Granite Mountain

This was definitely the best Fall color hike I have done so far. The whol mountain sides were covered with shades of yellow and red. We started the hike on a cloudy day. The whole hike is constant uphill with little break. This late in the season, with all summer conditioning, it was not that difficult. The beginning is in forest which was nice and cool. Once we got out of the forest, it became quite cold and we had to put on hat and gloves too. Air temperature was definitely below freezing. Next time I would bring warmer gloves and jacket. All the hardwork is rewarded with sweeping views of fall colored slopes. There were also lot of berries at this point, but I am guessing they will be gone by next weekend. pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/hiking.glory/GraniteMtn#

this is the best hike ever! the views are incredible and the moderation of the hike is just perfect, not too hard and too easy

the hike takes about 5 hrs and is worth every minute of it. the view is an incredible 360 paranoramic view that takes your breath away

there issnow mostly year round, in small to medium amounts of snow during the summer

So it has been something like 25 years since I had been up Granite Mountain. What a gem that I had been missing out on! It's a real workout but worth every bit of the effort. We headed out this morning heading to make another slog up Mt Si, got to the parking lot and looked at each other and said, "do we really want to do this hike again?" It was foggy and damp in North Bend but it looked like the sky was opening up above the pass. So we turned around, got back on I-90, and headed up, looking for something a little less routine than Si. Well we sure found it. The weather was fantastic! Who would have thought November 30 would be a sunny and warm day in the Cascades? The views of Kaleetan, The Tooth (das toof!), Guye, Lundin and Kendal are fantastic. It was even clear enought that Rainier was a massive hulk to the south. The scramble route up had just a dusting of snow to make it interesting but the trail down the back side was a slushy mess. Round trip was just over 5 hours with a nice lunch on top among the horde of Thanksgiving weekend Turkey burners :)

I hike almost every weekend from August -October, and I felt Granite Mountain was a very rewarding hike.  Not as tough as McClellan Butte, but still a great workout.  This hike reminds me of the Pacific Crest Trail with all the wild flowers, and uncovered portions of the hike.  A clear Fall day is the perfect climate for this mountain, because it wasn't too hot, and there were no bugs.  It was cold at the top (as expected), and yes the ranger was cooking chocolate chip cookies.  Granite gives you the option to enjoy incredible views in every direction.  Plus, a great view of Mount Ranier!

Another review suggested that Mt. Si was a better hike.  I have done Si a dozen times, and strongly disagree.  Both trails have high traffic, unless you are hiking during the week.  Mt. Si is switchbacks the whole way up, Granite has some diversity to the trail.  Bugs are bad on both mountains on hot days.

This is probably the most strenuous hike I have done. I have hiked Mt. Si and a few other mountains fairly easily, and was fooled into thinking that this will be as easy as Mt. Si as both of them have similiar elevation gain. The path is very rough, steep and your walk is slowed to less than 1 mph. So plan for > 8 hours for this hike. And avoid too hot and sunny days, as the heat can kill you - a good portion of the hike is directly under the sun with no tree cover. Carry atleast 2 bottles of water. This hike doesn't get a lot of crowd, so those who like privacy and intimacy with nature will love this. I started my hike at 2:30pm, and was pretty scared at dusk not finding anyone else in the whole damn mountain. You have plenty of great views throught the hike and can also see/hear I-90 for most part of the trip. As everyone else mentioned, bring a bug spray. If the heat and steepness doesn't kill you, the bugs will :).

Did the hike about a week ago and it was, as I've said, just incredible.  It was a bit more difficult than I had expected, partially my fault though seeing as I loaded my back down with about 35 pounds of water ballast, but it made for an amazing workout.  Ive only recently gotten back into hiking, and I had to turn back a few times and retrace my foot steps scrambling up to the top, but that just made the hike that much more fun!!  The trail was great and the views for most of the way up, after you pass the tree line were great, too bad the ranger wasn't up at the lookout that day though.  All in all the hike took me 5hrs and 45min with a good half hour lunch at the top.  Almost wussed out scrambling up to the top because I was by myself and my pack was a bit unwieldy, but my confidence was quickly restored when I spotted another hiker practically running up the boulder field.  Highly recommended, and my friend has told me that if you go early enough on the right day there will be a ranger up in the lookout with cookies.....

