 miles 1350ft for the turnoff to DH Balcony (which I didn’t take today), at 2.75 miles 1850ft for the creek crossing, at 3 miles 2150ft for a view point with benches carved out of fallen logs. Got icy near here so was a good point to put on traction over shoes (I used cleats). The next .25 miles was the worst part in my opinion with icy steep sections due to frozen stream crossings. At the 4.25 mile and over 3500ft of elevation gain point I was at the top with views to the right of a frozen Lower Granite Lake with Mt Baker in the distance and other peaks I wish I could name. Further up on the left was good old Mt Rainier. Just spectacular. And then the trail ended at what I think is a view of Dirtybox Peak with Bellevue and Seattle in the far background. That final mile of the hike was intense for me and I’d like to consider myself fit. But it’s currently pretty good to hike on with basic gear such as traction and poles. I’m sure there’s people who can do it without, but with the combination of the steeper elevation gain and the hard packed, ice-like snow, I strongly recommend using them. Also, I think I read in another report that there may be a snow cornice at the view facing Granite Lakes, and I agree. Thankfully the top was among trees and not fully exposed, but it still warrants being careful. Total time spent out there today was less than four hours with a 3 1/2 hour moving time.