[summithound]

Saturday, June 10, 2006 Directions: From eastbound Interstate 90 take exit 32 towards North Bend. Turn left onto 436th Ave and travel 0.5 mile to North Bend Way. Turn left and travel 0.3 mile to Mount Si Road. Turn right onto Mount Si Road and follow it 2.4 miles to the signed trailhead parking on the left. The roads are all paved; the parking area is gravel. The Hike: From the large spacious parking area, find the marked trailhead to the north. You will immediately pass a couple of picnic tables in a small grassy clearing on the left and a large outhouse on the right before coming to a signed trail junction. The left route is the Creek Side Loop Trail. A plaque resides here commemorating Frances North who was an influential leader in the designation of Mount Si as a Natural Resources Conservation Area. Stay right on the main trail as it meanders flatly through berry bushes at times paralleling a creek. At all trail junctions stay with the well signed Mount Si Trail. Beyond the initial level stretch of trail, the path begins traversing the hillside. The terrain is rocky with periodic built-in steps and it is imperative to watch your footing.

Ascending along the Mount Si Trail

The trail was a bit muddy in places but nothing serious. At 0.7 mile stay straight at the supposedly signed intersection with the Talus Loop Trail. I did not see a sign today but it caused me no trouble. At just under 2.0 miles reach Snagg Flats where a forest fire in the early 1900s was quelled due to the level terrain nestled within a steep bank. A number of interpretive signs lie among the boardwalk.

Interpretive boardwalk at Snagg Flats

The trail leaves Snagg Flats and works its way uphill in long switch-backs. At 3.5 miles awaits a mediocre view of the city below.

View of the town below at the 3.5 mile mark

As the trees begin to thin and the trail gains more rocky characteristics you know you are nearing the summit. The trail will at times cross small boulder fields, however, getting lost or turned around is difficult, just look for the brown signs pointing you in the direction of the haystack.

A sign guiding the way during a brief crossing of a boulder field

The trail will again split just before the 4.0 mile mark. The left fork leads a short distance to a viewpoint of the Snoqualmie Valley below. The day was foggy so we opted out of this short side trip. Back on the trail follow the sign to the haystack and arrive at the base of the rocky peak at 4.0 miles, the end of the trail. From here, there is an easily distinguishable way trail leading to the most popular route up the haystack.

The most popular route up the haystack

My hiking partner and I scrambled to the top amidst fog and light mist making sure to leave our backpacks down below to improve our balance. There is no trail to the top and one must rely on upper body strength to pull yourself up and support your weight on the way down. At the top we snapped some summit shots and headed back down the way we came.

View down the opposite side of the haystack on the way to the top

Notes: The weather was cool, cloudy and later foggy allowing me to complete the hike wearing a t-shirt, shorts, gore-tex pants and the occasional application of a sweatshirt and a gore-tex shell. There were 29 other vehicles upon arrival and 12 upon departure. The trail conditions were good with only a little mud in places.