Another dry day in January calls for another hike! I'm continuing my
theme of visiting the North Bend area peaks today with a visit to Rattlesnake
Mountain, sometimes referred to as Rattlesnake Ridge. Like Tiger Mountain,
this is one that everyone drives by all the time. Unlike Tiger Mountain, not many people visit this particular trail, though there are throngs of visitors
at the far eastern end of it at Rattlesnake Ledge. My hike today starts at Snoqualmie Point, which is at the western
edge of the mountain at about 1000' elevation. This mountain dominates the
southwest skyline of North Bend, and I'm hoping for some good views from the
top.
It was cold rain in the lowlands last night, and from the drive up I can tell
that amounted to snow in the mountains at about 1500'. Mount Si,
Mailbox, and Rattlesnake look like one of those black and white cookies with light on one half and dark on the other. I park at the trailhead and am a bit apprehensive of leaving my car there, due to the large pile of broken glass a few spaces over. However, the most one can do is remove valuables and hope
for the best. Rattlesnake Mountain is more popular with mountain bikers than
hikers due to the excellent mountain bike trail network here. Fortunately, the
hiking and biking trails are separated so I won't be dodging any mountain bikes
on the trail today. I put on some good elevation in the first mile and
half, meandering through open forest.
At about two miles, I reach a fork heading to the Stan's Overlook viewpoint, but
I decide to press on to my ultimate goal, which is the Rattlesnake Mountain East Peak, 6 miles from the car. The snow is covering the trail now, but it's not deep -
only about an inch in the open areas and less under the trees. The trail becomes
gentler and traverses some relatively mature second-growth forest. The
undergrowth of mostly ferns indicates the forest is on its way to recovery, and
it's very pretty with the coating of snow. I think I assumed that the
Rattlesnake Mountain trail wouldn't be very good, as the entire mountain has
been logged at some point, and has radio towers on the top. However, so far it's
actually a really nice hike on an easy trail.
At four miles, I reach the next viewpoint, which is called Grand Prospect, and is
at about 3100'. This one is right on the trail and has two lovely benches
overlooking North Bend and Mount Si. Some artistic hiker has crafted
two pint-sized snow people sitting on one of the benches, which are still
recognizable despite the snow covering them. It's always fun to
see a bit of whimsy on the trail, though I chuckle that the snow people aren't actually looking at the view! There are good views here of North Bend, Mount
Si, and the North Fork Snoqualmie Valley. From up here, everything looks like a
winter wonderland, though walking in the fresh snow is easy. The temperature is
around freezing, but I'm warm enough if I keep moving.
I am literally following in the footsteps of two other hikers that have made
tracks in the snow ahead of me. At about five a half miles in, their prints veer
off the trail to a southern view next to a radio tower. They've apparently decided to stop here for lunch,
but I continue onward up the trail to East Peak. Now I am blazing my own path in
the virgin snow, and I wonder if I'll be the only visitor to this part of the
mountain today. The white stuff is deeper now, reaching 3-4 inches in places. I
consider putting on my gaiters, but it doesn't seem worth the hassle. I brush
snow off my pants every few minutes to keep them from getting wet, which works
fine. On this upper section of the trail, there is a clear-cut just next to the
trail, and the trail eventually crosses it. This reduces the nearby scenery a bit, but provides expansive views to
the southwest, as well as some welcome sunshine. There are too many clouds to tell today, but I think this part of
the hike would provide a good view of Mount Rainier.
I work my way over a large blowdown on the trail, and make it to the radio tower
at East Peak, elevation 3400'. There is quite a bit of snow here - about 5 or 6
inches, and the whitened trees with a bit of sun make for great scenery. Another
bench has been installed with a really nice panorama from Mount Si across to the Middle Fork Valley and Mailbox Peak. On "developed" mountains like this, it's sometimes hard to tell where the summit is, since the
trail doesn't go there, or the top is fenced off. And, with
trees right to the top, there isn't always a view either. According to my
map, East Peak is the tallest part of Rattlesnake Mountain, so I'm happy to declare I have "climbed it". I consider brushing off the snow on the bench to have
lunch, but it's a bit chilly and I have a long hike back, so I decide to munch
while I'm hiking. Before I go, I try to make another pair of snowmen on the bench at the top, but unfortunately the snow is not wet enough and refuses to even pack into a snowball - maybe next time!
On the way back, I bypass the blowdown by hiking a section of road instead of
the trail. The road hike is actually pretty nice, with the snow being a nice cushion for the descent. Some ominous clouds are approaching from the the south and west,
and I'm hoping not to get caught in a storm. I consider hiking up to the big radio towers behind the Grand Prospect viewpoint, but the elevation there isn't any higher than East Peak, and it doesn't seem there are any views from there I haven't already seen. The miles tick by pretty quickly on the way down, and there are no new boot prints in the snow. It seems that the two hikers I saw earlier and I are the only souls to venture past Grand Prospect today.
I stop at Stan's Overlook on the way down to check out the view. It's mostly of the North Fork valley, and would probably have a view of Mt. Baker or Glacier Peak, but anything that distant is lost in the clouds. I continue onward, passing a few more groups of hikers on the lower part of the trail. I return to the trailhead after about five hours and a bit over 12 miles. I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of this trail - it's not big on waterfalls or old-growth forests, but it was a nice place to spend a few hours in the woods and get a decent workout. And while the views are not quite the strong suit of this hike, on a clear day they would still be pretty great, especially if you hike all the way to East Peak or to the clear-cut are before it. And if you can manage a pick up or a two-car shuttle, it's possible to hike 10 miles one way on this trail to (or from) Rattlesnake Lake for even more views, though in summertime that's where you will also meet many hundreds of other hikers.
Stats
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 12 miles
Elevation Gain: 2900'
Summits: Rattlesnake Mountain
Photos and Videos
360° Photo: Grand Prospect Viewpoint
Stats
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