East Peak via Rattlesnake Ridge Trail

At only 35 miles from downtown Seattle, Rattlesnake Ledge is one of the most popular hikes in Washington and definitely offers unquestionably the best visual payoff vs difficulty of any hike this close to Seattle.  We decided to do a modified version of the traditional 3.8 mile hike to Rattlesnake Ledge, tacking on an additional 5 miles and 1600 ft of elevation gain to reach East Peak.  The view in the picture above can be reached just above Rattlesnake Ledge and is one of the best views I've seen anywhere in Washington.

Unfortunately, because this hike is very close to Seattle and relatively easy, compared to other hikes in the region, it is also very popular.  The main parking lot was almost full when we arrived at 11 a.m.  We passed throngs of other hikers on the way up to Rattlesnake Ledge.  Amazingly, Allison and Katie have done this hike before and assured me that the crowd was actually much smaller than it had been on their last outing.  Despite the population density, we had a great and quick hike up to the ledge.  We hung out for a few minutes, had some food and then continued our way up hill.  Most of the hikers only go up to the ledge, so we got a nice break from the crowd for the majority of the middle section of the hike.

  About half way up to East Peak, we ran into patches of snow which continued sporadically all the way to the peak.  It was an absolutely a beautiful day during the entire hike, and we had seen pictures of a view of Mt. Rainier which was supposedly taken from East Peak.  Unfortunately we were slightly disappointed with the view, which did not rival the view from the Ledge and did not contain Mt. Rainier, when we finally reached the peak.  We had a nice hiking lunch, chatted a bit with a fellow hiker and headed back down the mountain.  The trip down was fairly uneventful except for a small detour where we ventured out onto a rather precarious ledge a little above Rattlesnake Ledge.

This ledge was surrounded on three sides by a several hundred foot drop.  It has been a long time since I have been near the edge of something like this, and I have to say that I'm a bit more afraid of heights at this point in my life than I remember having been in the past.  Needless to say I was relieved when we made our way off the ledge and back onto the trail.

Overall this was one of the groups favorite hikes, despite the crowds, especially the Rattlesnake Ledge portion of the hike. It has great payoff, the trail is graded well, and it's a very manageable drive.

WTA Link

Cedar Butte

At the Trail Head

Cedar Butte - March 9th, 2014
Mileage: 3-4 miles
Elevation Gain: 900 feet
Olallie State Park: I-90 Corridor
Dog Friendly
Difficulty: Easy

A little over a month ago I decided I was going to try and get some of my other friends to go hiking with Katie, Chris and I. In an effort to facilitate that, and also to get some of them in shape for an upcoming trip to the Hoh Rain Forest, I created a hiking group called: Allison Pushes People Up Mountains. Now that we've completed our first hike I am almost concerned at how appropriate that name is.

Katie Admiring Rattlesnake

WATER!

I forget that not everybody likes being outside and in nature. The first hike we chose, to my mind, was easy-peasy, even with it being the first official hike. The undergrowth was beautiful and even though the views weren't as awe-inspiring as some of the other hikes I've done I thought it was a good start. I don't think everybody enjoyed it as much as I would have liked, but I definitely converted at least one friend. So I'm chalking that up as a win.

Cedar Butte is basically across the street (literally) from Rattlesnake Ledge. Which is kind of awesome because you drive past Rattlesnake's parking lot and see the 10 billion cars in the parking lot and then you go into the Cedar Falls trailhead and there is nobody. Maybe 4 cars. I'm sure this changes once summer is in full swing but at this point in the season it's pretty solitary. We saw 4 people on the trail total.

One thing I really appreciated about Cedar Butte is you get a warm up. So many times I get out of 1+ hour car ride and then have to go straight up a hill. That is totally mean. I always wish they would move the trailhead like a half mile further away on flat ground so my legs can get warm. For this hike you walk in along, what I'm guessing, is a service road. Even though it definitely doesn't quite feel like you're in nature yet, it's still pretty. There's some swampy marshland and a couple of small creeks.

I'm OUTSIDE!

After the easy walk in you start ascending the mountain. I really enjoyed how misty this hike was. That kind of weather really suits the mossy undergrowth that you see around North Bend at lower elevations. The grade isn't terribly steep but it is pretty consistently up. Occasionally it flattened out for a bit but not often. When you consider you're gaining about 900 feet in about 1.25 miles it's really very reasonable.

Mediocre views!! And so much more!

The views were not incredible once we got to the top. There's a clear view of the valley below but it's still just looking down on North Bend... As much as I love walking in the mist, I kept hoping it was going to clear by the time we got to the summit. If it had been clearer I know you can see Si, Teneriffe and some other surrounding mountains, but the weather was not cooperative.

All in all I think this is a very decent season opener and a very nice beginner hike.