Making it up Mt Snoqualmie

Mount Snoqualmie
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Distance: ~3.5 miles roundtrip
Trailhead: 3115 feet (GPS N47 26.718 W121 25.397)
Highpoint: 6329 feet (GPS N47 27.532 W121 24.983)
Elevation Gain: 3214 feet
Hike Difficulty Calculator: 42 - Extreme
Trail Notes: Dogs permitted, yes!!! Steep trail with three to twelve inches of snow that became rather tricky during the descent.
Pass/Parking: Northwest Forest Pass or equivalent required for parking at Trailhead.

As always, click on the pictures for easier viewing.

All photos of this weekend's hikes are located here


The electronic telegram arrived from the hiking group providing all with an invite to climb Mount Snoqualmie. A respectable peak located in the Washington portion of the Cascade Mountain Range. Mt Snoqualmie is roughly located in between Federal Way and Leavenworth, just a few minutes off of Interstate 90. With a decent weather forecast for the area, one dozen seasoned hikers from the group answered the invitation and presented themselves at the trailhead for the day's rigorous climb. Oh, a special guest appearance was made by the prettiest, four-legged redhead to hike a trail. Kiwi, who just turned three, came to celebrate in the white wonder of the recent snowfall. The roll call for the trip was: George, Karen John, Kevin, Wade, Jim, Dave, Ron, Jay, Mary, Gino, Kiwi, and myself.

Heading out MMMMMMMM We go this way MMMMMM Who's eating snow??

This is a short but steep and rough trail that is better hiked with some conditioning under your belt. A rough rule of thumb for a challenging limb is 1000ft vertical gain for one mile hiked. Some hikers use this rule as a yardstick when to pull out their trekking poles to aid in their ascent and subsequent descent. This trail is about 50% steeper and most of us had our poles or ice axes out and in use shortly after leaving the trailhead.

We started making our way through quite a bit of brush before entering forest area. Several times I had to make use of the local vegetation to pull up or steady myself in the slippery snow conditions. But keep your eyes open to what you grab. There were several leafless limbs I was going to grab, but eagle eye Jay gave a warning of Devils Club! Sure enough, nestled in amongst the other branches was one offshoot of Devels Club about one inch thick. Thanks to his sharp eyes I was able to avoid a painful lesson. mWhew!! mm:-)

After about a mile that included navigating up some rocky rivulets of meltwater, we approached a fork that either heads over to Guye Peak or continues up Mt Snoqualmie via the left fork. The weather was very good on this outing. High cirrus clouds accented the beautiful blue skies, while local low clouds occasionally danced before us in a display of solidarity (middle pic below).

Making our way upward MMLocal cloud cavorting MMMMAlmost frozen waterfall


A little over a quarter mile further we crossed a small creek that collected from a nearby waterfall. Normally the last place for filling up on water, that was the least of our worries for the day. We carefully continued our progress up the steep and slippery path. One trick to play on your trail mates is to shake the snow-laden branches as they pass under, with the goal of getting the refreshing powder down their back. Or if you're clumsy enough like me, you can do it to yourself. Wow, cold snow down the back can certainly get your attention. m:-)

Around the 5000ft level is a small, level area that we took advantage of to take a break and fuel up with some food. It was a great day! Man, I really like pausing to enjoy the blue sky contrasted against the white snow and Kiwi frolicking about with her tail and ears up in happiness. She was having a fun time along with the rest of us.

After the rest area of sorts, the trail is more open and out of the general forest. We headed in the direction of up by swichbacking here and there as we ascended the open slope. The wind picked up as we climbed higher. Occasionally we had some respite from the blustery cold behind a small grove of trees. It was cold enough, about 30F degrees, to put Kiwi's suit on to help protect her from the elements.

West towards Alpental MMMM Why so slow Dad? MMM Looking down I-90 to Kachess Lake


Soon enough our persistence pays off and we round a bend to realize the summit has been reached. Standing over 6000ft, Mt Snoqualmie offers an excellent 360 degree view of the surrounding Cascades. (Listen to Kevin name many of the peaks in the video below) The pictures do not do it justice. Really beautiful vistas, both close and distant.

As with most peaks in the winter months, the wind let us know that we were not alone. Temperatures in the 20sF and the wind blowing in the 20mphs, we did not have an extended rest at the summit. A cold face, numb hands, and Kiwi's discomfort pointed me back down the mountain within a few minutes.

Wonderfully white MMMMMM Wade, John & Kevin MMMM Rainier & Alpental ski area


Normally I don't complain much about trail conditions, but this trek back down was an exception. The small amount of snow along the trail actually made the descent more difficult than other times. With deeper snow, snowshoes or crampons could have been used and with no snow, the trail would not have been as slippery or treacherous. As it was, the small of amount of snow, warmed slick by the shining sun, and the plenty of rocks on the trail combined to create somewhat of a dangerous descent. This is where our experience came in. Travelling slowly and cautiously we made our way back down to the trailhead with no incidents. High fives all around and enough energy for a group picture before heading to the nearby brew house. m:-)

Some of the peak baggers


Route Profile


Video:


Directions:
From Seattle take I-90 East to Exit 52. Turn left at the stop sign onto Alpental Road and stay on this road for little more than a mile. There is a parking lot on the left side which includes a bridge on the left side of the parking lot. The unmarked trailhead is across the road about 50 before the Snow Lake trailhead. (Trailhead GPS N47 26.718 W121 25.397)