Trip type: cross country ski
Elevation gain: approx. 3,180 feet (approx 969 meters)
Car-to-car time: 10 hours 7 minutes
USGS Quad: Devil's Slide
In Area: North Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
Trip Report
I parked on the North Fork Snoqualmie Road between gates 31 and 32 and headed north up road 29410. At 1,300' I turned right (east) at the four-way intersection onto road 29400. At 1,767' I took a left onto road 29500. At 1,840'+ I took a left onto road 29520. I hit snow around 3,000' on the north side of the 3,087' ridglet that road 29520 hairpins around, from here on I was able to ski. I wished I had brought my mountain bike for the logging roads leading up to this point. At the four way intersection at 2,800'+ I turned right (east) onto road 29600. (Most of these roads are not labeled on maps, but do have street signs naming them.)
Before following the road to Cascade Lookout I took a long detour to ski up the logging roads running east below the ridge.
Cascade Lookout was an excellent destination. The lookout is elevated above the young trees in the area and has a nice 360 degree view. Many of the east and west windows are broken and boarded up, but all the north and south facing windows are intact. The door is broken off. I enjoyed sitting inside and taking in the views which included downtown Seattle, Twin Peaks, Boomerang Mountain, Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, Mouth Phelps, Little Phelps, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Fuller Mountain.
References
- Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest: Road Conditions
- Book: 100 Hikes in Washington's Alpine Lakes (see Bare Mountain driving directions)
- Book: Seattle Outdoors: Hiking & Cycling-Puget Sound and Cascades
- firelookout.com: Cascade Lookout
- Northwest Hikers: Mountain Biking to Cascade Lookout
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 Snoqualmie 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 Snoqualmie Road SE turns to gravel.Cross the Deep Creek Bridge 14.2 miles from exit 31. Then at 14.5 miles park at the 4-way intersection with gate 31 to the north and gate 32 to the south.
Travel Times
Car-to-car time: 10 hours 7 minutesAscending time: 4 hours 53 minutes
Descending time: 4 hours 22 minutes
- 1 hour 10 minutes driving there from Lower Queen Anne to North Fork Snoqualmie Gates 31 and 32
- 4 hours 53 minutes ascending from North Fork Snoqualmie Gates 31 and 32 (1,290') to peak (4,470')
- 2 hours 1 minute descending from peak (4,470') to Cascade Lookout
- 2 hours 21 minutes descending from Cascade Lookout (3,755') to North Fork Snoqualmie Gates 31 and 32
Visited
North Fork Snoqualmie Valley (looking down valley), Fuller Mountain and Pelletgun Hill visible on valley floor
North Fork Snoqualmie Valley (looking up valley)