This was my first attempt and questioned if it would be too early due to the heavy snow fall this year.  It didn't take long to deteched the affects of the melting snow. Trails were very wet, mini creeks everywhere, downd trees(caused by slides) etc.  Snow was very heavy at 3,000 ft, making it very hard if not impossible to follow the summer trail.  Finally optd to attempt the winter snow route but not prepared enough for the climb conditions.  Headed back down at the tree line approx. 3/4 way up.  Broken clouds, mild temperature. All in all had a great workout and look forward to trying again with the right equipment or during the summer.

I don't think that there is anything too spectacular about this hike.  It seems that some people appreciate the fact that this mountain has views begining from the half way point.  I on the other hand prefer to have the view unvailed to me as close as possible to the summit.  The reason; I believe that you become desensatized to the view at the top if you are continously observing the views from the half way point on.  Also, until you reach the top 5% of this mountain your view includes (and you can hear) I-90.  I'm also surprised that no one commented about the flies.  I think that they were the worst at the top.  Bring bug spray.  The reason I marked this average instead of poor is because the view from the top is very nice and the last 1/3 of the hike is pretty much through a field of wild blueberries.  I'm not sure what to recommend as I'm new to the area, but if I could take a day off during the week when Mt. Si is not so busy,  I  would pick Si over Granite.

July 30, 2007

I decided it was time to get my 8 year old boy, Alex, started on some real hikes.  Last summer, we did Rattlesnake Ridge, Little Mt. Si, and Twin Falls.  I was planning something in Commonwealth Basin, but the friendly ranger at North Bend said, "Granite Mountain is a short, popular hike."  It didn't really sink in that it ascends 3800 feet in four miles.  Anyway, it is not a very pretty hike for the first half as it steadily rises through the woods.  After about two miles, we met a woman ranger coming down from the lookout tower.  She couldn't believe the other ranger's recommendation for us.  She gave my gasping son a motherly look and said, "Well, you go as far as you can."  That was all he needed to hear and determined right there to see the top.  After the trail breaks out above the trees, it enters beautiful, rock-strewn alpine meadow with lots of wildflowers.  Unfortunately, you can see and hear I-90 for much of this hike.  Also, we were cold in our jackets until almost the summit (July 30th!). There is a little plateau spot with flat rocks like giant picnic tables next to two almost dried out tarns.  From there, the tower looks "right there", but it is decieving.  The trail splits up, so we headed up the ridge to the left.  Unfortunately, that goes up a tough rock field that was a bit much for him to navigate.  We saw the real trail 100 feet below us (should have stayed to the right at the tarns).  But we did find a small patch of snow for a quick snowball fight.  After descending to the trail after wasting almost an hour, we did the last painful 20 minute push up to the summit.  It had finally cleared up, and the views of the Commonwealth Basin peaks, Mt. Thompson (?), and Mt. Rainer were stunning.  To my surprise, I had a very strong cell signal to call my wife with the report.  After lunch, we headed back down and passed several very sweaty, tired adults coming up ("He made it?!?!?!).  It took us five hours up (many rests and pep-talks) and 2.5 to get down.  Not a really fun hike, but a great summit and sense of victory.  Final note, we wore lots of DEET bug spray and still came back covered with bites.

Very pleasurable hike on a sunny Friday afternoon in early July (7-6-07).  Awesome trail, very easy to follow and makes a measured but steady climb up.  My friend and I went and we got some really good views of Rainier once we got out into the open about 1/2 way to 2/3 up.  Very clear day you can see all the surrounding mountains from the East back around to the south on the hike up.  Unfortunately we didn't arrive at the snowy section goin up toward the lookout until just about the time we couldn't have gone all the way up and gotten back before dark, so we had to turn back.  Definitely want to do this again sometime when we can make our way up the huge boulders or around the side of the ridge to the East and get up into that tower.  I can only imagine what kind of magnificient views could be had from a 360deg panorama from there.

To train for Mt. Adams, we hiked Granite Mountain with large, heavy packs on our backs and rented plastic boots on our feet. There was still quite a bit of snow next to the bouldering route towards the summit so we chose to tackle the snow. Trekking poles were a must and crampons would have been helpful. The weather was perfect and a wonderful Park Service volunteer was baking chocolate chip cookies in the lookout tower - what a treat! No bugs and a nice (but a bit cool) breeze at the top.

With 4,000' of vertical spread over 4 miles, this is a great training hike. On a clear day like yesterday, the views are unbelievable. Much better hike than Mt. Si.

