Little Si, Mt. Baker National Forest-Snoqualmie Trip Report
March 20, 2004
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John Munyan
126 Review(s) to Date
John is an avid hiker, spending a goodly portion of his time up in the hills, or sitting in front of a computer.
Either way, most of what finds his eye is green, or blue, - organic, or lcd. John likes this website, hopes you do too, and invites you to write a review of a couple hikes you've done!
zzzlyle
24 Review(s) to Date
I live in Federal Way, WA and I enjoy getting out into the great outdoors and hiking and would someday like to make it to the top of Mt. Rainier. When I can't get outside, I'm the IS manager at a marketing firm in Kent.
Driving Directions: Drive I-90 to the town of North Bend and take exit 31 into town. Continue east on the main drag, North Bend Way. Just east of town turn north on Mount Si Road (432nd SE). Turn right at the next intersection and drive .25 miles more to the new parking lot. The lot is designed to hold 50 cars and includes a state-of-the-art outhouse.
Trail notes: The weather for the last couple days has been pretty nice around Seattle. Fortunately this break in the 'bleak' coincided with the schedules of many and collectively we decided to get out of town to enjoy a little of mother nature. Little Si seemed to be a reasonable choice since (for me at least) I haven't been getting out on the trail much since starting school again and this seemed like a fairly easy hike with a decent payout - one none of our group had recent memory of.
I should start by saying there is a new access point to Little Si which is about a quarter of a mile from the old entry point which went through many peoples backyard. Apparently, the former setup didn't work well for the neighbors so a new entry was created. The above directions point you to the right place.
That said Little Si much like its bigger sibling is a crowded thoroughfare, but unlike Mt. Si the journey is much more enjoyable along the way. The trail starts out along medium grade for about the first 15 minutes then moderates to more temperate travel for a while. Along these relatively level sections there almost always seems to be something interesting to look at from remediation sites, to rock climbers on Little Si's sheer cliff face, to the remains of a decent landslide. About 40 minutes of so the going gets a steeper as you near the top of Little Si. Some sections require the use of hands, but none of them are in anyway threatening. This section is only about 10 minutes long, if that.
Once you reach the top you can get about 180 degree views looking towards Snoqualmie Pass, McClellan Butte, Mailbox Peak, Rattle Snake Ledge, North Bend, and of course Mt. Si. The views are quite nice there is adequate room for many people in all the nooks and crannies which is a good thing considering the amount of people making use of the trail.
So if you are looking for a quick hike this one might just fit the bill. The time estimate on this hike isn't representative of the time taken to do this hike, but rather indicates we spent quite a bit of time admiring the view. Maybe that is telling 
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Easy climb
Reviewed By: Shankar on Monday, July 5, 2010 @ 09:17:21 PM
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Just came back from the climb a few hours back. I was in Seattle over the long weekend and thought that hiking at the nearby Mt. Si would be a good way to end the weekend. I actually wanted to do the normal Mt. Si hike; but as luck would have it, I lost my way and ended up in the parking lot where the Little Si trail starts.
The trail itself is not strenuous and doesn't take much time. I took about ~100 minutes for the entire hike. I'm not a regular hiker, so expect the regulars to take even lesser time. I was alone and did not take a break except for a 3 minute one at the summit. There wasn't much of a crowd; dogs moving about unleashed was a bit scary though.
I wish there was more parking space and clear indications to the start of the trail paths from some distance away (so that one doesn't get lost). Otherwise, it was a well spent 3 hours away from the hotel.
Reviewed By: Anonymous on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 @ 05:05:22 PM
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Just finished this hike about two hours ago. I am out of shape so the trail was a little challenging to me; parts of the trail were a little steep for my taste. The whole trip took me about 3 hours, including my rest at the top of the mountain. There is some really beautiful scenery on the trail.
Easy climb
Reviewed By: Milt on Monday, May 17, 2010 @ 08:36:22 AM
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Did this hike 5/14/10. Perfect weather. Trail had just about everything. Rocky steps, long flat spots, filtered sunlight, a creek, and lots of work done to the trail. It's a popular hike, so expect to be passing a lot of people. There are two parking lots. The main lot right at the trailhead holds about 2 dozen cars, while the second lot holds 4 dozen more cars. The second lot is just after you cross the orange bridge and there is a short trail to the other lot & trailhead.
At the top, there are plenty of places to sit and eat lunch and not be rubbing elbows with everybody else. The trail was also loaded with dogs of all kinds and not one pile of dog doo to avoid, so lots of responsible owners out there. We were not pushing it, so It took about 3 hours up and down.
Li Si
Reviewed By: DP on Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 01:20:41 PM
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Trying this weekend..
Little Si
Reviewed By: angi on Sunday, April 12, 2009 @ 10:35:28 AM
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Review: I have climbed Little Si several times and never tire of it. It is a pretty easy climb as the incline is not bad at all. The last time I hiked it was March, 2009 and was a bit worried that I would be cold but ended up shedding my fleece part of the way up. It is definitely busier in the summer months but have never found it to be so crowded that it is an issue. What is an issue is the parking lot - very small and nearly always full.
