Today, I parked at the Mount Si Trailhead because I wanted to visit Teneriffe Falls again, but from this trailhead to see if it would help me make up some time.

I began the hike with the downpour of rain as well as strong winds, which kinda make this hike with elevation kinda difficult, but I was able to tug inside some trees when the wind drift hit.

I first approached the Talus Loop and Roaring Creek intersection and was thinking that maybe this is the sector that was get me over to Teneriffe Falls. About a half mile into the Roaring Creek Trail, I decided against it, turned around and continued up the Mount Si Trail (I later learned on my way back that if I had took the Talus Loop (on the left), and then the Mount Teneriffe Trail (to the right after 0.7 miles), it would have taken me to the Teneriffe Falls Connector (less than mile from there); to me it beats the boulder rock climbs before you get to the switchbacks if you parked at the Teneriffe Falls small parking lot, but that elevator is brutal.

So, once I got back to the Mount Si Trail, I chatted with some hikers as they were coming down and inquired if this route had a Teneriffe Falls junction, but no one knew. As I continued to hike, I ran into another hiker and he stated that the Falls are not in this direction, it's actually about 1.5 miles east of here. 

Now, that I'm in a conundrum, I had to decide if I wanted to keep going to the Mount Si Summit, which was only 2 miles further, or head back to my car. My decision was made for me because moments later, I started to hear animal noises in the tree lines to my front, left, and to my right. Then in the shadows I saw 3 silhouettes and what I now know were cougars, so I backtracked down the trail, somehow hit the junction to Mount Teneriffe.

I started hiking in that direction, and ran into a nice couple, the husband and I conversed about our hikes and he told me, that had I continued to hike up to Mount Si, there was actually a junction to Teneriffe Falls and it would involve just a descent down to the Teneriffe Falls Connector Trail and it would have shave off my time. Luckily, he informed me that the Teneriffe Falls Connector Trail could also be hit from the direction that I'm going and it'll only be about 15 - 20 minutes and he was right. 

Unfortunately, as this was only my 2nd trip here and 1st coming from the Mount Si trailhead. It basically just took me across the bridge and to the elevation switchbacks to Teneriffe Falls. By that time, it was approaching 3pm and sunset was 4:15pm. Had I continued to hike to Teneriffe Falls, it would have been dark on my way back and I had already experienced this the first time.

So, I hike back along the Teneriffe Falls Connector, made that left, descended down for another half mile, hit the Talus Loop junction (0.1 miles) from that point, then the Mount Si Trailhead parking lot was only 1.4 miles from there (about 0.7 miles along the Talus Loop, then take the left at the Mount Si Trail sign junction (will be on your right), and you're 0.7 miles to the parking lot (all downhill).

Please be careful out there and just know, you can always avenge a hike later. Be wise and live to fight another day.

Peace and Blessings 😎 🫡

Great day. No rain. Parking is huge! Trail damp with muddy spots. Beautiful ferns, moss, big trees and green foliage everywhere. I stopped at the base of Haystack. Its a climb. (see photo). A guy climbing down said it was slippery towards the top. No ropes available. I skipped it and told myself that I will do it next summer.

Cloudy day but could see the snow on the mountain pass and part of Mt Rainier!

Day before Thanksgiving and not too busy at all.

We ventured out on this hike with our two children, ages 5 and 7. We started around 9 a.m. and spent about eight hours on the round trip. The trail was easy to follow and only muddy in a few spots (definitely wear waterproof boots). The kids did okay but were pretty tired on the last leg up the trail since it’s four miles uphill. My husband took turns carrying them on the steeper switchbacks.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a nice day—cloudy, drizzly, and rainy, with no views at the top. Just clouds. That was disappointing, but at least we can now say we’ve hiked Mt. Si. We enjoyed seeing the older trees, the bear grass, evidence of orchids that had bloomed earlier in the season, and lots of different types of lichen. Everyone we passed on the trail was very friendly, and I was surprised to see so many hikers out despite the weather.

If you’re doing this trail purely for the workout or the bragging rights, a cloudy November day is fine. But if you want the views, wait for clear weather.

HOA, HOA, HOA. If you feel like experiencing Twilight without heading out to the peninsula, hike Mt. Si on a cloudy day.

Seriously, though, this is a great shoulder season hike. No snow on the trail as of late-November and not nearly as crowded as during the warmer months. Lots of parking available at 10:00am on a Saturday. The last half mile before the summit was foggy and made me grateful for my warmer layers. This fog also obscured the views that might normally compel one to hike four miles uphill, but it made for a pretty cool atmosphere up top.

The toilets at the trailhead were stanky but otherwise clean and well-supplied.

I haven't hiked this trail in a very long time and thought I'd give it a whirl on a sunny day in November. I arrived at 8:30am (on a holiday) to a lot that was about 1/4 full. Toilet was stocked. The trail is in excellent condition and drier than I expected given all the recent rain. Going up there was lots of solitude and coming back down a different story. The highway noise is present for the first 3 miles. I tried to go down the old trail for some variety, but at one point it connects to the new trail and I ended up back on the new trail (oops!). There were lots of dogs - all leashed! No wildlife of note except a gray jay at the top and not too many mushrooms. The light through the trees was exceptional today and it was lovely to sit in the sun at the top.