Very good condition of the trail – dry and convenient. Tons of blueberries. Lookout building was opened with a very nice volunteer on duty there. Highly recommend.

Wonderful scenic hike. Don't forget to take the "Recreation Pass" we wasted 30 minutes :-( . And also Trekking Pole is very useful for this hike as the elevation gain is too much...

We climbed on 2/11/06. My bother in law and I are somewhat novice alpine climbers. We decided to do Granite Mountian. I'd heard and read a lot of good things about the climb. We decided to hit the trail at 0600 hrs. We assumed there would be a lot of soft snow so we brought snow shoes. We got to the trailhead at 0600. I forgot to buy a day pass so we had to go back to North Bend. We finally hit the trail at about 0730 hrs. It started out nice and easy for about the first 30 minutes or so. We had planned out taking the trail that goes east and then comes back up to the the top. We hit the avalanche shute and all the footprints started heading straight up. SO we followed the footsteps. Not bad until we got to just below the SW ridge. We saw teo other climbers who had stopped to put on crampons. I had mine, but my brother in law did not. I decided to even the odds and keep mine off. So we get out onto the ridge and the wind kicks up and the temp dropped about 15 degrees. Talk about cold and windy. I was using trekking poles and my mountaineering boots. It would have been much easier with my crampons and ice ax...and safer too. The snow was hard and icy and if either my brother in law or I had slipped it would have been a bad day on the mountain. My brother in law had not brought his mountaineering boots and he thought we would be in snowshoes the entire time. He was having a harder time that me. I also found out that my gloves were not up to par because my hands were freezing. We got up to the top at about 1030. Great views, but my camera batteries went dead. Still windy as hell at the top. After about a half an hour we got our gear together and headed down the west ridge which took us down in a saddle on the west and then we headed south until we hooked back up to the main trail. Got back to the car at about 1300 hrs. Great hike and I would love to do it again...with better gloves this time.

Even today, Oct 30 - still very nice hike. About 5 inches of snow on the very top of the mount, covers most of the boulders and big stones on the way. A bit slippery but anyone with high hiking shoes and hiking poles can easily make it. My wife with kids decided to turn back from the very last ascent - they had a light hiking shoes which became wet from the very beginning of the snow area. We were lucky to get a good, dry and pretty sunny day (despite a forecast of 65% rain...)  Highly recommend!

I hiked up to the top of Granite Mountain on Sunday October 2.  We hit the trail at about 8:20 in the morning, and there was only one other vehicle at the trail head.  The first few miles 2-3 miles of the trail takes you through the woods and is moderately steep.  At about 4500 feet the trees thin out and there are some picturesque meadows.  Lots of wild blueberries grow here too.  At this point we started to see a dusting of snow.  As we approached the summit, the snow grew to about 2 inches deep and the trail became difficult to distinguish.  We ended up scrambling up snow coverd boulders for the last few hundred feet of elevation gain.  The top was windy and cold, and cloud covered.  We were lucky enough to have a few breaks in the clouds so that we could see south, but we were never given the oppurtunity to see North through the cloud.  The lookout at the top, fortunately was unlocked.  A volunteer from the forest service was staying there, so we went in for lunch and a break.  With advice from this volunteer we took the trail back down; this way was much quicker and probably a bit safer than scrambling on the slick granite boulders.  Even if I missed out on the views, the local scenery was very nice with a fresh few inches of snow.  I saw about 8 other hikers heading up when I was on my way down.

The hike time to the top was 2.5 hours.  This could have been done more quickly in the summer when snow is not a factor. (we backtracked once, and took our time going through the snow)  Coming down took about 1.5-2 hours.

If I were to do this hike again, I would bring more clothing.  I only had a couple shirts, and a light fleece/windbreaker.

All in all this was a very nice hike.  I rate it 4 STARS for the scenery, and the interest of the varied terrain, and sense of accomplishment in reaching the top.  I give the hike 4 HIKERS.  I was tempted to give it 3 hikers, and if it were not for the snow, I'm sure I would have.  Even with the snow, it is an easy 4 hikers-hike.

This is such a great hike!  The views at the top are well with the effort. Go on a sunny day so you can enjoy them.  The day we went some of the hikers turned around before making it to the top.  If you go dont do this you will miss out on some of the best views. Bring your camera you wont have to wait to get to the top to start taking pictures.   This is a good time of year to hike this trail weather is a little cooler so no bugs and because you have to do a little work to get there the cooler temp is very nice.

