Began my Five Trail loop hike around Cedar Butte from the Iron Horse Trail State Park near Rattlesnake Lake out of North Bend. The last time I did the loop was 2-1/2 years ago going clockwise. This time I did it ccw. Hiked up the Palouse To Cascade Trail on the former Milwaukee Road (CMSP&P) railroad grade for the 1 mile (where the last train came through in 1980) and then headed up, sometimes steep Cedar Butte Trail. Part of the trail is on old logging railroad grades from the days of the North Bend Timber Co. when they logged the area from 1906 to 1923. At the wye I went right and did the Boxley Blowout Loop to get to Saddle Junction. At the junction I met one young woman hiker and her two dogs coming down from the summit. This is where I took the Southside Trail (there is a sign on a tree) which has some ups and downs before getting to two small ponds. Before getting to the ponds the trail goes down a very steep hillside, so trekking poles are handy for this section of the Southside Trail. Past the ponds the trail turns left as it snakes through the conifer forest. At the top of a small ridge I made a sharp right turn onto the West Ridge Trail. The old West Ridge Trail was the original trail to get to the summit of Mt. Washington before the present route from Exit 38 off I-90 was established. Half way up the West Ridge Trail to meet the Olallie Trail I crossed another old NBTC logging railroad grade.
At the unsigned junction with the newer Olallie Trail is a large rock cairn next to a fir tree. The Olallie Trail makes a big left turn by this junction in a rock area. The Olallie Trail was opened on July 19, 2017 and begins 2 miles up the PTC trail from the trailhead where I started my hike. This trail goes up the west ridge of Mt. WA over to Change Creek and cost $1.16 million to build by WA State Parks with help from the Evergreen Mtn. Bike Alliance. It is open to hikers, mtn. bikers and horses. Never saw any horseshoe prints. I hiked up the Olallie Trail about 2 miles to a view point for lunch. This trail makes some big switchbacks as it gains elevation. You can still hike part of the old West Ridge Trail if you would like a steeper hike. At the viewpoint I could see northwest across the Snoqualmie Valley to Si and Little Si. On a clearer day you could see more peaks to the north. I used the log at the viewpoint for a lunch time bench. While eating a group of young mtn. bikers showed up who were riding e-bikes. The Olallie Trail is one of the trails open to e-bikes.
After lunch I headed back on the Olallie Trail all the way down to the PTC Trail. Part way down I met a 68 year old senior mtn. biker going up the trail (no e-bike) and we had a nice chat about the outdoors. Further down was a younger mtn. biker with an old cross bike taking a break, so chatted with him too. Once back down to the PTC trail I hiked the 2 miles back to the parking lot in 43 minutes, not too bad for 73 year old legs. Made for a nice loop hike around Cedar Butte with no crowds. There were a few downed trees on the Boxley Blowout Loop. Someone had been on the Southside, and West Ridge Trails and had cut out many blown down trees across the trail. State Parks is supposed to be maintaining the Cedar Butte/Boxley Blowout Trail. I did not see any other hikers on my trip except for the woman at Saddle Junction on the Cedar Butte Trail. My hike was about 10 miles. George
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