Part way up the ascent there is a rock climbing area on the left and occasional views of Mt. Si. At the top there is a narrow view in one direction of forest scenery and in the other direction there is a wider view of North Bend and a river (fork of the Snoqualmie?)
This should be a pretty easy hike for anyone in half-decent shape. Round trip takes about 2.5 hours tops. I will do this again and again.
This hike is the same distance round trip as Tiger Mountain but with only half the elevation gain so feels much, much easier. Did Tiger yesterday and boy were my knees feeling it by the time I got back down.
Perfect quick Sat morning hike
Reviewed By: Ralvis on Saturday, March 21, 2009 @ 11:23:18 AM
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This is a perfect quick hike. Took me and a buddy 1 hr to ascend with a couple 2 min picture ops. We started at 7:30 AM Sat morning in late March and saw no one until on our way down. Nice view. On the way down, took a 30 min detour to scramble the rock slide - nice, but be careful. Overall, a great quick hike. Not too strenuous but a good workout.
Overall time was about 2.5 hr.
Ryan
Good for beginner
Reviewed By: Anonymous on Sunday, February 22, 2009 @ 08:09:18 PM
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Just moved to Seattle last month and wanted to have a nice easy hike to test out the great Northwest. Little Si was perfect for a peaceful stroll, especially on a beautiful day. I am a beginner hiker and thought is was not difficult by any means. Next time will definitely try something like Mt. Si, a little more challenging. It's great to bring a little lunch and enjoy the view at the top! have fun and be safe....
Fun Weekend Trip
Reviewed By: Anonymous on Sunday, September 14, 2008 @ 08:17:08 PM
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I loved this hike. I thought it was beautiful at the summit, and even though its a shorter hike, you still work up a sweat on the steeper parts. A great weekend trip for the family, beginning hiker, or anyone that wants spectacular veiws, an easy trail, and an overall good workout will just love this trail.
short but strenuous enough
Reviewed By: Anonymous on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 @ 07:40:37 PM
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I just did this hike for training purposes because it was close. I am just starting to carry a pack, so need some miles with weight. I am in shape but not used to a pack. This hike took me about two hours round trip including gawking at the scenery and a short stretch at the top. It gives a lot of bang for your buck; nice forest with huge, cabin-size, mossy boulders next to vertical rock cliffs, then a good climb to the top that gets your heart rate going. Pretty good views at the top of Mt. Si and North Bend, but my favorite part was definitely the woods. Kind of surreal. Nice cool hike on a very hot day. Most of it was shaded. I was pretty sweaty from the workout at the end and feeling pretty proud of myself, then saw hikers carrying babies and a whole pack of little kids running around. Humbling. I guess this hike is good for families, if your kids climb like mountain goats.
Little Si is closed
Reviewed By: yonsosa on Friday, August 1, 2008 @ 03:53:18 PM
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My wife and I drove up to Little Si this morning and the signs said the trail was closed. There was construction on the bridge nearby and also construction in the parking lot. I'd check before I went up there... We did Rattlesnake Ledge instead.
Exciting first hike
Reviewed By: rajeev on Sunday, May 18, 2008 @ 01:33:21 AM
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I recently moved to Seattle from Dallas, and so it was a great experience on this hike. It was a first of a kind for me, so the excitement bar was kinda always too high! The views from the top were breath taking, and it was well worth the 3 hrs we took to go atop. (ya, most of us were newbies). Some sections were a litte steep and at times were really questioned "how far is it". But when we finally made it, it was well worth the sweat 
. Downhill was relatively much faster and less tiring. Make sure you take drink and food along (again, as newbies, didn't do any thing like that!)
I'd say, it's definitely a hike to try out, especially if you havent done many, or are doing with little kids and family.
Awesome hike
Reviewed By: Sridhar Iyer on Thursday, July 5, 2007 @ 09:39:27 AM
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We hiked Little Si on the 4th, and it was great fun. The first thing I noticed about this trail is that the parking lot at the trail head is a little too small to accommodate all the crowd that comes in there. But it is quite easy to find parking along the road, so that was not a big deal.
This one, unlike other trails like Rattlesnake Ledge, has relatively unmaintained and narrow trail paths. It's pretty "gravely" in the beginning and evens out as you proceed further. The grade is not very steep, and is something a beginner can handle. You are surrounded by enough vegetation about 10 minutes into the hike, so the heat wasn't an issue.
It took us about an hour and a half to get to the top. The view from the top, while not spectacular, is pretty good. You get a panoramic view of the entire snoqualmie valley, Mount Si and Rattlesnake Ledge.
In all, it was a pretty good hike. Nice workout!
(oh, and the little restroom at the trail head is in desperate need of some maintenance. Someone should notify the ranger station about that!)
Good Winter Hiking
Reviewed By: chl56291 on Thursday, January 11, 2007 @ 03:47:42 PM
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Go hiking more often is one of my resolution this year. This was my first hike this year (1/6/07) and took 1 hr 10 min to top and another 1 hr to down. No snow in the trail, just wet. I joined this site also and appreciate all information.
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