Thursday, February 24, 2011

Hiking Bucket List 2011

This was my hiking bucket list for 2011. I completed 17 out of the 32 hikes on my list. :-)

Diosbud Creek

Roundtrip: 2-3 miles
Difficulty: ???
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 30 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Coal Creek Parkway Trail - Directions and map for Cougar Mountain Regional Wildlife Park ~done

Roundtrip: 4.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 45 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Mercer Slough Nature Park  ~done

Rountrip: 6 miles of trails
Difficulty: Easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 40 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Cumberland Creek - Rasar State Park ~done

Roundtrip: Approx. 3 miles
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Buck Island - Lewis Street Park - Trailhead ~done

Rountrip: up to 3.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 25 minutes -
Parking Pass required: No

Whitehorse Trail ~done

Roundtrip: Variable - up to 12 miles round trip
Difficulty: easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 55 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

River Meadows Park  ~done
Roundtrip: up to 6 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 40 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Paradise Valley Conservation Area - Woodinville  ~done

Roundtrip: 13+ miles of trails
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Old Robe Canyon Trail ~done

Rountrip: 2 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 45 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Lime Kiln Trail ~done

Rountrip: 7 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Old Sauk River Trail ~done

Roundtrip: 6 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Tiger Mountain Trail - Issaquah, WA

Roundtrip: ???
Difficulty: moderate to difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: No ??

Pinnacle and Bear Lake

Roundtrip: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Canyon Lake - WTA Trip reports - *call to check on forest road condition* Forest service link to hike

Roundtrip: 4.2 miles ??? + have to walk in on FS Rd. 4111 for 2 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett):
Parking Pass required: No -  Call to double check Darrington Ranger District office at 360-436-1155 or Verlot Public Service Center at 360-691-7791

Explorer Falls - Waterfalls Northwest link ~done

Roundtrip: 2.5 - 5 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 50 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

St. Edwards State Park - Printable trail map

Roundtrip: Variable - approx. 6 miles of trails
Difficulty: Easy - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: Yes - Discover Pass

Carkeek Park ~done

Roundtrip: 6 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 35 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Redmond Watershed Preserve

Roundtrip: 2-4 miles
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 45 minutes approx.
Parking Pass required: No

Lake Twenty-Two ~done

Roundtrip: 4-5 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: moderate - steep
Drive time (from N. Everett): one hour approx.
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Peek-a-Boo Lake -* Timber sale activity on road 2083 & 2084. Watch for logging trucks. * Forest Service link ~done

Roundtrip: 5 miles
Difficulty: Steep - difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 45 minutes - best approx.
Parking Pass required: No

Ashland Lakes ~done

Roundtrip: 5.5 miles
Difficulty: easy terrain - longer distance though
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 15 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Forks of Canyon Creek - Call to check on forest service road conditions Darrington Ranger District office at 360-436-1155 or Verlot Public Service Center at 360-691-7791

Roundtrip: 4 miles
Difficulty: Difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour approx.
Parking Pass required: No

Iron Goat Trail 

Roundtrip: Variable - up to 10+ miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 20 minutes approx to Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Site Trailhead
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Johnson Ridge

Roundtrip: Sunrise Mountain - 4 miles approx. ~ Scorpion Mountain 9 miles approx.
Difficulty: Difficult - Steep
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 20 min. approx.
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass is required

Sauk Mountain

Roundtrip: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: moderate to difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 50 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Franklin Falls

Roundtrip: 2 miles
Difficulty: easy
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 25 minutes
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Twin Falls

Roundtrip: 3 miles
Difficulty: easy - moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour and 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Bridal Veil Falls ~done

Roundtrip: 5 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 50 minutes
Parking Pass required:  Recreation Pass required

Boulder River ~done

Roundtrip: 2.5 to 8.6 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1 hour 10 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Winchester Mountain Lookout

Roundtrip: 3.5 - 6 miles
Difficulty: difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 2 hours 45 minutes
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Talapus Lake Trail - WTA link

Round trip: 4 miles
Difficulty: Difficult - steep
Drive time (from N. Everett): 1hour 20 minutes approx.
Parking Pass required: Recreation Pass required

Little Mountain Park - Mt.Vernon - WTA link

Roundtrip: variable
Difficulty: easy to difficult
Drive time (from N. Everett): 40 minutes
Parking Pass required: No

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Winter Wallace Falls hike on a beautiful day!

