We started this short but sweet hike at the Gateway Bridge parking area off the Snoqualmie Middle Fork Road. We crossed the bridge and made a right turn down the trail. A short time later, we found the start of the boot trail and made our way up. The trail is steep but well flagged and relatively easy to follow. Once we reached the end of the elevation gain, the trail got a little easier to lose due to the brush and we got a little wet pushing through after the morning rain. After a little more than a mile out and 1100 feet up, we reached the end of the line, enjoyed the cloudy views, and then headed down. The mosquitos were out, but otherwise it was a great few hours in the hills.

On Saturday, Jim and I enjoyed a fun hike up Stegosaurus Butte, the rugged granite ridge that rises above the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River near Rainy Creek. The summit of the Butte offers great views of the Mid Fork Valley and the surrounding peaks. Unusual for the west side of the Cascades, its dry, rocky summit is forested with lodgepole pines. Enjoying Saturday's warm clear weather, we lingered a long time on the sun-warmed ledges, taking in the marvelous vistas. The Butte is reached by a short, steep (and now snowless) hike from the Mid Fork Gateway trailhead. A sketchy way trail with about 1000' of elevation gain leads to the top. It only takes a couple hours to get to the Butte and back, but those hours are quite adventurous. To find this ""trail"", cross the Gateway Bridge then turn right at the far end onto a remnant of the old trail that once led to North Bend. Head downstream for two hundred yards or so on the path until it reaches a flat area. A recent rockslide has left a tangle of fallen trees which you have to clamber through. Once in the flat area, leave the trail and follow the base of the slope perhaps 200 feet until you reach an trenchlike old skid road coming down the slope, and some flagging on the trees. Head uphill along the skid road, following flags and a hint of a path. The lower portion of the route heads through a lovely area of old second growth forest. There are some logging artifacts here, rusty cables and huge stumps with springboard notches in them. When the path approaches the main mass of Stegosaurus Butte, it leaves the relatively gentle terrain near the skid road and charges up a steep slope in tight switchbacks. If all goes well you will eventually reach the 2000' lower summit of Stegosaurus Butte, which is covered with a sparse forest of lodgepole pines and a thick undergrowth of sallal (you might want to wear long pants to avoid cuts). Ledges on the Rainy Creek side of the Butte offer a fantastic perch on which to enjoy the view of the Mid-Fork valley and snowy Preacher Mountain. On the other side of the Butte is a full-frontal view of Mt. Garfield's Yosemite-like cliffs. It is possible to continue on to the higher summit of the Butte, where the views are even better. Getting there is scratchy work with all the brush and there is not even a hint of a trail.

Stegosaurus Butte is the informal name for the rocky ridge separating Rainy Creek and the Mid Fork Snoqualmie River, near the Gateway Trailhead. A fun little way trail climbs 1000 feet to the ridge, which offers some great views. To get there, I cruised down the now well-graded and shiny Mid Fork road to the Gateway Trailhead. Before starting the hike, I checked out the fancy new campground nearby. There was nobody there except the campground host...I wonder how busy it gets on weekends? After walking across the Gateway Bridge and admiring the impressive snowmelt-swollen river, I turned right and headed west on the rough trail along the riverbank. This is actually a section of the old and honorable Middle Fork Trail that once went all the way to North Bend. It should be restored again so that hikers can reach the Pratt River. After walking 200 yards or so on this trail, I noticed that the slope to the left eased off, so I left the path and headed cross country up the forested hillside. A brief, easy scramble up a cliffy section brought me to a ridgetop that might be called Little Stegosaurus. The ridgeline remained level for quite a distance, then steepened again when it approached the main mass of the Butte. At this point, I encountered a flagged way trail. This steep route led me efficiently to the first summit of Stegosaurus, where ledges provided great views up Rainy Creek to Preacher Mountain and east toward the great granite wall of Mt Garfield. The flagged route faded out here. Curious as to what lay ahead, I crashed through a brushy slope down to a saddle, and up to the second and third peaks of Stegosaurus, which offered pretty much more of the same--more mossy ledges with views. I was surprised to see some shore pines growing among the usual firs and hemlocks. There must be a harsh and dry micro-climate up on the Butte. I was tempted to try to get down to the saddle between Stegosaurus and the main mass of Preacher Mountain, but being alone, mapless, and already pretty well scratched up, I decided not to chance it. I have been to that saddle before , which is easy to reach from Rainy Creek. It is possible to drop down from the saddle to the Mid Fork Trail without enduring too much suffering.