What a wonderful day for UP!!! The sun was out, the air was brisk, I was hiking with friends from Boy Scout Troop 594 and we were headed up to Boulder Garden, Little Si, and then Big Si via the old Si trail. This was my first time up Little Si and to Boulder Garden and I really enjoyed it. The lush forest and green cascading moss made for a picturesque landscape. The view from Little Si was spectacular as visibility was nearly unlimited. We rested for approximately 20 minutes, had a small snack and headed down to the Old Si trailhead. The trail is under dense cover and without much air exchange, one finds it to be cold and humid. Cold enough for gloves and hat despite the strenuous hiking conditions. The trail starts its climb with an immediate ascent and continues to get steeper and steeper (we estimated 30 – 40 degrees at one point) until it joins with the new Si trail just below the top. The trail was icy and narrow and with ample opportunities to take a tumble down steep banks, I put on my Microspikes. While we encountered only a small number of hikers on the old Si trail, the new Si trail was loaded with hikers. The base are around the haystack was fairly crowded and covered with just enough snow/ice to make climbing to the bench area challenging. Like Little Si, the view was spectacular. There was little wind and with the sun out it made for enjoyable resting/lunch break. The trip down was uneventful, less my missing the old Si cut off by 20 yards. By the time we made it down, my legs were spent. We hiked the other have of Boulder Garden to the trailhead. It was very nice to sit on my car seat and put the bum-warmer on for the drive home. I had my gps in track-mode and have charted out our hike for future reference. With the Sunday weather forecast set to be sunny again, I convinced my daughter and wife to hike with me I took them to Boulder Garden / Little Si. While I had just hiked this the day prior, I wanted my family to enjoy this special area and with them being new to day hiking this was the perfect venue. They both loved the Boulder Garden area and the hike up Little Si. Happy Trails!!!

I was worried there would be ice on the trail, but there was none. The trail was in great shape, a little muddy in places, and the climb was invigorating. A clear day and beautiful views, although hundreds of people swarmed the summit the minute I got there. Solitude is hard to find, but at least the sun was out and the birds were singing.

What a Beautiful morning to take in the views of the Snoqualmie Valley. I arrived at the trailhead about 930 am and there was no one in the parking lot! Complete solitude all the way up to the top! There was a dusting of snow that never got any deeper athan inch till you get to the last scramble to the top where it goes from a inch to about 10 inches at the summit. no traction devices needed. take a extra pullover for the top it was really windy! overall a great hike. no slick spots and no ice. i used poles and they seem to be the best investment ive ever made! I passed a dozen people on my way down, and a few more getting ready to leave when i returned to my vehicle. BEWARE, I TOOK MY FIANCE' WITH ME AND HE STAYED IN THE CAR WHILE I HIKED AND SAID THERE WAS A SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE THAT LOOKED TO BE CASING THE PARKING , TIL THEY SAW HIM IN THE CAR! JUST A HEADS UP . HAPPY TRAILS

I hiked in a group of 4 adults, starting from the trail head at 10.30 AM on Saturday, 01/08/2011. The forecast was 27 F maximum with 80% POP (Rain), and the previous weekend's trip report mentioned snow on the trail. However, the actual weather was hovering around 35 to 40 F, no rain whatsoever. It was cloudy/foggy all the way to the top (took 1 hour 10 minutes, with one 5 minute break). When we started, there were about 10-12 cars in the parking lot, and we met at least 3 groups exiting ... (presumably, they started their hikes at around 7 or 8 AM?). The trail itself was pretty pleasant and not very spectacular. There's an incline for 1/3 of the way, then a flat stretch for the next 1/3 and the last 1/3 is a steepish scramble to the top. The summit was snowy/windy and cold, but the trail was okay. We were over-dressed (needed it for the summit), but we did see people hike with simple sneakers. I'd still get some reasonable hiking boots at least. Layer up for the cold - one layer of fleece with an outer soft shell should suffice, but if you hate the cold or take many breaks (i.e. not stay in constant movement), you'd want one more layer (say, down). The sun started breaking out and the clouds clearing up just as we reached the summit (about 11.40 AM).We were back down by 12.30 PM. Most groups had a dog on a leash. It was a fun hike with great views from the top. Recommended.

Trail conditions were slick on the summit trail - especially once you begin the final ascent to the summit after hiking to the north end. However it was beautiful at the summit. There was also a tree down across the trail on a slick spot in the valley between Little Si and Mount Si - it was maybe a quarter mile past the bench dedicated to the guy who went missing on Everest (Doug Hansen i think the name on the bench was?).