We’re still digging out from under the ice in Seattle. So, today we’re featuring a guest post from David Wilkinson over at Switchback Travel. He recently headed out to Methow Valley in Washington for a cross country ski trip and sent us his thoughts.

The Methow Valley in the North Cascades is just beyond the weekend reach for most Seattlites, enough so that it remains an off the beaten path haven for those who love the outdoors. Rolling ranch land slowly narrows over the course of thirty miles before reaching the sheer walls of a box canyon. The terrain in between, fondly referred to simply as the Methow, elicits the far more famous Telluride in the Colorado Rockies. It’s difficult to say which is a more beautiful place.

The pride of the Methow is the over 200 kilometers of world-class trails used in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. A relatively flat valley floor is surrounded by high peaks, therefore the snow conditions mimic the mountains but with easy access to outdoor activities. An extensive network of ski trails—the Methow Community Trail and a number of nearby loops—is fastidiously managed and groomed for all levels of experience. The rest of the work is up to you.

The character of the Methow evolves as one heads up-valley and north toward the Cascades. At the mouth is the town of Methow, a dusty throwback to the time before many tourists made it there at all. Next up is Twisp, the most real town in the valley, home to old industry and new establishments serving organic food and microbrews. The next town north from Twisp is Winthrop, the hip tourist heart of the valley dominated by Subarus and historic buildings transformed into outdoor stores, shops, and restaurants. Mazama is the last stop, a prime location with the most snowfall in the valley and some of the premier trails.

For those new to the area or to cross-country skiing, there couldn’t be a better place to learn. Winthrop Sports on the main drag rents and sells all the requisite gear, and they will also get you trail passes and point you in the right direction of where to ski. Much of the terrain is comprised of soft rolling hills ideal for beginners and families. For those with some experience, Jack’s Trail near Mazama offers more change in elevation. The most difficult track is the Rendezvous Hut system, which makes for a great multi-day trip or a challenging 30-km day.

The Methow snow is legendary, but the valley is just as alive in the summer. Fly-fishing shops are abundant and many of the ski trails transform to accommodate hikers and mountain bikers. Eateries and watering holes open their patios, many facing the Methow River. Of course, when the snow melts there is far easier access to the surrounding North Cascades for all kinds of backcountry hiking and camping.

Aside from being active, the Methow Valley is a place to recharge, meet good people, and soak up the laid-back mountain town atmosphere that is not easily replicated. If you stop by the Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop, one of two Methow breweries, you will likely end up in conversation with those who have made the permanent move there. The ease on their faces suggests that maybe it’s not such a bad idea, and many visitors spend the long drive back brainstorming on just how to make it happen.

More information on cross-country skiing and other activities in the Methow Valley can be found at www.mvsta.com.

Trail Stats:

1-1.5 miles round trip, 100-200ft of elevation gain.

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 38. At the end of the off ramp, take a right. Cross a bridge over a stream and there will be a gravel road on your right. Take the road several hundred yards to the end. There’s ample parking and a latrine available. Be warned that on sunny days this trailhead is used for climbers at the nearby crag. So, it can get pretty busy.

Trail:

As I had previously mentioned in the Washington Creek trail report, I had received some bad information about a pretty cool bridge along the I-90 corridor. Not one to give up, I decided to try and find this bridge. After a bit of internet sleuthing, I ended up finding out that the bridge pictured in Day Hiking: Snowqualmie Region by Dan Nelson was over Change Creek, not Washington Creek as the author had claimed.

The trailhead for this hike is the same one that you use to get to Mount Washington. So, take the path on the opposite side of the parking lot from the latrine. This trail climbs fairly quickly away from the highway and joins an access road. You’ll see a sign on your right once the trail joins the access road. Hang a right and keep walking until you reach the fork.

This fork is actually the Iron Horse trail and continues for miles in each direction. You’ll know you’ve reached this point when you see a sign with mile directions. Unlike the hike to Mount Washington, hang a left at this sign. Continue down this rambling old train track bed to the bridge. You’ll know you’re there when you see the porta-potties at the climbing crag that’s just at the end of the bridge.

As far as difficulty goes, this is about as easy as it gets. It might take the average person 10-15 minutes to get to the bridge from the trailhead. Stay as long as you want watching the climbers at the crag or taking in the views from the bridge and turn around when you’re done.

