Trip type: hike
Elevation gain: approx. 2,540 feet
Car-to-car time: 6 hours 27 minutes
USGS quads: Devil's Slide, Mount Phelps
In areas: Alpine Lakes Wilderness, North Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
I parked at the intersection of Road 29200 and the North Fork County Road and hiked up Road 29200. Soon after crossing a concrete bridge I went left (to the right is Lake Philippa). My Green Trails and USGS maps both show the left fork of the road as a dead-end, but it connects up to the logging road that leads to Loch Katrine. The road gets occasional views of Little Phelps and Mount Phelps before it reaches the lake. After passing Loch Katrine the road opens up more and the views slowly expand to include Goat Mountain, Bare Mountain, Lennox Mountain, and a couple bird's eye views of Loch Katrine. The road ends on a sharp ridge that leads to Twin Peaks, at the end of the road there is a lunch spot on a local high point of the ridge with 360 degree views.
Comments
The logging road could be mountain biked most of the way, although eye protection would be required to fend off the branches of young alders. The ridge leading to Twin Peaks looks like it could be a challenging scramble, maybe a climb.
References
- Washington Trails Association: Loch Katrine
Driving Directions
Take I-90 E from Seattle. Take exit 31 and set your odometer to zero at the stop sign. Go N on Bendigo Blvd. At 0.7 miles go right on N Bend Way. At 0.8 miles (two blocks) go left on Ballarat Ave N. At 1.3 miles Ballarat Ave N turns into 420 Ave SE, then at 1.5 miles the arterial turns into NE 12th St, then at 2 miles the arterial turns into 428 Ave SE, and finally at 3.8 miles the arterial turns into North Fork Road SE. At 4.9 miles at a Y (with deadend signs for both forks) go to the left (uphill). At 5.3 miles North Fork Road SE turns to gravel.At 15.3 miles from I-90, cross the "one lane bridge" and continue on North Fork Road. The Loch Katrine trailhead is 17.4 miles from I-90 at gate 16 on the right side of the road, on the left side of the road is a large turn-around area.
Maps
- Greentrails map: Mount Si
- USGS quad: Devil's Slide
- USGS quad: Mount Phelps
Travel Times
Car-to-car time: 6 hours 27 minutes- 1 hour 25 minutes driving there from Lower Queen Anne to Loch Katrine trailhead
- 2 hours 8 minutes ascending from Loch Katrine trailhead to Loch Katrine
- 1 hour 31 minutes ascending from Loch Katrine to top of logging road
- 1 hour 56 minutes descending from top of logging road to Loch Katrine trailhead
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