On Wednesday of this last week (February 9, 2011) we went to Wallace Falls State Park and hiked to the upper falls. This is a great 5.5 - 6 mile round trip hike if you follow the woody trail that follows the river. If you opt for the railroad grade trail which is a flat and straight you add another mile each direction. We followed the woody trail both ways and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the river along the way. There were birds out along the trail; I didn't see any, but heard lots of them. The sun was out the whole way and it was so nice to hike on a sunny day and not overheat! There were 3 families with 2 boys each, so there was plenty of energy and running on the trail...especially on the downhill parts! There were a few muddy spots on the trail and the boardwalk areas were slippery, so be careful. This makes a great hike any time of the year!
At the trailhead...just starting out.



The trail is about 45 minutes from North Everett. You get on Highway 2 going east and follow it until you get into Gold Bar and then follow the signs for Wallace Falls State Park - it will be a left turn off hwy 2 as you are heading east. The rest of the way is well signed, so just continue to follow the signs to Wallace Falls State Park. Park in the parking lot, as the Wallace Falls Trail starts from there. Water and bathrooms (with flush toilets :) are available at the trailhead! 
The first part of the trail....
Follow the trail out of the parking lot until you get to the signs that direct you to the woody trail or the railroad grade trail.....both will take you to the falls, just remember that the railroad grade will add approx. 1 mile to your hike each direction that you take.
Here is the cutoff to the woody trail...this keeps
the bikes off the woody trail and only on
the railroad grade trail where they are
allowed.
There are lots of benches along the trail that you can stop and rest on. A short way into the woody trail there is a sign for Small Falls. If you follow the trail to the left you can see the falls and take a short loop trail where the boys scouts have put in a small amphitheater.

Small Falls
 Check out the carving of a fish that someone made out of a tree stump along this loop.

Fish carving on Small Falls loop
After you are done checking out Small Falls, head back out to the main trail and continue up to the lower falls. 


One of a couple of bridges on the trail.
A bench looking out over the river....check out
the sunshine!
Crossing another bridge and ready for lunch!
The kids were ready for lunch five
minutes into the hike!
Another view of the river...

There is a nice covered picnic area at the lower falls with tables and a viewing area of the falls. If you have smaller children or are ready to quit here....this makes a great hike by itself! 

Lower Falls

We always eat our lunch at the picnic area here. If you have more energy or are just itching to check out the rest of the falls, continue on up the trail. The trail is steeper from this point on with lots of switchbacks, but it is well worth it in my opinion. There are several lookouts along the way with stops for the Middle Falls and one last stop for the Upper Falls, both of these are signed, so you will know when you get there. 
One of the views of the falls...

All the boys posing at one of the lookouts!


Another lookout....
This was at Upper Falls....the breeze started blowing the mist
from the falls over my head and I caught it in the sunlight!


View of the snowline from one of the lookouts.
View

Sitting on a bench enjoying one of the lookouts.

I happened to stop and look up while I was walking and
thought it was a nice view....so I'm sharing it with you!

Middle Falls


View from the beginning (or end) of the trail....



Don't miss any of the lookouts along the way as each one offers a different view including a lovely lookout where you can see for miles if the weather is clear. The trail does continue on past the Upper Falls, with a warning not to continue unless you know where you are going. I would advise the same. The trail gets rougher from here and would take some good navigation skills to continue. There is a story on an information board at the Upper Falls about two women who continued on and were lost for 48 hours before search and rescue found them. 
Posing at the information board at Upper Falls. Some people's
children pose more than others....who do those kids belong to?
It's a good reminder to be prepared when you are hiking anywhere and to make sure you know where you are going! Washington Trails Association has excellent hiking preparation information, so make sure you are prepared next time you go!
I took this as we were leaving Gold Bar....I just thought it
was too pretty to pass up!