Mt. Si

I hadn't been hiking in a few years and I thought I was in pretty good shape. But oh man was I winded after about a mile. If you don't like incline, I do not suggest this hike for you. It is a definite leg work out. It is switch-back after switch-back pretty much all the up. The trail can get pretty populous but people are very courteous and everyone just kind of naturally spaces out. There are plenty of rest stops and places to enjoy the view. The trail itself is very well kept and easy to walk on. By far the best part is the end of the trail where you have two options. Enjoy the view from where you are or be gutsy and climb Haystack. I highly recommend going up Haystack. It's fairly easy if you know how to find proper hand holds and foot holds. I even saw a one year old Yellow Lab climb it. The view from the top is breath-taking. Mount Si is by far my favorite hiking spot and I suggest it to everyone!

Probably one of the best maintained trails in Washington. Too bad that can't be said of the parking with a million potholes. We started early on a Monday. Only about a dozen people encountered on the way up. The trail is on an incline for much of its 4 miles. There is a nice creek about 1.75 miles in. No view of any kind until you hit the 3.5 mile mark. Once you get to Si's very rocky top, first timers might get lost amonst the boulders before finding the right path to the main picnicing area. Haystack looms above, but we decided to not climb it. One slip will ruin your whole day and possibly the rest of your life. People were climbing it, but were being careful. The view was great. You are at eye level with the clouds which fly right over.

On the way down, it was Grand Central Station. People everywhere. Groups of high schoolers, dog walkers, fitness nuts jogging, a barefoot dude and Jack LaLanne-type seniors hoofing it up and down. We were the slow ones moving out of the way for everybody. Would hate to hike this on a sunny weekend.

Trailhead at 730am saw 3 cars, passed 3 groups on the way up. 2h up, 1.5h down hustling. Snow still covers trail and makes slick goings from about 3miles on. After the Si trail, Haystack rock was the only real hard part of this hike for the winter time, the steep slope and icy rocks made us go a bit slower.

Fairly boring hike in which the payoff is worth it, if just for one sunny spring morning.

Decided to hike this one spur of the moment on Monday March 15th, 2010. Put in around 3pm. It was staying light until around 7 so figured we had enough time. Started out strong and in fact did 7 miles total in about 2.5 hours. This hike is really just straight Up, and than straight down. It does get cold with the mountain breeze. We hit snow at about the 3 mile mark. Hiked further, but wasn't prepared. So decided to get to a great viewpoint at 3.5 miles, hung out there and than headed back. If one were to hike this, i would recommend proper boots and/or hiking poles. This trail gets a lot of use, so all the snow compacts and turns to ice. It is very slippery in running shoes! In all, on a cold march monday afternoon we must of seen around 30 people on the trail. That's a lot, however being only 30 min or so from seattle i can see why. The only viewpoint is really at 3.5 maybe another small one at about 1.2 or the top. so if you do the hike, i recommend making it to the top. The snow should almost be fully melted by now. Very warm winter this year huh?

Happy Hiking!

Today was a great day to do the hike, a lot of cars in parking lot but where is the people?  Passed more people going down than up so in my experience we had the whole mount. to ourselves, which was great.  About a 1/4 way to the top we started getting into snow wich witout crampons its no rush, so we took our time and got up to the top with in 2 hours, very easy hike for experienced hikers.  don't bring sneakers on this hike a lot of people think it's a cake walk but when you hit snow your on your ass every second.  Beautiful view can see the whole valley and Seattle.  Just FYI dont do the hay stack without rope!!!  People holding there little chawawa dog sliding down the mount. should not go!!  Enjoy!

very crowded as i thought since its a weekend...but the parking lot is huge so there is plenty of space.

i'd have to say the difficulty of the hike is not much for most experienced hiker but for a casual hiker i would not recommend it, particularly on a hot day.  it peaked at 90+ and i had a bit of a hard time making it up.  the view at the top is nice but nothing spectular and there's no nice cold water to jump into like lake 22 or lake serence. take at least 2 liters of water.

try going on a cool day..