Trail Stats:

4 miles round trip (12 to summit). 1500ft elevation gain.

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 38. At the end of the off ramp, take a right. Cross a bridge over a stream and there will be a gravel road on your right. Take the road several hundred yards to the end. There’s ample parking and a latrine available. Be warned that on sunny days this trailhead is used for climbers at the nearby crag. So, it can get pretty busy.

Trail:

The hardest part about this trail (and why it’s so deserted) is finding it. The trailhead you park at is actually a spur trail of the Iron Horse trail, and not actually the beginning of the trail to Mount Washington.

To get to the actual start of the trail, take the path on the opposite side of the parking lot from the latrine. This trail climbs fairly quickly away from the highway and joins an access road. You’ll see a sign on your right once the trail joins the access road. Hang a right and keep walking until you reach the fork.

This fork is actually the Iron Horse trail and continues for miles in each direction. You’ll know you’ve reached this point when you see a sign with mile directions. Hang a right and keep walking a couple hundred yards. The first trail you run into on the left is the actual trailhead for Mount Washington. Unfortunately, this is an unmarked trailhead. So, you will probably be a bit unsure that this is actually it. See the picture on the left for what the trailhead actually looks like.

Continue down this trail as it begins to gain some altitude pretty quickly. After about 1/3 of a mile, you’ll run into one of the nearby crags. You’ll notice the fixed pitons and if it’s a nice day, you might see one of the local climbers.

Continue up the mountain and you’ll eventually run into another one of the local crags. This appears to be less used than the previous one. Along the way you’ll notice some pretty decent views of Mailbox Peak across the valley.

The trail continues through a couple switchbacks, but is otherwise fairly unremarkable.  At around 1.7 miles the trail starts to flatten out, and you’re almost at the viewpoint. At 1.89 miles from the parking lot, you’ll be at the point we stopped. There’s a makeshift bench in the shade and a pretty awesome view to look at while you eat a snack. On a clear day, you’ll be able to see all the way to Issaquah and Renton. Closer by, there’s a nice view of Rattlesnake Ledge.

If you want to go all the way to the summit (which from what I hear has even better views), keep following the trail for another 4 miles. You’ll have a decent traverse before the trail starts climbing again. We didn’t feel like a 12 mile hike, so this is the point that we turned around. For a report on the hike to the summit, check out the report at the excellent site Hiking with My Brother.

To get back to the car, continue back the way you came.

Trail Stats:

9 miles round trip, 300ft of elevation gain.

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 32. At the end of the off ramp, turn right. Drive 2.8 miles down the road just past the entrance to the parking lot for Rattlesnake Ledge. The lot is on your left.

Trail:

This is a pretty horrible hike. We normally don’t cover hikes that art terrible. So, why am I writing about it? Mostly because the book Day Hiking: Snowqualmie Region by Dan Nelson claims it’s not. The book claims there’s a rather nice bridge to cross with some decent views of the surrounding area, however this bridge is not where the book claims.

The hike itself starts just past the parking lot for Rattlesnake Ledge. From the parking lot, head towards the bathrooms and the trail starts behind it. There’s a sign explaining a bit of the history of the railroad that used to operate on the trail you’re going to hike. Continue along the path to the main trail. Take a left and continue walking. After about 1/2 a mile, you’ll come to an offshoot of the trail to head up cedar butte. We foolishly continued on looking for the bridge.

Roughly 3 miles into the hike, you’ll run across a small bridge. The views aren’t spectacular, especially when there are leaves on the trees. Additionally, this wasn’t Washington Creek as claimed in the book. If you’re on the trail, continue on for another 1/2 mile or so to Ragnar. This is an old gravel pit made for the railroad. Turn around here as there’s nothing to see for quite a while. We continued on looking for the bridge mentioned in the Day Hiking: Snowqualmie Region book until 4.5 miles out we ran into the twin falls power station and I broke out the iPhone to see what was up.

Come to find out, the bridge mentioned in the book is actually over Change Creek, not Washington Creek. If you want to see this bridge, you’ll need to go to the Deception Crags area off exit 38. While you can technically get to this area from the parking lot we started at, it’s a good 6.5 miles (one way) from the lot we started at. If you want to see a bridge with spectacular views, don’t look at this hike.

