10/5/2026 I was able to get an early start from the Lake Stuart Trailhead, arriving to the parking area around 5:15. It was a Monday, but the hype around the Enchantments was palpable as I drove past significant activity at the Snow Lakes trailhead on my way up from Leavenworth. The Lake Stuart trailhead was also filled with hikers climbing out of their fancy adventure vans and donning headlamps in preparation for their Enchantment through-hikes. Despite the early morning hub

10/2/2026 Naches Peak loop was the perfect fall outing for a family with a small baby. It featured colorful meadows and big views, all on a relatively, easy, short trail. We started from Tipsoo Lake and hiked clockwise. Fall colors were just about prime and Mount Rainier graced us with her presence on the south side of the peak. The trail itself was wide and easy to follow, which made it a great option to put the baby in a carrier and enjoy low effort/high reward mountain vie

9/18/2026 I’ve been enjoying visiting summits along the Howe Sound Crest Trail, and this was no exception. The trail was easy to follow directly from the Cypress lodge, and I couldn’t help but get a tiny bit rattled as a I passed a big “Bear in Area” sign while I was alone in the dark with a headlamp that was rapidly running out of battery. Thank goodness for cell phone flashlights! The early part of the Howe Sound Crest Trail had clearly had work done on it recently, and it

9/14/2026 Sunrise from the trailhead This was a quick fall color trip that turned out to be more challenging than expected. I got an early start from the empty Merrit Lake trailhead (I didn’t find the road to be as bad as others have alluded to) and quickly made my way up to the turnoff to Nason Ridge – about 2.6 miles. Climbing up and over the ridge was also no problem, but as soon as the trail started to drop off the ridgeline and contour on the south side at about 5300’, I

11/19/2025 Jim and I did a fun loop in the local hills, taking advantage of a sunny day in November before the winter snow began in earnest. We began in the Olallie State Park picnic area parking lot and took the Hall Creek trail for a quarter mile, before making the short, steep climb up to join the Hall Creek trestle and the Palouse to Cascades Trail. Jim was actually involved with the restoration of the trestle in 1999 following a washout in the 80s, which was fun to hear

10/30/2025 I made an attempt on Mount McCausland via the Smithbrook Trailhead but was thwarted by deep snow on the final slopes to the summit. An early heavy dump of snow had left the Cascades blanketed in white by late October. I tried driving up to the Smithbrook trailhead, but being the cautious snow driver I am, I decided to park on the roadside after I encountered the first areas of slick snow on the roadway. I had made it about 1.3 miles up the road, which left me with

10/28/2025 I took a fall color hike to Robe Canyon and was very impressed by the scenery and power of the South Fork Stillaguamish River. The trail drops into the canyon via a series of switchbacks, losing about 250 feet from the trailhead on the Mountain Loop Highway before reaching the bottom. The rest of the hike consisted of flat walking, until the trail terminated abruptly at a closed sign. I was really impressed by the river here and the fall color was spectacular, even

10/28/2025 Quick jaunt up Barlow Point on a cloudy late October day. There was a bit of snow on the summit, and some nice views of Big Four Mountain. Round trip time was just under an hour. Big Four and Hall Peak from the summit Barlow Pass sign Beautiful fall color on the Mountain Loop Highway Couldn't get enough of the fall color Final Stats: 2.5 miles / 864 feet of ascent

10/8/2025 In a tie for the 200 th tallest peak in Washington with over 400ft of prominence, Wallaby Peak is a is a nice destination with a high reward to effort ratio. Departing straight from the hairpin near Washington Pass, it doesn’t take long to get up to views into the heart of the North Cascades. Early Winters Spire is seen early and often on the Kangaroo Pass trail The trail to Kangaroo Pass is mostly well-defined, with only a few sections of boulder-hopping low down

10/4/2025 This was a great fall-color loop with Katie. While the hordes of larch marchers were congregating at the Maple Pass trailhead, we departed from the quiet Bridge Creek trailhead, just a mile down the road. Trail signage We hiked on the PCT for about an eighth of a mile before turning off onto the Stiletto Spur trail. This trail was quite well maintained, despite a bit of brush in the valley, and we quickly reached the turnoff to Stiletto Peak. The climb up to the old