Went up on a conditioning hike yesterday with a 30lbs pack. Trail was in good condition, not too many people, overall very nice, and up top the usual great view. To my surprise I saw two ducks on the plateau, no idea how they got up there. Up in 1h45, down in 1h15, then 60 minutes at NB B&G for the reward after: Quesadillas and two pints of Hefeweizen. Life is good !

I did this hike June 17, 2008.

I am not a huge hiker but am using hiking as a means to rehab a neck injury I recently sustained.  A couple people who seem to hike a lot had told me Si was a good hike to get in shape with.  After these comments and reading some on the internet, I was very suprised at how easy the hike was.  I did it with a 40 pound pack.  Looking at the peak from the drive up I was nervous that the pack was a bad idea, now I'm glad I took it.  The trail (and the view from the top) reminded me a lot of Rattlesnake, just twice as long.  Not that thats an bad thing.

I was suprised that on an overcast Tuesday, there were so many people.  I counted around 40 cars at the bottom and spent a good amount of time on the trail waiting for others to move.  I think it is a testimate to the trail (both how immaculately the upkeep is and the difficulty level) that I saw many groups of children, elderly and my favorite, a girl in flip flops.

Overall I think the hike is definately worth the leasurely stroll if for no other reason than to admire the trail upkeep and view from the top.  It's not the best if you want a serious workout.

Also, from how many people I saw on a weekday I would not recommend going on a weekend.

wow i went up there with my friend the other day, the trail wasn't at all hard, just kinda long, so to make it fun we either ran or found are own way up at certain points. but! at about 3 miles up there was snow, and me and my friend were in shorts a tee shirt and basketball shoes. needless to say we slipping everywere, we were way under prepared, everyone around us was in coats and had spiked boots with hiking poles. now onto the hay stack, by the time we got to the bottom of it and we were in about 6 feet of snow, climbin up was wasn't bad (other then the numb hands) but climbin down was hella scary, the guy before us was using pik axes. it was fun all in all, wish we coulda came a lil more prepared.

My husband and I recently moved here from NY and  are looking at this as an adventure.  The trail was a great hike (a beautiful day).  It was very well maintained.  Thanks WA for a great time.

This was the first hike I did after moving to Seattle in early September.  The trail was smooth but semi-steep for the first 90% and then turns to rocks with a short scramble at the top.  I went during the week and only saw about 20 people on the trail.  From what I read in other reviews, if you don't like hiking on busy trails than you probably don't want to do this on the weekend.  Good bang for the buck (only a little over 1/2hr from seattle).

Did the hike today with my two dogs.  First hike of the fall season for me, so I wanted something that I coud use as metric going forward.  Weather was overcast but not raining - seemed like most people stayed home either way.  Saw maybe 30 people on the trail and two other groups with dogs - all well mannered.  My dogs did well at walking past people unless they stopped and initiated contact - then Kiska is still a little over friendly though none of them seemed to mind.  The hike to the bottom of the haystack took 1:50.  Took about the same on the trip back down.  I made the base of the haystack at 12:30 and one of the other hikers told me I had timed it right as the clouds lifted just before I got there giving a nice view of the valley floor.  Hiking by myself with the two leashed dogs I opted not to climb the haystack - just seemed like a better choice not to tempt fate.  It was a good hike - through pretty forest.  Great for an overcast fall day.

It's a really fun hike...there are always a lot of people and the view from the top is amazing.  There are plenty of places to see that view even if you don't make it to the top or just don't like climbing over rocks (a requirement to get to the good seats).  My friend and I are going today...I haven't been in a year and she's out of shape =P  This oughta be fun!

Hiked it last weekend for the first time. To extend the length of the hike, I parked at the Little Si lot and walked up the road to the Mt. Si trailhead. Good thing I did, because the Mt. Si lot was already packed with idgets when I got there at 8:30 am.  The trail was muddy and full of screaming kids & little pooping dogs from trailhead to summit.  When I got to the base of the Haystack, some sprouthead dressed up like a cross-country skier warned me that the rest of the hike "should only be tried by experienced hikers". 
"Yeah?' I replied. "Well, only sisses need two hiking poles."
When I got to the top of the Haystack, I cracked open a beer and enjoyed the view, as mediocre as it was.  Nothing like staring at a QFC parking lot at 4000 feet.

