CCC Road: Blowout Creek Trailhead — Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2009

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

With the Middle Fork Road closed to all users at least theoretically, the CCC road is the only legal way into to the valley. Today seemed like a good day to check it out. Since it was midweek, I drove all the way from the end of Mt. Si Road to the big blue DNR gate that marks the west end of the CCC road/trail. There is very little parking there, and if you drive to the gate, discretion is advised in order to avoid annoying the natives. In particular, don't block the gate. To avoid problems, many people park at the bus turnaround at the start of the Mt. Teneriffe road and walk up from there. The drive to the gate from the end of Mt. Si Road can be a bit confusing. The most important trick is to take the right-branching road at the complicated junction at the top of the hill. The left-branching roads are private drives. Several inches of new snow had fallen in the area. I walked my bike up the initial steep climb, then it was easy (though muddy and slushy) riding on top of a 1600' high plateau, a remnant of a river delta deposited during the Ice Age. I was able to ride my mountain bike all the way to the start of the Green Mountain road/trail, where heavier drifts of snow blocked progress. The Green Mountain Road was also very snowy. It looks like a week or more of melting is needed before the CCC road is usable beyond the Green Mountain junction. In past years, I've managed to ride a bike all the way to the Bessemer Peak road. The CCC road gets rough in places, but it's doable on a bike. On a topo map, you may notice another road that loops back from the Green Mountain road/trail to the main CCC road, joining it at the point where it first tops out on the plateau. This road is little-driven and pleasant to walk or bike. Unfortunately it still has a heavy snow cover, and I could not check out its condition today.