Trail Stats:

6.5 miles round trip, 1700ft of elevation gain

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 52. At the end of the off ramp, take a left under the highway. Take the second road on your right (the one right after the road to the Kendall Katwalk trailhead). Continue to the parking lot at the end of the road, approximately 1.2 miles (right after the “welcome to Alpental” sign). A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park in the lot. The trailhead is on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot and is pretty hard to miss.

Trail:

Let me start off by saying, this is not a peaceful hike. As you’ll probably see by the number of cars in the lot, this is a pretty busy trail. You will constantly run into other hikers, so don’t expect a lot of time in the woods by yourself.

That said, there is a reason for this trail’s popularity. Snow Lake is a very nice destination on a hot day that offers some decent fishing and easy access from the trail. The trail itself is very well established and near impossible to get lost on. Additionally, this is a decent hike for parents with kids looking for something a bit harder than Franklin Falls.

The trail itself starts to the left of the large Snow Lake Trail sign. As this hike does enter the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, you will need to fill out a permit at the trail head. That done, continue up the trail. For the first .2 miles or so, you will be climbing a series of steps built into the hill for erosion control. These steps end quick enough, and you’ll pass through a couple avalanche chutes that offer good views of the Alpental Ski area and the surrounding peaks.

At 1.5 miles from the parking lot, you’ll reach a fork in the trail. Keep to the right to head to Snow Lake. At this point the trail begins to gain a bit of elevation as you start to head over the pass to the lake. The views will also open up a bit as you continue up the hill.

Eventually you’ll run out of hill to climb, and you’ll come to the pass. There appear to be a couple camping spots up here and this is also the border to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Continue along the trail and in about 2 minutes you get your first view of the lake.

The day we were up here, this was pretty much covered by a cloud. So, I can’t tell you how great of a view this is, but it looked like it might be a pretty nice one. Keep on hiking for another 5 minutes or so and you’ll reach the shore of Snow Lake. Enjoy a bit of a break, and turn around back the way you came to reach the car.

A waterfall and a 2 mile hike on an 89 degree day? I’m there.

Trail Stats: 2 miles round trip, 300ft elevation gain

Directions: From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 47. At the end of the ramp turn left (North) and drive over the highway. At the T intersection take a right (left leads to Granite Mountain). Continue 1/4 mile and take a left on to Forest Road 58. Continue on this road for 2.5 miles until you pass the Denny Creek campground. There is a gravel parking area on the left and the trailhead is right before the bridge over the creek.

Trail: Some days you’re just not in the mood for a long hike. In our case, it was a hot day and a waterfall sounded like a nice place to cool off. Franklin Falls is a nice easy hike that’s also perfect for kids. Just watch the rocks once you get to the falls as they can be slippery. Our dog even slipped on them.

The trail starts just before the bridge in the parking lot. This is a popular hike, so you may have to park further down the road and walk back. Be sure to sign the trail log at the trailhead.

The trail itself starts out in the woods and meanders its way along the side of the creek. You’ll see a couple cabins in the beginning, but mostly the views consist of the creek. Surprisingly, there’s little to no car noise on this hike considering it’s between the split section of I-90. The fall itself actually sits almost directly under the southbound side of the highway.

Roughly half a mile in to the hike, the trail meets up with the forest road you were traveling on. Keep walking down the trail. Eventually the dirt trail turns to rock and you’re almost there. As I mentioned before, the steps down to the falls get slippery, so watch your steps.

Once you reach the falls, stop for a bit and have a snack. On a hot day, the mist is quite a refresher. Once you’ve had your fill, turn around and head back the way you came.

As a side note, be sure to display your Northwest Forest Pass in the parking lot. We ran into a forest ranger checking the passes. We even got stopped for him to check ours on our way out.

Trail Stats: 2300 ft of elevation gain, 10-12 miles round trip depending on how far you go.

Directions: From Seattle, take I-90 east to exit 52. Take a left at the end of the off ramp. Approximately 100 yards after you go under the highway, take the road on the right to the trailhead. There is ample parking, but beware that this is a ‘high car prowl area’. So, don’t leave anything remotely valuable in your car.

Trail:

Kendal Katwalk is a scenic, albeit long day hike on the I-90 corridor. There are some pretty decent views early on in the hike, but the spectacular views start around 5 miles from the parking lot. They keep getting better the farther you go, but be sure that you’ll have enough energy for the hike back to the car.

