Have to be back in town by afternoon? Need something short, sweet, uncrowded and with big rewards? Perhaps looking for just enough of a hike to justify a burger at Commonwealth? Mt. Catherine might be the ticket. It’s only 3 miles roundtrip, you get a workout on a pleasant trail with no crowds, and takes you to a real summit with 360 views.
It’s 20 minutes up the gravel road from the Hyak exit offI-90 to the trailhead, just ¼ mile or so short of Windy Pass. The one notoriously rough corner stopped low clearance cars like a Prius we saw parked there, but taken slowly it was fine in our medium-clearance Highlander. Couple other rough spots. Couple mosquitoes at the trailhead but not bad.
The trail starts off inauspiciously on an unmarked old gravel road, with no specific trail sign just a “hiker only” marker. In about 1/3 mile enter old growth and switchback up on very nicely graded smooth trail. With 1300 feet of gain in 1.5 miles it’s a nice lung-enhancing grade. Good viewpoint when you first reach the ridge at about 1 mile, and a last little 30 foot pitch with cable to hold on to the outcrop on the top. Great views all around. Rainier looked huge from here.
On this beautiful Sunday we saw only about 10 – 12 parties the whole time.
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