9/28/2025 Aaron and Kyle were up for an ascent of Mount Thomson. We met at 6:30 at Snoqualmie Pass, and it was still quite dark outside – the first time all year that I had to confront the grim reality that peak summer had passed us by. We took the shortcut up Commonwealth basin, joining up with the PCT and cruising the easy miles below Kendall peak, reaching the Katwalk a bit over 2 hours after leaving the trailhead. It was clear that wildfire smoke was thick to the east, bu

9/19/2025 - 9/20/2025 I had made two previous trips to the basin below Boulder Pass. One was an attempt at Clark Mountain that ended when we found ourselves inside of a thick cloud and was comprised mostly of hanging out in the tent to avoid the rain. The second was a successful climb of Clark Mountain that was also spent mostly in the clouds. Needless to say, I was very familiar with the approach but wasn’t fully convinced the sun ever shone on Boulder Pass or the surroundin

10/12/2024 I had been talking about day-tripping Mount Fernow for years and this perfect weather fall weekend as the perfect time to make it happen. I drove out to the Phelps Creek Trailhead the night before and settled in for the night in the back of my car. Big shoutout to the crews who repaired the final switchbacks up to the trailhead, it was night and day different compared to my last visit a month prior. The alarm rang nice and early and I was up and moving by 4:00.

9/30/2023 It was the first weekend of Larch Madness in Washington, and I was looking forward to getting out for a day trip. I had spent precious little time in the Chiwaukums and figured they would be a great place for larches and solitude. I settled upon Big Jim and Big Lou (named after Jim and Lou Whittaker) as a big day. I headed out early from Seattle, making it to Hatchery Creek Road in good time. I had read some reports that there was a rough section of the road about a

9/23/2023 In search of a quick peak I could get in before rain came into Western Washington that afternoon, I chose Bald Mountain (East Peak) near Spada Lake. I had wanted to explore the Mountain Loop more and the Walt Bailey trail seemed like a great choice for a short trip with good fall color. The forest service road up to the Mallardy Ridge Trailhead was in immaculate condition and I got started around 8:45 am. The trail was semi-rugged, but still allowed for some fast tr

11/20/2022 Western Washington was at the height of shoulder season – snow had fallen in the mountains but nowhere near enough for winter activities to begin in earnest. With a good forecast upon us, Katie and I headed out to the Snoqualmie Pass area for what I hoped to be a perfect adventure given the conditions. Mount Margaret is located just over the pass between Keechelus Lake and Rampart Ridge. The normal summer trailhead is located up the steep Forest Road 4832 at about

10/16/2022 The late summer and early fall of 2022 had been unseasonably hot and smoky throughout the Cascades and Washington state. I had been obsessively checking smoke forecasts trying to make the most of the hot and sunny weather throughout this period, and it looked like there was a small window at Snoqualmie Pass for the weekend. Knowing this, my dad and I set out for a casual day trip to Red Mountain. The PCT north trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass was packed with cars, but

10/1/2022 Western Washington had been plagued by near consistent wildfire smoke during the exceptionally dry September and October of 2022. I had been monitoring the smoke forecasts and was cautiously optimistic about clean air in the Chelan Sawtooths. I figured the larches would be a bit early for peak color but was still excited about the chance to camp at a larchy lake and knock off another Bulger via a seldom-done route. I had heard tales of horrific bushwacking from late

9/24/2022 - 9/25/2022 It had been a goal of mine to sleep in the Three Fingers Lookout for years. It is an iconic and improbably place for a fire lookout with a rugged approach and an exciting finish on old wooden ladders. Eric was in for an epic weekend so we set off early Saturday morning for the "trailhead." Most trips I do to the mountains involve long drives that have trailheads in relatively pristine wilderness areas...this was not the case for Three Fingers. It is a sh

9/17/2022 The weather in the Cascades was finally starting to feel a little bit like fall. With commitments in Seattle later that day, we drove out to the Snoqualmie Pass area with hopes of a fun, quick hike with multiple peaks. After parking a bit before the trailhead due to some rugged sharp rocks on the road, Katie and I took off on the PCT on a nice brisk morning. We traveled an easy 1.7 miles to where the trail to Silver Peak branches off, which is marked by a giant cai