Me and four of my freinds decided to hike Mt. Si yesterday after finishing our last final exam. We made it to the base of haystack from the parking lot in 1 hr. 30 min. and back down in 1 hr, but we were keeping a pretty fast pace. We climbed to the top of the Haystack (which I highly reccomend) and the view was amazing.  We passed about 40-50 people on the trail on the way up/down, so I can only imagine how busy it gets on the weekends. Had I been climbing alone I would have likely chose a slightly slower pace, but that being said, I would highly reccomend this hike to anyone!

Yesterday I gave into the pressure to do Mt Si at least once in my lifetime as I had previously avoided it due to crowds.  On the way up, I came up with the mantra: "do or die: climb Mt Si" which I thought was kinda catchy...good enough for a bumper sticker?  Just kidding, it wasn't quite as much as a "thigh burner" as I had anticipated, but more of an aerobic workout which is why so many people use it for conditioning.  My time for the way up was about one hour forty minutes, but that doesn't include time spent climbing around on the rocks.

There were quite a few cars in the lot at 6:40am and though the size of the parking lot is a good indicator, I wasn't prepared to meet as many people as I did on the way down as the lot was overflowing on my return and I saw a new face every few minutes.  With that in mind, prepare to be friendly.  If you're not, then you should go somewhere else or start much earlier as we all need to share the trail...especially with this many people about.  I was actually expecting to see litter and destruction due to the traffic, but was pleased to see little of either aside from the spurs that veer away from the main trail. 

All in all, I say this was a good hike though not exceptional for the reasons previously listed in other reviews.

My wife and I just did this hike for the first time Easter Sunday 2007. we weren't quite physically ready for an eight mile trip but we didn't let that stop us. our poor old 13 year old dog had a hard time the last 2 miles on the way down. i think her limit is 5 miles or less.

we loved this hike. although there really wasn't a lot to see and the morning clouds blocked most all other views until the summit but it was a great workout for us. we loved the landscape and trees. on the day we went the weather was wonderful (once the clouds burned off) and we had a nice time at the top (base of Haystack) we didn't climb Haystack due to our ol puppy but we'll definitely do it next time later this summer.

the trail was definitely busy. we would recommend getting an early start if you want to avoid the crowds. start at 7am or sooner.

Even though the reports say a rocky trail it is easy to hike and not too rocky - except at the top. I saw about 100 people & 50 dogs. No mud, no dust. no bugs, no water so bring plenty. It took me 2:20 up & 2:00 down. Nice sunny east facing trail. Cool and windy at top with moving fog obscuring the view at times. Good workout, but watch for those who will RUN past you either up or down. Only 30 minutes from Bellevue.

Mt. Si is known for being crowded, and it lived up to it's reputation today.  Mt. Si is a nice hike for families and people fairly new to hiking, becuase the trail is very well maintained and there are lots of other hikers around.  But keep in mind that the trail is somewhat steep.  The scramble up the haystack at the peak is fun, but does require some caution.  The view from the top is nice, but you wont find any solitude up there.  Although many people dont want to do Si becuase it has a reputation as being crowded, it is still worth the hike.

today is one of those perfect hiking days in seattle.  gorgeous view of mt rainier from the top of mt si.  the sky is so blue, you can see for miles and miles!  the trail is in great condition.  going up was tough, i got tired after mile 3 and really had to push myself the last mile up, it took me 1.5 hours.  coming down was easy, although i encountered 30 some people going up on my way down.  very popular even on a tuesday morning.  it took 1 hour and 10 minutes to get down and my knees didn't scream as much as i thought they would.

It's definitely not for "sissies"!!! The view is spectaculor but what a "price" one must pay! I loved the ways that the birds would eat right out of your hand! I dreaded the return trip because it's almost "anti-climatic". But one must bite the bullet and head South! Afterall this hike has been on my "to-do-list" for 24 years. I can check it off the list. Another one of lives journeys! The best part is that I did it with one of my best friends. A great trip! A great view! What more could a guy ask for?

