Fine Art Photography Blog

The first time I took I-90 up to Snoqualmie Pass, I was floored, and I assume most people would say the same.  Luscious green mountains line the freeway, tall and steep, with hanging valleys and individual peaks blocking deeper canyons;  the whole scene reminded me of Montana’s Glacier National Park. Of course, this impression wears off with time, and the area begins to feel “old hat.”

Granite Mountain offers an escape from the routine, to rekindle the feeling that Seattle’s immediate surroundings are in fact montane wonderland.

Hiking Granite Mountain

The trail begins in a small parking lot at Exit 47 from I-90, just west of the pass. At about 1,700 feet above sea level, this is a densely forested area with a narrow, wet, meandering path crossing a small cascade before leading up the mountain. With such an easy beginning, the trail lulls its users into a false sense of ease; soon it begins to climb steeply.

For two miles, the hike ascends through the woods, occasionally crossing an open gully with views above and below; these can be seen on the map. Myriad streams drain the high country snow, so, if you’re using a water purifier, fill your bottle before you leave the woods. There will be some water above, but not much.

In fact, crossing the timberline brings hikers into a new world, not only drier than the one below, but also bigger and emptier. The sky is no longer held back by a dense forest canopy, now stretching endlessly from horizon to horizon. Here, in the tundra, trees are stunted, growing in small patches - the rocky ground belongs to heath, moss, lichen and some grasses. The cold wind prevents much of anything else from growing here.

With an open view of the surrounding peaks, somehow the hike feels easier. It continues on another two miles, with less water, and less shade, which mattered little on November 1st when I first hiked Granite Mountain. ( I’ve been back twice this winter, watching the snow take over. ) The trail straightens out, mostly giving up switchbacks for straight ascents cutting across the side of the mountain.

On the other hand, the trail becomes very indistinct in this spare environment, easy to lose against the rocky, sometimes bare ground. A GPS can be a great help at times, although in summer the path will almost always be marked by other hikers. The view, still of the same ridge lines, has changed profoundly; now we’re eye-to-eye with the highest surrounding peaks, and looking down on several of the mountains that tower over the freeway.

Soon we reach a small pond, shown in the photos above and immediately below this paragraph.

This photogenic little pond sits in a small basin, a sort of hanging flatland not far below the summit. Plant life suddenly becomes a little bit more abundant - a phalanx of trees lines a stream, shaded from the icy wind. True to the mountain’s name, however, this little oasis is walled in by large, granite boulders.

All told, this hike was 8.25 miles, with a strenuous 3,551 feet of vertical climb. Even at a brisk pace, this took more than five hours. Sadly, for this reason and because of my late start, we turned back 1/3 mile from the summit. Our party was a bit unprepared with no lights - the sun was already setting at 5:53 pm, and we’d taken more time getting up the mountain than we had left of daylight. With much regret, we turned back without having reached the lookout tower at the summit.

A Word on Avalanches

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention avalanche safety, publishing this in December. Sno-Parks are often closed in the winter, and even I-90 has closed for this reason. My last hike to Granite Mountain ended at the tracks of a recent avalanche - you can almost guess where from the map below. You should never enter snowy, mountainous parts of the backcountry in winter without proper knowledge and gear.

Map & Elevation Plot