This trail would be a great one if it weren't so horrendously rocky. Large stretches of the trail are full of loose rock that are the perfect size to roll an ankle. It reminded me of walking down a dry streambed. I won't be doing this one again. 

Plenty of parking when we got there in the morning. Heavily trafficked trail today with a few large groups. The trail was soggy most of the way. Snow started to be consistent at the junction between Mt. Washington and Great Wall trail. I didn't use spikes for the rest of the way up, but I did use them going down. The snow was only a few inches even at the top. 

Snow is in the forecast so this won't be accurate for long, hopefully! 

When the group decided to hike this peak in February, I was shocked. Today's test wasn't snow or ice, but 40 degree rain. The peak area wind was brisk and we were quick to come down from the cloudy area. 

We had microspikes but there was no need. There is quite a stretch of the trail with loose rock that makes the footing challenging. The hike up was mostly dry, but as the rain picked up, the hike down was pretty wet and muddy.

This was a great training hike, a good test for our wet weather gear, and I look forward to coming back on a clear day when I can enjoy the views at the top.

Aaaaa! This is my third attempt to post 🤣

Basically: wear waterproof boots, take poles, and don’t turn right at the hairpin in the photo.

And thanks and high-fives to the lovely folks I met on the trail today.

This has similar miles/elevation gain to Si, but is harder due to a trail characterized by loose rock in many sections. Also especially beautiful and far less crowded.

Mount Washington was a nice hike. The first 1.5 miles of the ascent are steep and have loose rock, but after that, the climb becomes more pleasant. There’s a cave and a few intersections with other trails. Not too many views though until you arrive to the very top. There’s a geocache/trail register at the summit. There’s also a great lunch spot where you can bask in the sun and enjoy views of Mount Rainier and be visited by some Canada Jays! On 2/6 there were very minimal and very short patches of snow. No microspikes needed. Trekking poles were nice to have for the descent. The trail was not crowded at all today.

Arrived at the trailhead parking lot a little before 8am on Saturday. There were only 2 other vehicles in the lot, so plenty of space. The bathroom was open and stocked with toilet paper. Note: the Palouse to Cascade trail is closed west of the turn-off to Mount Washington, so no access to Twin Falls from Homestead Valley Trailhead. We got up to the top of Mount Washington around 10:15am. There is some snow and ice along the trail (way less than normal this time of year), but didn’t end up using microspikes (although poles were very helpful in the slippery areas). We didn’t see anyone else the entire way up. A handful of groups on the way down, but not a busy day on the trail. Although the parking lot was pretty much full when we got down around 12:30pm.