This is one of the best trails in the WA state. The hike is challenging and rewarding at the top with a beatiful view of Mt. Rainier and Snoqualmie (on a sunny day as it was today).  Take a lot of water and pace yourself.

Excellent hike, but don't forget the bug spray! There were horseflies landing on us every time we stopped for a second (and they do bite after all). Dozens of them all over us if we stood still. They thinned out a lot once you gained some altitude, though. And the views were worthwhile.

Today there was no mud but very dusty. Do bring bug juice and lots of water. Great hike but not for the average day hiker.

Hiked Granite last night - I've hiked Mt. Si a number of times after hours, but Granite is well worth the extra miles down the road and extra effort to get to the top. The sunset views were stunning. I was too late for the meadows to be in full bloom, but still a rewarding hike. If you're heading out anytime soon, bring your bug juice!

I went this past Sunday, and I found it hard to believe it was only a little more than 4 miles to the lookout. The trail had a lot of rocks to navigate around, but it wasn't terrible. Trekking poles were definately a help, especially for the trip back down. The trail was only muddy in a couple of places, so the footing was good. I was glad I started early. The sun was shining brightly, and I drank a lot of water on the way up. It seemed to be a little past the peak for wildflowers, but there were still plenty to enjoy. I decided not to do the ridge scramble to the top and stick to the main trail. At the top were great views of Rainier, Adams, Snoqualmie Pass, and Glacier Peak. Definately save this hike for a clear day to get the full benefit of the view.

This was an amazing hike; one the best I've been on since I moved to Seattle. Like many hikes, it had spectacular views at the top. However, what separated it was the pleasure of the climb. We went up in the June timeframe, and there were tons of beautiful flowers, and more than half the hike was above the treeline. Clambering over rocks at the end was great fun. Also, the random pools of water we stumbled upon were beautiful. Of course, it *was* challenging. It was a nice reminder that I was much more out of shape than my companion. Highly recommended.

I think this was the most beautiful hike I've been on in the area. The day was GORGEOUS. I was carrying a pack, but if I wasn't, I don't think the hike would have been to bad. I didn't find it very steep, compared to others in the area. It took me longer than most because of the pack and my dad was out of shape, but others would have no problem. The trail is wonderful this time of year. The meadow-like area had wonderful wild flowers everywhere, small ponds in places, and of course granite. The top was awesome. We saw Rainier big and beautiful, as well as Mt. Adams and Glacier Peak in the distance. We left early, 6:30am climbing, and were very glad we did. There were plenty of people coming up when we were heading down, and the sun was getting a lot warmer as the day went on. I recommend this hike, as it's my new favorite hike off I-90. Thanks to all that posted before me, with out your reviews I might never had decided to hike it. Thanks. Happy Hiking. :)

Wow! Like it says in the intro, this hike can best be split into three phases. The first is the Pratt Lake trail of it. This is very much like ordinary Pacific Northwest hiking conditions- nice gentle slope and all kinds of greenery. There was about six or seven streams running through it too, very relaxing and easy on the legs. Then, you come to a junction. The Granite Mountain trail is to your right. This is the second part and it is strenuous. You go through forest and the trail just seems to never stop going up. The third portion is the trail through the grasslands. Here, you have all sorts of rocks and boulders, and also about 25 different trails. For the most part, I saw most of the other trails lead back to the large one, but it gets a bit confusing at the actual granite base of the mountain. I relied on the sounds of others to guide me to the right trail, but its pretty easy to know which direction you want to go in- you can see the ranger tower from this point and you want to head up there. The other thing about this portion is that there are bees everywhere- if you are allergic, make sure you bring some kind of antibiotic. I loved the view at the top, right in front of the ranger tower, it felt like you were looking straight down all 5930 feet and over more you could get excellent vantage points of everything in the area. The only thing I didn't favor too much was the massive amounts of mosquitoes at the top, I was barely up there for 10 minutes but I had to twitch incessantly to avoid getting eaten alive. On the way down, it got a bit hard too. First, you have to clamber over all of those rocks and boulders, which gets to the knees, then you have to work your way down the once non-stop up that is the second section. I loved the pond area about halfway through the third section- you could probably make an excellent campground there, or just stop for a elongated break. It was very rewarding, you feel a superb sense of accomplishment once you make the top and then again once you have hit the bottom and completed the hike.

