Mount Si via Mount Teneriffe Trail, Mount Teneriffe & Mount Si — Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025

Today I experienced how icy the upper portions of the Mt Si trail can be when temps drop at the end of the day, wow. But the Mt Teneriffe Trail (MTT) is an absolutely stunning winter hike right now with fluffy snow, snow lined trees, and pockets of small waterfalls. Still a few blowdowns to go through after the connecting trail to Teneriffe Falls. Around 3.5 miles into my hike I was completely surprised with a view of Mt Rainier from the MTT that I wasn’t expecting with the weather, time of day, and route I was taking. Snowshoes weren’t needed but could come in handy, especially if you’re planning on hitting the Teneriffe summit based off of what I encountered today without going that far. I put on traction and pulled out poles when snow became pretty consistent around the 2800ft elevation level. Didn’t think I’d return before the Mt Teneriffe parking lot gate was locked at 4pm so chose to do a loop from the Mt Si trailhead to Roaring Creek Trail to MTT to the Si-Teneriffe Connector and back down the Mt Si Trail. It was about 9 miles and 3500ft of total elevation gain. I had originally planned on just doing an out and back, but thanks to some helpful map signs posted at each ends of the connector trail, I discovered I had another option to do for my first time. Welcome 2025!