Super dry and sunny (Satur)day. Mount Si was absolutely stunning. Arrived at 10:30 and parking lot was pretty full with 4 -5 spots left.

The trail was in good condition though it was pretty rocky so I'd recommend hiking poles on the way down or perhaps hiking shoes with thicker soles so your feet don't hurt :)

Also summited for the first time! Saw a mountain goat far far away. The view was incredible! I was definitely a bit nervous on the way down the haystack but didn't experience any problems. I think it's totally manageable if you take your time and watch where your feet land with every step! Would only do it again if it's very dry tho..can't imagine how slippery it must be on wet days or even just when it's very misty/foggy. 

Last, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FIX THE POTHOLES!!!! There must be over 15 big, sad potholes (see last two pix) in the parking lot and some are unavoidable! 

Came on a Sunday around 8:25, plenty of parking available. When we left around 1:30 the 4th parking lot wasn’t even full. Leaves were changing slightly and the sun was out. Hike is challenging at times but the view at the top is worth it.

When your 15 year old son and his best friend announce they want to hike Mount Si. You go! Delighted to take these two up to the top of the Mountain that is their school's namesake. I almost feel it should be a graduation requirement for MSHS students. :-P 

The day was beautiful. The parking lot has pot holes, but they are easy to dodge and it was surprisingly empty when we arrive at 9:45 AM or so on a Sunday. Bathrooms were in decent shape and were stocked. 

The trail is exactly what one would expect. A pretty steady climb, with one small flat reprieve in the middle, and a few steeper switch backs. We arrived at the top rock meadow in time for an early lunch to refuel before taking on the haystack. 

If you are planning to scramble up the haystack, stay to the right in the rock meadow and follow the trail into the woods and then out again at a small retaining wall with a bench atop it. At the bench, head left toward the haystack and you'll see several channels where people scramble up. This is where you'll want to start. 

It is not a walk in the park, but also not super hard for a fit, able bodied individual. This scramble does have a body count though and so it is to be respected for the risk that it is. 

Beautiful views at the top of our gorgeous slice of the PNW. The boys had fun finding their school and their houses with the binoculars that we brought up. 

My knees hurt on the way down (down the trail, not the haystack). I was very thankful for hiking poles to take some of the strain off. Please be prepared as the weather up top can very wildly from the weather at the bottom. There were times where we were happy in short sleeves and shorts, and then times where we had hats, jackets, buffs, and gloves and were still chilly! 

Overall it was just a spectacular day! I don't think Mount Si's seen the last of us! 

I've been hiking increasingly harder trails since May and have had this on my bucket list the entire time.

Some thoughts.... it's long, fairly relentless, but the trail is in great shape. I only needed to stop for a break about 3.5 miles in then pushed up to the top with some hands and feet rock climbing for the last 100 feet.

The top is a rocky peak and there's not much room at the top for much of anything except sitting on a boulder. And it was busy too which made it more crowded feeling. The views were amazing of Snoqualmie valley and I-90 and Mt. Rainier was something really unique!!! There are some cute birds that fly all around the peak. Probably looking for some dropped trail mix from a sloppy eating hiker.

Took 2:15 up and 1:45 down.

The 5 minute video of my adventure in the link below.

A little cloudy but you could kind of still see the outline of Seattle and Bellevue cityscape in the distance!