Today, I parked at the Mount Si Trailhead because I wanted to visit Teneriffe Falls again, but from this trailhead to see if it would help me make up some time.

I began the hike with the downpour of rain as well as strong winds, which kinda make this hike with elevation kinda difficult, but I was able to tug inside some trees when the wind drift hit.

I first approached the Talus Loop and Roaring Creek intersection and was thinking that maybe this is the sector that was get me over to Teneriffe Falls. About a half mile into the Roaring Creek Trail, I decided against it, turned around and continued up the Mount Si Trail (I later learned on my way back that if I had took the Talus Loop (on the left), and then the Mount Teneriffe Trail (to the right after 0.7 miles), it would have taken me to the Teneriffe Falls Connector (less than mile from there); to me it beats the boulder rock climbs before you get to the switchbacks if you parked at the Teneriffe Falls small parking lot, but that elevator is brutal.

So, once I got back to the Mount Si Trail, I chatted with some hikers as they were coming down and inquired if this route had a Teneriffe Falls junction, but no one knew. As I continued to hike, I ran into another hiker and he stated that the Falls are not in this direction, it's actually about 1.5 miles east of here. 

Now, that I'm in a conundrum, I had to decide if I wanted to keep going to the Mount Si Summit, which was only 2 miles further, or head back to my car. My decision was made for me because moments later, I started to hear animal noises in the tree lines to my front, left, and to my right. Then in the shadows I saw 3 silhouettes and what I now know were cougars, so I backtracked down the trail, somehow hit the junction to Mount Teneriffe.

I started hiking in that direction, and ran into a nice couple, the husband and I conversed about our hikes and he told me, that had I continued to hike up to Mount Si, there was actually a junction to Teneriffe Falls and it would involve just a descent down to the Teneriffe Falls Connector Trail and it would have shave off my time. Luckily, he informed me that the Teneriffe Falls Connector Trail could also be hit from the direction that I'm going and it'll only be about 15 - 20 minutes and he was right. 

Unfortunately, as this was only my 2nd trip here and 1st coming from the Mount Si trailhead. It basically just took me across the bridge and to the elevation switchbacks to Teneriffe Falls. By that time, it was approaching 3pm and sunset was 4:15pm. Had I continued to hike to Teneriffe Falls, it would have been dark on my way back and I had already experienced this the first time.

So, I hike back along the Teneriffe Falls Connector, made that left, descended down for another half mile, hit the Talus Loop junction (0.1 miles) from that point, then the Mount Si Trailhead parking lot was only 1.4 miles from there (about 0.7 miles along the Talus Loop, then take the left at the Mount Si Trail sign junction (will be on your right), and you're 0.7 miles to the parking lot (all downhill).

Please be careful out there and just know, you can always avenge a hike later. Be wise and live to fight another day.

Peace and Blessings 😎 🫡

Arrrived at the Mount Si trailhead on a Friday around 11am.  When I stopped for gas in North Bend, Mount Si was in the sunshine so I was optimistic that it would be a sunny hike.  But this was not to be.   The clouds rolled in almost as soon as I parked.  With that in mind, I decided to head toward Teneriffe Falls instead of looking for views.  After climbing the initial section of the Mount Si trail, I took a right on the Roaring Creek trail – one of my favorites in this area – and continued along the Mount Teneriffe trail to connect to the Teneriffe Falls trail.  This was a relaxing stroll with rolling terrain, several wooden bridges, and a number of relatively easy creek crossings.   The small waterfalls at the bridge crossings were lovely with the high water flow. 

Along the way I spotted a recently-brushed, unmarked trail on the right-hand side and decided to do some exploring.  It turns out that this lengthy side trail doesn’t really go anywhere – but it’s probably a great path for trail runners.

Back on the Teneriffe Falls trail after my unsuccessful two-mile detour, I was reminded about how rocky this trail is – especially on the lower switchbacks.   The terrain is steep, but the switchbacks definitely make the ascent more tolerable.  The views from the trail today were cloud-filled and more limited than usual, but the falls were roaring from this week’s rain. 

For the descent, I decided to take the Teneriffe Falls connector trail to rejoin the Mount Teneriffe trail.  The connector trail is quite pleasant and, as an added bonus, it lets you avoid about half of the rocky switchbacks.    For the last segment before rejoining the Mount Si trail, I took a right on the Talus Loop connector and then a left turn on the lower spur of the Talus Loop trail.  Unlike the upper spur, it does not offer any views but it does pass just below the lower edge of the talus field where the rocks are heavily laden with moss.

