Planned to run this one. Started at Twin Falls which I would not recommend b/c it's full of leisurely families on a stroll, and also there's some route finding issues once you pop off the Twin Falls trail to the fire road. If you want to run this, start from Homestead.

If you start at Twin Falls, start early to avoid crowds. When you get onto the fire road, turn left and take the second climber's trail on the right which leads to Mt Washington. There are no signs. If you get to a sign along the fire road with directions to a few other TH's, then you've gone too far. After roughly 4 miles on the Mt WA trail, you'll link with the MTB trail to the right which is mild and flowy, nice for running, or you can continue up to the summit of Mt Washington which has nice vert gain but harder to run.

Trails in good condition. Route finding was a bugger.

SUMMERTIME! We rang in the season with a 15-mile hike on the Olallie Trail, a multi-use trail mostly used by bikers. The trail ascends about 2300 feet (at least up to the 5th viewpoint) across 5.5 miles, on a well-graded trail through mixed, second and third growth forest. It's super green and healthy right now, with lush ferns and a surprising variety of wildflowers, especially on the upper reaches: trillium, lots of spring beauty and bleeding heart (still at their height here), some bear grass at the 5th viewpoint, bugbane, and herb Robert, foxglove and buttercup along the PTC--where we started at the Cedar Falls TH.

A shout out to Old Rod for his 2018 trail report! It's spot on re: trail description and switchback counts. We made it to the 5th viewpoint (see picture), which has a great view all across Sno Valley and the foothills, including Rattlesnake Mtn, Si, Teneriffe, Washington, etc. No snow. We saw a total of 10 people on Olallie today--8 bikers and two folks on foot. About 10 more bicyclists on the 2-mile stretch of the PTC. Bikers on the Olallie are courteous, but you will want to be alert to riders and ready to step aside. Wildlife today included about half a dozen little brown frogs, several large beetles, a chipmunk, and a banana slug giving birth (a slimy affair). Great hike for distance, training and peace. Happy and safe hiking, Everyone!

This is a good loop trail with plenty of varied scenery.  I parked at Homestead Valley TH.  A brief hike east on the Palouse to Cascades Trail brings one to the unmarked Change Creek Trail.  This climbs steeply up the rough rib between Change Creek and Hall Creek.  This bootleg trail is well made, but steep -- fine for hiking up, but I don't like coming down this trail, so doing this loop means you hike out on the comparitively civilized Mt. Washington Trail.

Beyond the spur trail to Hall Point, the trail emerges onto a series of ancient logging roads, and the grade suddenly moderates.  From here to the head of Change Creek Valley, the trail has become quite brushy again.  Next time I will bring clippers and a small saw.  You do the same please!  If each of us does a little, then no one will have to do a lot.  At the head of the valley, there is a sign with an arrow pointing to the right saying "Pond / Mt. Washington.  Rather than take this cutoff trail, which I do not like, I crossed the small creek and continued straight on the old road bed.  15 minutes of mild brush bashing brings you to the current start (or end) of the Olallie Trail.  This very fine trail continues north and up, to a high point on the north shoulder of Change Peak, just below it's summit.  There is a junction here.  Left is the Great Wall Trail, the old standard summit route to Mt. Washington.  Going right, the Great Wall Trail and Olallie Trail proceed together for a while, until the Great Wall Trail splits off to the right at a poorly marked junction.  (Alternately, just continue on the Olallie Trail until it intersects with the Mt. Washington Trail.)

The lower part of the Mt. Washington Trail is more eroded and rough than I've seen it before, and there are a few minor blowdowns.  

There was some snow at the head of Change Creek, near the pond, but it was so minimal, and melting fast, that I marked this hike "snow free".

3000' foot gain, 8 or 9 miles rt, but can easily be extended, so a good workout.

The bike and I were dropped off at the Hyak TH and before reaching it I could feel the cool breeze coming from Tunnel. "Don't forget to bring a jacket!" :) With my bike light I was able to dodge the puddles (and people) in the tunnel. The entire trail to North Bend is in good shape without any snow although rougher/rockier higher up. Nearby water and falls are running hard, fast and full - but nothing like Yellowstone right now ;)  I passed a couple bike packers heading east and also a couple nice backcountry campsites (McChellan and Carter) with restrooms. 

I went up a couple switchbacks of the Olallie trail and would like to do more. The trail was great and the ferns/trees were spectacular. 

The SnoVal has a long stretch between Rattlesnake Lake and the big trestle bridge that has some really nice fresh gravel; it felt very smooth after doing 20+ miles on the P2C. 

I looped thru Tanner Landing but it was very bumpy on a bike. I ended the trip at my house in North Bend.

Jeno and I met at the Cedar Falls trailhead at 6:00 AM this morning (one car in the lot ahead of us) and started down the Palouse to Cascades trail in a light mist.  We have been talking for a while about doing the loop around the backside of Cedar Butte on a "nice" day which we thought today might be...as they say the best laid plans.  As we headed down the PtC Jeno said it looks like someone is way down there ahead of us.  We kept looking and it turned it wasn't someone but a couple of Elk meandering down the trail.  They saw us and headed up the Cedar Butte trail ahead of us.

The light mist had turned into light rain so we decided to bag the loop and headed up Cedar Butte and about 20 yards up the trail ye old big mouth your trip report writer said it's not that bad let's go for it.  So we turned around and went back to the PtC where we headed east to the junction with the Olallie trail seeing another elk who took off at a fast gallop down the trail ahead of us. 

We headed up the very nice Olallie trail.  It has good drainage and all this winter's blowdown's have been cut up and moved aside. When Jeno and I first did the loop a couple of years ago there was a lot of flagging to mark the West Ridge and Southside trails.   I don't know if it has been removed on purpose or not but it's no longer in place and you have to know where to turn off the Olallie and onto the West Ridge trail as it's not marked and the trail is pretty faint.  But since we've hiked it before we found it and headed downslope on a very overgrown (in spots) and as Jeno said primitive trail.  

There are a couple of large trees down that cover the trail and require hikers to circle around them.  The trail is also covered with a lot of debris so keeping your head down and eyes on the trail is a must.  There are a couple of seasonal ponds down there that you circle around and at some point the West Ridge trail becomes the Southside trail (there is no signage saying so).  After circling the ponds you come to a steep hill.  We were glad to be climbing it this morning rather than heading down it as the light rain from earlier had become a very steady rain.

Once we ascended that hill the Southside trail does some ups and downs and is in good shape in spots and very overgrown in others.  You will eventually come to Saddle Junction on Cedar Butte (the Southside trail does have a sign at the junction).   We turned right and headed up to the summit of Cedar Butte in increasing rain and wind and had it to ourselves (no surprise).     

We arrived there a little before 8:00 AM and took a break before heading back down.  We skipped the Boxley Blowout route back and took the more direct and steeper route down.  It was in this area that we saw our one and only hiker for the day, a young guy with his dog.  They both looked as soaked as the two of us.  Shortly after we saw him I was using my trekking poles on a downhill section when I heard a snap and I saw the lower portion of one of my poles drop to the ground.  Yep I broke a carbon fiber trekking pole...second time I've done so in the last 3 years.  I guess I don't know my own strength.  Oh well, that REI gift card and dividend has been burning a hole in my pocket for a while now.  I guess I know what I will be getting this year.

We got to the PtC and walked back along it in monsoon like conditions.  We saw one biker and one runner heading out as we got back to the cars at 9:00 AM.  Needless to say there was plenty of parking at that time at Rattlesnake Ledge when I drove by on my way home.      :)

Stay safe everyone.  See you on the trail.  SR