Granite Mountain — Monday, Jul. 21, 2014

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

The route up to the lookout station on Granite Mountain is all clear until you get to the base of the ridge of granite boulders. The "summer trail" around to the east and up behind the lookout is covered in snow in several places, so I took the rock climb over the boulders instead. This is a fun route and doesn't involve anything technical or difficult. On the way down a sooty grouse cooed at me as it roosted just a few feet off the trail, and seemed utterly unafraid of me. I saw a couple of marmots on rocks around the snow-fed pond near the top. Wildflowers are gorgeous right now; bear grass, lupine, paintbrush, pea, penstemmons, thistle, tiger lilies, lots of others. Despite its reputation for crowds, I remarkably had the summit entirely to myself the whole time I was there, though the lookout was locked and the balcony was inaccessible.