Western Washington, hiking, climbing, Best of the NW year-round trails.Gain 360 wrap around views of the I 90 corridor over Snoqualmie Pass from Mount Catherine. Forest road 9070 is much rougher in the summer than the groomed Mount Catherine Nordic Ski loop of the winter. (We clocked faster speeds Nordic skiing than driving down the bumpy road).
Find a small pullout just before the high point in the road and easy to miss trail head to the right.
The trail begins its climb immediately. Short but sweet, under a mile and a half and 1,300 feet reveals peekaboo views of near-by Tinkham Peak and Granite Peak on the way up.
The last short steep section leads to the top-out on a narrow ridge summit. Behold a steep drop-off high above Kecheelus lake and Mount Rainier to greet you on a clear day.
Take in neighboring Snoqualmie pass peaks, Tinkham, Silver, Granite Peak and McLelland Butte to name a few.