Just before reaching the parking area, I took the short detour to check out the Creek Side Loop Trail.   This is an extremely short trail but today it was covered with colorful leaves and lined with beautiful ferns.  It’s definitely worth a few extra steps even after a long hike!

9.5 miles, 4 hours, 2,500 feet elevation gain

Note: Trail conditions for Mt Teneriffe Trail are only for up to the Roaring Creek intersection so I can’t speak to trail conditions beyond that point.

With a short window of time today I thought I would check out some waterfalls after the recent atmospheric rivers. I hiked an out and back on the Mt Teneriffe to Roaring Creek trails, up to the intersection with the Mt Si trail.

And the 3 falls along the way were indeed lovely. But it was the surprising amount of fall foliage remaining that stole the show! With the rays of sunlight breaking through the forest canopy and illuminating the golden leaves and green moss, it was truly magical.

There were quite a few cars when I arrived at 11:15am but plenty of parking still available. There doesn’t seem to be a gate closing time posted anymore, which was always a concern with this parking lot in the short daylight seasons. Now it just says no overnight camping in the parking lot. Restrooms were open and had TP but bring your own hand sanitizer.

The trails were in great condition, especially after two stormy weekends. No down trees or big branches, and not really even any mud. As usual there were quite a few places where water was flowing over the trail - all crossings except one had strategically placed rocks. (Which were slippery but not difficult to cross with some care.) And the one that didn’t was shallow enough to easily walk through in boots or trail runners.

Trail traffic was moderate up to the turnoff for Teneriffe Falls, after that I saw a few hikers and a handful of trail runners, then no one on the Roaring Creek trail past the bridge and waterfall.

Labor Day was the last day on which Trailhead Direct runs, and I had the day off, so it was time for the obligatory push up Teneriffe

I started from the Mount Teneriffe trailhead around 11:20 AM. The path up and down is described in many other trip reports, including my own. There is a hornets' nest just past a bridge on the way up to keep an eye on, and on the approach to the Si-Teneriffe connector, a poor bird that looks to have been ripped open by a bird of prey

There was a thermal inversion, which meant entering a relatively chilly layer of fog on the way up, then emerging into warmer air. You could see other mountains poking up, including Rattlesnake Ridge and a little bit of Tiger Mountain, but not Rainier

The trees have visibly grown into the trail over the summer, which you see at some points on the way up nearing the Si-Teneriffe connector and on the ridge. On the ridge, you can also find gray jays, huckleberries, blueberries, mushrooms, and the very last of the salmonberries. The leaves have the slightest tinge of autumn colors in places

I took my time making it to the summit around 3:10 PM and left around 3:45 PM, largely having it to myself. There wasn't enough time to make it to Mount Si without missing the last bus until May 2026, so I took the Mount Teneriffe trail down to the Mount Si trailhead via the Roaring Creek trail just in time for the last bus

Overall, it's a good time to hike -- mild and not that crowded. Last call for 2025 summits!

Mount Teneriffe has, again, been catalogued hundreds of times before and needs no explanation. But the cardio is efficient and this is the last weekend for a while that I can take the bus there due to a new job, so why not give it another go?

Bugs are not too bad but I recommend bug spray anyway, in particular as you go above two thousand feet. Otherwise, the trail is nice, dry, and packed with wildflowers

First, I climbed up to Teneriffe Falls. At this time of year, with the snowmelt gone, it's still there but as a trickle. For such a popular trail, conditions are a little rough as you leave the converted logging road and its excellent condition. Nothing too awful, just mind your footing

I then took the Teneriffe Falls connector to the main trail and made my way to the summit. The connector is a new trail, not yet shown on the official maps, and in great condition

The main trail can be a little rocky on the more exposed sections, and you will need to mind your steps on the descent

Left the trailhead at about 11:10 AM, made it to the top given the detour at about 3:10 PM, left the top at about 3:30 PM, and made it to the Mount Si trailhead via Roaring Creek at about 6:10 PM

Pro tip for anyone taking Trailhead Direct -- you might be able to save some time by taking the Roaring Creek trail to the Mount Si trailhead instead of the Mount Teneriffe trailhead. Plus, it offers a nice, quiet walk away from the main paths