The trail starts at the PCT parking lot to the left of the latrine. A Northwest Forest pass is required to park at the trailhead. Also, be sure to fill out a permit to enter the alpine lakes wilderness before you set off.

The trail starts off relatively flat for the first 1/2 mile or so as it winds through the woods. Once you come to the first switchback, it starts to gain a bit of elevation. Eventually you will break out of the trees and the views will start to open up. Ahead of you is the very aptly named red mountain, that you’ll be able to see for most of the hike.

At around 2 miles from the parking lot, the trail starts to drop a bit as you go through a field of boulders. Half a mile later, a stream crosses the trail. Early on in the season this stream can be moving very swiftly. We ended up turning around here on our first attempt at the Katwalk for this very reason.

Cross the stream and you’ll come to a fork in the trail about 5 minutes later. Keep to the right and continue the hike. At 3 miles from the parking lot, you’ll encounter a switchback and start heading south again. These are the last views you’ll have for another two miles as the trail heads back into the woods.

5 miles into the hike you will come back out of the woods to much more spectacular scenery. You’re much higher than you were before you entered the woods and there’s a lot more to see. Red mountain is still in front of you, but you can see many more peaks.

Continue on this path for another mile to reach the actual katwalk. As you continue down the trail, the slopes get steeper and the exposure gets a bit greater. However, the views also get better. Beware that snow tends to linger here well into the summer. So, you may encounter some unexpected snow traverses. When we hiked the katwalk in mid july, there were still some significant sections of snow to traverse on somewhat exposed ledges.

Once you’ve had your fill, turn around and start the long hike back to the car.

A fairly quick hike to an alpine lake with some decent views along the way.

Trail Stats:

6 miles round trip, 2100 feet of elevation gain

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 east to exit 45. At the end of the off ramp, turn left on to Forest Service Rd 9031. Continue on this road approximately 3.5 miles until you get to the trail head at the end. Note that a NW Forest Pass is required to park in the lot. Be sure to also fill out a permit at the trail head.

Trail:

The Mason lake hike isn’t what I would consider difficult, but the rewards are quite higher than one would expect in this short of hike. Fantastic views of Rainier on clear days, a gorgeous alpine lake to rest by in the shadow of Bandera mountain.

The hike itself uses the same trail head and about half of the trail to Bandera mountain. As with Bandera, the trail starts at the end of the parking lot, just left of the outhouse. Be sure to pick up a hiking permit at the box on the left side of the trail head. As you can see from the route profile, the hike starts out pretty flat. It’s mostly a stroll through the woods at this point along an old logging road. Along the way you’ll pass two somewhat picturesque waterfalls. At approximately 2 miles, the real fun begins. You will pop out of the woods and in the middle of a moraine, strewn with boulders. The trail is still very well marked and if it’s a clear day, the views will open up.

At approximately 2 miles, you will come to a fork in the trail. The path to the right takes you to Bandera and the left to Mason lake. Keep to the left and the path will continue to a pass. Before you go over the pass, turn around and take in the view for a bit. This is the best area to see Rainier on this hike and the surrounding peaks.

Continue over the pass and you’ll descend 100-200ft as you head towards the lake. 10 minutes of hiking later, you’ll finally see Mason lake. The trail continues around the edge of the lake, so keep hiking until you find a good spot to stop for lunch. There is also a latrine available, should you need it. It’s just off the main trail at the head of the lake. Beware that the lake gets particularly buggy in the summer, so bring some repellent.

Once you’re done with your lunch and have rested long enough, turn around and head back the way you came.

Trailhead Location:

Exit 47 off I-90

Trail Stats:

8.6 miles round trip, 3800 feet of elevation gain.

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 east to exit 47. Take a left at the end off the off-ramp. At the T intersection at the end of the road, take a left. After approximately .4 miles, the road will end in a parking lot. Find a spot and you’re there.

Trail:

If you’re looking for one of those exposed hikes with a bit of difficulty, you could do far worse than Granite Mountain. Sure, it’s not an easy peak and chances are you’ll have to deal with snow if you climb before mid summer. However, you’ll be rewarded with some fantastic views along the way.

At the parking lot, look for the latrine. Follow the path on the left to the Alpine Meadows pass boxes. Fill out a pass for your party and start your hike. This trailhead leads to quite a few different areas. So, you’re going to have to watch out for a turn or two.

