Mailbox Peak and Dirtybox Peak

Trip Report

Carla, Laurie, Logan (the dog), and I parked at the Mailbox Peak trailhead and headed up the trail to Mailbox Peak. At the summit of Mailbox Peak, we pushed on to our primary destination, point 4926, which I have dubbed Dirtybox Peak. Dirtybox is the peak between Mailbox Peak and Dirty Harry's Peak, it is taller than Mailbox and Dirty Harry's. It seems odd to me that it doesn't gave a name, given the popularity of the two lesser peaks that surround it.

We found it easiest to stay on the south side of the ridge, sometimes dropping down 50 feet or so to bypass rocky sections. At one point we hit a short class 3 section where Logan had to jump into a tree to get through, I wish I had seen that. Other than that section, it was all straight-forward class 2 to the summit.

The summit was a high point on a narrow, treed ridge, with a cairn on top of a boulder.

On the way back we bypassed the summit of Mailbox Peak by traversing the south side of the to regain the trail on the west ridge.

References

• Book: 55 Hikes Around Snoqualmie Pass: Mountains to Sound Greenway
• Book: Middle Fork Guide: Seattle's closest mountains
• Book: Seattle Outdoors: Hiking & Cycling-Puget Sound and Cascades
• Mountaineers Message Board trip report: Mailbox Peak via north ridge
• Matt Robertson's website: Mailbox Peak to Dirty Harry's Peak traverse
• Steve Fox's website: Avalanche on Mailbox Peak
• Washington Trails Association: Mailbox Peak via west ridge trail

Driving Directions

Take exit 34 off of I-90. Go north on 468th Ave for about 0.4 miles. Go right onto SE Middle Fork Road. (At the intersection with Lake Dorothy Road I always take Lake Dorothy Road since it seems wider, Lake Dorothy Road joins with the Middle Fork Road before the Mailbox Peak trailhead.)

The Mailbox Peak trailhead is 2.5 miles from the intersection of the Middle Fork Road and 468th Ave SE, immediately before the Middle Fork Road turns into gravel. (3 miles from exit 34.) Parking is on both sides of the road.

Travel Times

• 41 minutes driving there from Capitol Hill to Mailbox Peak traillhead
• 2 hours 46 minutes ascending from Mailbox Peak traillhead (835') to summit of Mailbox Peak (4,910')
• 23 minutes ascending from summit of Mailbox Peak (4,910') to summit of Mailbox Peak
• 2 hours 41 minutes descending from summit of Point 4926 (4,985') to Mailbox Peak traillhead
• 43 minutes driving back from Mailbox Peak traillhead to Capitol Hill

Visited

• Chester Morse Lake USGS quad
• Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Dirtybox Pk.
• King County
• Mailbox Pk.
• Middle Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
• South Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
• Washington State