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Date: 2003/06/22 Trip type: hike Elevation gain: approx. 3,822 feet (approx 1,164 meters) Total Time: 6 hours USGS Quads: Bandera, Chester Morse Lake In Area: Middle Fork Snoqualmie Drainage Trip ReportMy destination was the 4,642 point on the ridge between Russian Butte and Mailbox Peak, I've heard this ridge called Zorro Ridge because of the logging roads slashed across it.I parked my car at the Mailbox Peak trail head and rode my mountain bike up the Granite Creek Road Trail. After passing the road to the Granite Lakes (that's the fork to the right with the picnic tables) I turned left (north) off the main road, crossed the berms blocking the way, and locked my bike to a tree on the other side of the berms. A faint foot trail starts on the other side of the berms, not many people go this way but it was easy to follow since the old logging road the foot trail follows cut an obvious swath in the trees. The first half mile or so of the trail was very marshy, then for the next couple miles it passed through some very thick groves of young alder ranging from three to seven feet in height. After getting up into bear grass altitude the trail and view was unobstructed for the rest of the hike. CommentsI didn't find the Granite Creek Road-Trail much to look at until I got near the lakes. I really enjoyed the hike after turning left off of the Granite Creek Road-Trail onto the abandoned road (the one behind the berm at the intersection at 3,160' elevation), it could just have been the mist blowing through but the abandoned logging road gave me a very lonesome and isolated feeling (like a ghost town, which I gues is kind of what a clear cut is). Watch out for the view of downtown Seattle framed by Mailbox Peak and Mt Si as you are approaching the ridge.References
Maps
Travel TimesTotal time on trail including breaks: 6 hoursAscending time (not including breaks): 4 hours Descending time (not including breaks): 2 hours Altitudes below are readings from my altimeter so they are only approximate.
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