Trip type: scramble/bike
Special gear: mountain bike
Elevation gain: approx. 1,240 feet (approx 377 meters)
Round-trip distance: approx. 26 miles (3 miles on foot, 23 miles on bike)
Total Time: 8 hours 8 minutes
USGS Quad: Lake Philippa
In Area: Middle Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
Aesthetic rating: 2.5/5
Trip Report
I parked at the Mount Teneriffe Trailhead and rode my mountain bike to the CCC Road-Trail.
The CCC Road-Trail has developed a new creek crossing since I was there last, near the east ridge of Green Mountain a creek that I think used to run under the road has washed the road out. This was the first of at least three creeks that I had to hop across on rocks or ford, if the water had been much higher they would have turned me back.
The old Mount Si Greentrails map I have shows the planned extension to the CCC Road-Trail, it is incorrect. At a Y the trail goes right (downhill) and joins the North Fork Snoqualmie Road for a short distance before forking left (well marked with a wooden sign) onto the newest part of the road-trail. The new upper segment of the road-trail is beautiful singletrack, a joy to ride. But one segment of the new road-trail has collapsed (it was built on clay) and although the new segment of the CCC Road-Trail has many nice wooden bridges, there was one big creek crossing that I had to ford.
The upper end of the CCC Road-Trail ends at the North Fork Snoqualmie Road right across from the Middle Fork trailhead.
From the Middle Fork trailhead I crossed the bridge over the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, took the trail to the right for 15 feet or so, and then headed directly up to the top of the west ridge of Choirboy. At the top of the ridge there is a boot path marked by flagging. The boot path climbed steeply up Choirboy almost to the top. After the boot path petered out I waded through waist-high salal and followed intermittent paths to the east side of Choirboy where I found the best views. The views of Garfield Mountain alone made the trip worth it, awesome! Also visible were Preacher Mountain, Green Ridge, and the Middle Fork valley to the north and south.
There are pines on top of Choirboy, I don't remember seeing pines before in the Middle Fork area.
In order to make it back before dark I cut off some time by riding the Middle Fork Road to the Bessemer CCC Road-Trail Trailhead, and then took the Bessemer Road Connector Trail to the CCC Road-Trail.
Comments
Watch out for cliffs, there are lots of cliffs on Choirboy.References
- Book: 55 Hikes Around Snoqualmie Pass: Mountains to Sound Greenway (Choirboy and CCC Road-Trail)
- Book: Kissing the Trail: Greater Seatle Mountain Bike Adventures (CCC Road-Trail)
- Book: Middle Fork Guide: Seattle's closest mountains (Choirboy and CCC Road-Trail)
- Middle Fork Snoqualmie website: CCC Road-Trail
Driving Directions
Take exit 32 off of I-90, go north onto 436th Ave SE, go left onto SE North Bend Way, then go right onto SE Mount Si Road. The Mount Teneriffe Trailhead is on SE Mount Si Road 4.3 miles from the intersection with North Bend Way. It is on the left right after the "School Bus Turnaround" sign and just before 480th Ave SE. (As you may guess, the parking area for the Mount Teneriffe Trailhead is used by the school bus to turn around in -- people parking in it need to park near the gate to give the bus lots of space to maneuver.)To get to the CCC Road-Trail from the Mount Teneriffe Trailhead, continue east on the paved road which soon turns to gravel.
Maps
- Greentrails map: Bandera
- Greentrails map: Mount Si
Travel Times
Total time on trail including breaks: 8 hours 8 minutesDriving time: 49 minutes
Ascending via bicycle time (not including breaks): 3 hours 18 minutes
Ascending time (not including breaks): 1 hour 34 minutes
Descending time (not including breaks): 1 hour 2 minutes
Descending via bicycle time (not including breaks): 1 hour 55 minutes
Altitudes below are readings from my altimeter so they are only approximate.
- 2008/05/08: 49 minutes driving from Lower Queen Anne (435') to Mount Teneriffe Trailhead (1,170')
- 2 hours 26 minutes ascending via bicycle from Mount Teneriffe Trailhead (1,170') to intersection of CCC Road-Trail and Middle Fork Road (1,200')
- 52 minutes ascending via bicycle from intersection of CCC Road-Trail and Middle Fork Road (1,200') to Middle Fork trailhead (1,280')
- 1 hour 5 minutes ascending from Middle Fork trailhead (1,280') to Choirboy (2,410')
- 29 minutes ascending from Choirboy (2,410') to east end of Choirboy (2,335')
- 1 hour 2 minutes descending from east end of Choirboy (2,335') to Middle Fork trailhead (1,295')
- 27 minutes descending via bicycle from Middle Fork trailhead (1,295') to Bessemer CCC Road-Trail Trailhead (1,210')
- 1 hour 28 minutes descending via bicycle from Bessemer CCC Road-Trail Trailhead (1,210') to Mount Teneriffe Trailhead (1,205')
Visited
South Middle Fork Valley from Choirboy
Garfield Mountain from Choirboy
Garfield Mountain from Choirboy
Garfield Mountain from Choirboy