We got to the trailhead at 11am and just missed the last spot in the lot, we snagged a spot 0.2 miles away towards the highway. Make sure to watch out for the no parking signs. Also a reminder you can pick up Discovery Passes from the Chevron in North Bend on the way there! Make sure to read the directions on WTA or use GPS so you know where to follow the trail. The first several miles were a mix of steep and not so steep, lots of rocks with a few downed trees that are easy to navigate around or over. At approximately 3100 feet the snow starts, then stops for a bit, then gets continuous up to the summit. There was really only once section that I would say would be sketchy if Avalanche conditions were high. I do recommend microspikes or poles or preferably both, frankly if you’re hiking in the winter I think microspikes are mandatory to at least bring in your pack. Great views of Rainier, the Olympics, and even Seattle today. Make sure to go past where most people are having a snack to get a view to the north too. Overall this is one of the best winter hikes for distance and elevation that you can do safely, enjoy!

Left town early as it was raining.  Heading east the rain let up but we were still in the clouds and a bit cool.  The road to the trailhead is in good condition and so is the pit toilet.  There were 2 cars in the lot at 0800 when we started up the trail.  The first mile of trail has taken a beating with downed trees and debris but you can walk around, over or under them.  I’d say there are about 6 trees down, all above the forest road section of the trail.  Lots of water running on the trail just after a mile or so. The snow starts around 3000 ft where it is patchy at first then at 3100 ft (near the sign to the climbing wall) micro-spikes are necessary/very helpful.  There are a couple of rocky trail sections past here but easiest to just keep the spikes on.  Creeks were all crossable.  Watch for few snow bridges near streams and areas with running water.  There is still ALOT of snow, probably about 3 ft at 3000ft and it just gets deeper.  The trail is narrow, compacted, and easy to follow.  The snow on the open slopes is stable as it’s very consolidated.  Although I still moved quickly across those 2 areas.  This is when we popped above the clouds and had grand views of the summits above.  We could see Baker from one outlook.  Kept climbing and the views kept getting better.  The summit still has the corniced snow that you can see on the approach.  The snow is probably around 7-8 ft deep along the final 1/2 mile to the summit.  Be mindful of the many tree wells all along the trail.  Had the summit to ourselves looking at distant landmarks on Rainier.  Hard to leave with no wind, quiet space, and warmth from the sun so stayed for nearly an hour.  Wispy clouds started to move in as we were leaving so felt grateful for the clear skies we had.  We were not post-holing at all on the way down and the snow stayed quite firm.  It never got warm under the tree canopy.  The rocky trail in the last 1.5-2 miles on the way down can be kind of brutal (as always).  Looking forward to seeing the trillium in the following weeks as the snow melts and spring appears.  Great outing and work out.

This is a trail best when the avalanche risk isn't too bad but with enough snow to cover all the loose rock, and cold enough that it doesn't entail too much trail-wading.  Unfortunately we'll need more snow to achieve those conditions.

The snow is spotty to a bit past the intersection with the Great Wall trail.  I put on spikes shortly after the stream crossing as a previous trip report suggested, but took them off again shortly after as the snow had mostly melted away.  I didn't try putting them on again until perhaps 0.25mi past the intersection with the Olallie trail/pond (~3600').  Shortly after that I left the Mt Washington trail, traveling slightly east of due south, aiming for the south ridge of Change Peak.  This worked perfectly - a nice even grade on firm snow, though the last few hundred feet was steep enough that I was glad to have my ice ax.  The clouds were just starting to thin.

I put on my snowshoes, planning on taking the roadway to Greenway.  Most previous trip reports for Greenway don't mention it, but this road travels through the Watershed.  So while Greenway itself is not in the Watershed, it seems that nearly a mile of the roadway to it is.  Disappointed, I turned back to Washington.

The snowshoes didn't really help all that much.  In fact, there were stretches of Washington's south ridge that were thin or even completely bare of snow.  The summit itself has several feet of snow.  And views were getting better with the minute.  There was a modest breeze.

The descent from Washington down its east face was on a narrow hard track that made me grateful for my spikes.  On the 4th switchback, rather than continuing down the trail I investigated going down the NE ridge.  There is a dotted track shown on Caltopo, and I had heard of an old trail supposedly following this ridge.  However it seemed far steeper than I expected from the topo maps.  Worse, there are numerous rocks faces/cliffs along the way that made it quite challenging, at least towards the upper end.  Eventually I found what seemed to be a channel through the tangled brush and trees that worked almost to the Olallie trail.  The final part was once again quite steep, forcing me to back down the slope.  This whole stretch would have been impossible to do safely without my ice ax.  It was much more difficult than the route I'd taken getting up to the Change Peak ridge.

The Olallie trail quickly led to the main Washington trail, so the remainder was simply a matter of careful footwork on the loose rock, wading the trailbed streams, and getting over/under/around the downed trees {most of which are near the trail start point - they become less frequent with altitude}.

We arrived at the trailhead around 0930 with only a few vehicles. Patchy snow for the first mile and a half. Also several blowdowns that you will need to step over or around. Once past the creek around 2 miles, the snow starts to get deeper and more compact. We put on our spikes about 2.5 mile point. Only past a few hikers going up. The sky started to clear a little, but the clouds still prevented seeing a good view. My wife had a couple of missteps trying to follow old boot prints which gave way to the slope side of the trail. Remember on those steep and narrow sections, step and lean into the mountain. Better to fall that way then down.

There were a handful of hikers at the summit enjoying a snack. This is one of the few times I hiked to the summit in the winter with NO wind.  It was an amazing day. Headed down after a short stay. The snow had became slushy and less firm on the way down. So a little more slipping and sliding but manageable. Saw a few more hikers on way down. We arrived back at the trailhead in around 4.5 hours. This is a great hike with few crowds compared to Si and Mailbox.

Be Safe and Happy Hiking!

I arrived at the trailhead on an overcast drizzly Saturday at 9:15 a.m. after attempting Old Si, but the Little Si lots were filled by 9 a.m. Mt. WA's trailhead is in excellent condition with very few potholes and a clean bathroom. There is inntermittant snow from the start and several downed trees you have to climb over or duck under. All doable. The first half of the trail is wet with water running over it frequently. Also the snow quality for that first half is not pretty, mostly mush or snow grit with rocks and twigs. I didn't don my spikes until after the creek crossing where you have to hop nicely placed rocks. Some hikers went much further without spikes. I'm not that hardcore. I hit Mt. WA once a year because it takes me that long to miss the steep descents with large loose rocks. This is killer on your knees and ankles. The ridgeline is steep. There are a few dicey spots and it's all incline for over 3000 ft., so if you're unsure hiking in the snow, this may not be the trail for you. Last thing, the snow is mushy in places and spikes don't help a bit. Expect some slipping and sliding. With all that, it was a wonderful challenge with a fantastic payout even without the view. I'll be back in a year.