This is a wonderful, scenic hike, if rather difficult for those not in pretty good shape (one of my companions started to become dizzy about hlafway up--be sure to bring lots of water to avoid this!). It's best to get in your car and start driving pretty early in the day of you want to avoid some of the large crowds that come to this hike when the weather is nice (although very few of thses people actually make it up to the top...hmmm...). It's also a good idea to start driving early so that you can avoid the midday sun beating mercilessly down upon your back when you start to cross the open, grassy, meadows that make up about one-half to two-thirds of this hike. There is a "shortcut" to the lookout point as you reach the final stretch of the hike (the shortcut starts about even with the small pond that's a good resting point to build up your strength for the last bit). The path starts out very steep, going up the side of a rather large hill that it then travels along the ridge of. A bit later, the path leads you to boulders--some as big as cars or houses--that you must clamber over...this is why it's not much of a "shortcut." (I admit I've never completed this path--it is very difficult.) This is a good hike to bring your dog with you on...mostly very dog-friendly people are walking on it. Also, the mini-mini-mini-"glaciers" near the top of the hike are good places to play with your dog, as is the lukewarm, shallow pond near the top and the streams that are uiquitous throughout the hike.

This was my first day hike ever and it was great. I just got back and I'm a little sore but not bad. Took about 4hrs 45min up including 45min worth of lunch and breaks on the way up (yay for breaks). The weather wasn't that bad, showers off and on but while it was clear there were some awsome views and photo spots. Got to to summit, talked with the Ranger on duty in the watch tower, took pictures by the summit pole and headed down. Like I said this was my first one and it was great, I recommend this to any experienced hiker or anyone who is going with friends that are experienced hikers! Thanks to all the Rangers that keep watch over this area and the people in it!

I just got back from this hike today and man, what a trip! My buddy and I are pretty casual hikers, so we came somewhat unprepared as we were heading up, seeing a bunch of people coming down with gaiters and poles. It was fine though. There was a foot or so of snow up at the top, but as long as you stay in previous hikers' footsteps you'll be fine. Be sure to bring sunscreen, as it was a gorgeous day and the reflection from the snow can be brutal. I defintely recommend this hike! There are many great photo ops once you get to the top.

This hike was a good challenge for a day hike, especially for my companions who don't do this sort of thing. The trail went through some very pretty areas, and despite the highway cutting through the scenery below, the view of the area...Rainier, lakes, mountains...was well worth the hike. Definitely bring lots of water, as you will need it. Slow and steady gets you to the fire lookout! Supposedly there was a bear wandering around up there, but my group seemed to be the only group that didn't get a visual that day (8/8/2004).

You'll want your breakfast to have hit your bloodstream by the time you turn off the Pratt Lake trail, and you'll want to be in better shape than me. I had to sit down there for a bit. The description of the hike as having three sections is fair enough, but the third section, above the trees, deserves some subsections. First the trail runs back and forth across a grassy meadow, with huckleberry bushes and lupine. It must be something in high flowering season. I was in good weather for this unshaded stretch -- not sun full-blast, but mostly clouds, trailing in pieces over the ground. Next, at the small horseshoe valley the trail turns in northwards, and you notice the quiet; the background noise of freeway traffic has been blocked by the knee of the slope. The vegetation is alpine, with trees here and there now. From the trail you can see green lawns strewn with angular granite from the rocky slopes that mount up to the fire tower, visible now. The last section is the short climb up these to the summit. Most of what there was to see that day was cloudscapes. On a Saturday, I met maybe a dozen people up and down. If one of these hadn't said "hey, look over there", I doubt I'd have seen the brown bear in the boulders at the bottom of the horseshoe valley, which was the first time I'd ever seen one for real, so I think people are a pretty good thing. It looked like a young adult to me, not that I'm any judge of bears. (No, no mother visible.)

I've hiked this trail many times as training for climbing mt rainier. This hike has several great features for those looking to add a bit of spice to their training and avoid hiking up mt si again. The terrain is rough, the pitch is steep, and in the early season there's quite a bit of snow in the last 1500 ft. That and a great view of Rainier from the lookout. What more can you ask for? Be sure you bring plenty of water this hike is tough and exposed in many sections on sunny days. You'll find the elevation gain to take it's toll on you rather quickly once you break away from the pratt lake trail so pace yourself accordingly!