The first mile of the hike meanders through the woods without much elevation gain (300ft or so). Just after a mile, the trail forks. There’s a sign marking it, but I almost missed the junction when I hiked Granite Mountain. So, be sure to look out for the fork. Take a right on the trail up the mountain and continue your climb.

After 1300 ft of elevation gain, the trees start to thin out a bit and you’ll be able to see the surrounding mountains. At around 2000ft, you’ll finally break out of the trees and the view will really open up. On a clear day you’ll be able to see Rainier looming in the distance.

If you haven’t noticed by this point, this is a pretty steep trail. After you clear the trees, it only gets steeper. If you’re climbing any time before mid summer, plan on snow for a good portion of your ascent.

If there’s snow, try to show up as early as possible to avoid the effects of soft snow on your descent. When I climbed Granite Mountain, the snow was already starting to get too soft to be safe around 1pm. So, we ended up turning around a couple hundred feet from the summit.

Plan on bringing gaiters, good hiking boots, and maybe some microspikes for decent traction. Do not attempt this hike in running shoes. Later in the summer, expect a lot of dust and no reliable water sources. So, be sure to bring plenty of water.

If it’s still early though, you won’t be able to see the trail. Thankfully this is a pretty popular hike so expect a well worth path in the snow to the summit. If all else fails, you should be able to see the lookout building at the summit.

As with most trails in the I-90 corridor, once you’re ready to head back to the car, head back the way you came.

Trailhead Location:

49834 SE Middle Fork Rd, Tanner, WA (according to Google street view)

Trail Stats:

6 Miles round trip, 4100 ft of elevation gain. Roughly 6 hours for the average hiker.

Directions:

From Seattle, take I-90 East to exit 34. At the end of the off-ramp, take a left. Follow this road until you reach a T intersection and take a right on SE Middle Fork Rd. Part way down the road the road splits. Take either road. After the two rejoin (about 3 miles from the highway) there’s a parking lot on the right. You’ve reached the beginning of the hike.

Trail:

Unless you’re training for something, I wouldn’t really recommend this hike. It’s steep, the vast majority of the hike is in the woods without any views, and early in the season it’s full of mud. To top things off, the trail can be downright difficult to follow since so many people have gone off trail in the past.

A word of note about the trail. The trail itself is blazed, but the boot paths only roughly follow the blazes. There are also a couple shortcuts people have made. This makes it difficult to follow at best. Additionally, some people have written things on the blazes like “Halfway-ish” and “15-30 minutes left”. These are laughably incorrect, so don’t put too much faith in them.

So why hike Mailbox peak? The views at the top are quite spectacular (and very hard won), and it’s one of the harder hikes in the I-90 corridor. This means, if you’re training to climb Mt. Rainier, it is the perfect hike. The difficulty also tends to keep the traffic down, so it’s a nicer hike than Mt. Si.

Once you’ve found the parking lot, you still have to make your way to the actual trailhead. In the corner of the lot there is a gate leading to an old forest road. Follow this road for .5 miles to the trailhead on the left of the road. There’s a sign marking the trailhead with a warning about the difficulty of the hike you’re about to take.

The first 1/4 of a mile is a pretty easy walk through the forest, crossing near a stream. At this point you’re probably wondering why I keep mentioning how steep this hike is. Shortly after, the climb begins. 4100 vertical feet straight up to the top. 10 minutes into the hike, there’s a small view of the surrounding area. This will be the last view you get until you reach 4000ft asl.

The next 2 hours of hiking are a relentless slog up hill through the woods. If it’s before mid June, expect lots of mud. When I hiked Mailbox, the mud was up to my ankles for the majority of the hike.

At roughly 4000ft, you’ll start to see a moraine off to the right of the trail. Another 200 vertical feet or so and you’ll finally break out of the trees. Here  you’re exposed to quite a bit more wind, and the trail gets a bit steeper. however, the views are fantastic. If it’s a nice day you can see most of the peaks along the I-90 corridor and even Rattlesnake Ledge across the highway.

Keep climbing past the false summit and you’ll see the famous mailbox in the distance. Enjoy a break at the top, you’ve certainly earned it. Once you’re ready, start back down the way you came to get back to your car.