Dirty Harry's Peak — Monday, Oct. 4, 2021

One of the many enjoyable, easily accessible day hikes off the I-90 Corridor.

I arrived around 11:30AM and there were about 5 other cars in the parking lot. I only passed eight other hikers the entire day.

The trail was in excellent condition. I’m not really sure why it’s rated ‘Expert,’ as there is no route finding, scree fields, scrambling or anything technical involved in this hike. It should probably just be rated ‘Intermediate’ or ‘Hard’ at the most. The first couple of miles up to the balcony reminds me of the Rattlesnake Ledge or Big / Little Si Trails. It’s basically a well-worn highway through the woods. It even has multiple signs now, marking the trail every few hundred yards or so. Once you pass the Dirty Harry Balcony / Ira Spring Connector Junction, 95% of the remaining trail to Dirty Harry Peak and Dirty Harry Museum follows an old Logging Road. Anyone in reasonably decent shape should be able to do this hike. You won’t get lost or need to climb anything. There is even cell phone reception for most of the hike. If you are stopping by the museum, watch for a rock cairn and arrow built with sticks just before the creek crossing. The museum is probably only 1/4 mile from the main trail. Once on it, it’s well-marked the entire way to the truck with cairns and surveyor tape, even though it’s pretty good trail anyway.

I spoke with another hiker near the summit who said that she was also looking for the Defiance Ridge Connector Trail, as I was. If you’re reading this, I think that I found it. It was actually much further down than where we spoke, not anywhere close to the summit. It’s where you pass that one large boulder field on the way up the switchback for Dirty Harrys Peak. The peak trail turns left there. Then there is another trail that turns right and starts along the base of the Boulder Field. While it does not appear to be extremely well used, it’s definitely more used than a game trail. I followed it for a little way before turning back. As for making a complete loop, there is a well-used trail that branches off to Ira Spring Trailhead at the Junction for Dirty Harrys Balcony. I want to make the whole loop sometime.

The only thing I would caution newer hikers is to be aware of the many cliffs along the way and at the top, often hidden in the trees just a few feet from the trail. You don’t want to walk up too fast or get too close and fall, as people do on the other nearby hikes in this area every year. Especially if you have kids or are generally too absorbed with taking selfies to watch where you step…

Overall, it was a nice hike. Not my favorite, but another fun peak to summit, nonetheless.