I awoke wanting to do a hike on Sunday 3rd July 2005 - problem is Mt Si get's busy - so I took an alternate route by starting at Little Si and taking a turn off part of the way up. Little Si was busy but I only had to travel the first steep bit, then I saw no other person on a Sunday morning until I kicked back onto the main Si trail with 150 yards to go. The alternate (old route) is more challenging than the main route - it's less travelled and I go up most of the way on my toes, coming down is hard and my feet regularly pound the front of my boots and my knees are worthless for a day after (I'm 39 short and fat) - but it's under 2 hours up and 1 1/2 down if you keep a good pace. Nobody seems to do this trail so don't tell anyone about it.

This is a good hike to get your legs in shape for the summer hiking season, but not for a bit of solitude in the woods. I arrived at around noon on Wendsday, July 15 and observed 30 cars at the trail head. The trip took me about four hours round trip including a nice chat with a woman who knew a lot about birds at the base of the stack and a nice respite for snackn's at the top. All in all it was a nice slog, but I don't think I'll be in any hurry to do it again.

OK, I gave into the social pressure to do this hike. I didn't get the payoff view at the top because it was cloudy. The rock formations in the mist were very interesting though. When I figured out where the Haystack was in the fog I climbed it and it started drizzling halfway up to the top. It started raining harder when I got to the top. The descent was in and about little waterfalls running down the rock face. This had me questioning my sense of judgement, but I didn't want to hike Mt. Si again just to climb the Haystack. I was amazed at how crowded the trail was for a cloudy, rainy Monday. I saw all sorts of people. One guy was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. I'm sure it's more worth it on a clear day. Onward to other hikes. GPS Coordinates for those who care. Trail Head N 47 29.268' W 121 43.388' End N 47 30.302' W 121 44.386' Haystack N 47 30.420' W 121 44.349'

First of all those who are looking for a vast outlook and view of surrounding area dont go on this hike. Very steep and challenging. I felt the dense forest and steep rock formations made for a very scenic trip. I agree that the switch backs are tedious, however the trip is all but dull. The rock formations alone made the trip worth while. I haven't gone up Mt Si, but I did go up little Si. Very small parking lot on the left side. The trail starts steep and doesnt let up at all. About 1-1.5 miles into the hile you can follow the signs to the left or follow a path to your right. My friends and I took the right path which started down and quickly started back up. Not much for viewing off of the Mt. , but exciting none the less.

I headed out planning to climb Little Si, found the parking lot full, and so headed on to Mt. Si. It was a little more strenuous than I'd planned on but turned out to be enjoyable enough with my dog. There were certainly a fair number of people out, but given it was a nice Saturday in April, that's to be expected. My only real gripe with this trail is that there really wasn't anything worth seeing until the top. The "Haystack", a big rock pile, looked awesome and I'd like to return and climb it some day, but wimped out today.

This hike is not easy, mainly because it is quite boring. The length isnt too bad, but the constant switch backs and lack of view makes for a dull hike. There are no scenic views until you almost reach the top. Its a great place for training and the friendly critters at the top are always amusing. Mt Si is over rated unless you are using it for a training work out.

It is a fun hike for any fit person. I hiked up it with my friends a while back and made it up in 1 hour 20 mins. I was awful proud of myself... The hike seems easy at first until you get into the steep grade and the switchbacks which get to be boring, but it is worth it when you get to the top. A good view. Don't forget to bring plenty of water, and some food for when you get to the top. Coming down is hard on the knees for anyone, and i recomend taking it easy. Overall, a challenging hike that is worth the view.

I've hiked this twice, most recently with my 12-year-old niece who is an avid and experienced hiker for her age. I would suggest that those hiking with children not attempt to summit, but agree in advance to do a turn-around after about 1.5 miles up where there is a well put together exhibit about fallen trees.(Or, alternately, climb "Little Si" nearby). The forest is lovely, but it can be dull after a couple of hours. The trails are in very good condition, but get very steep and heavy in switchacks the higher you climb.

This is a fun hike to do with a group of reasonably fit people. The keys are bring 2 liters of water for each person and make sure everyone has something to eat. A good conversation makes trekking through the not-so-scenic forest much more enjoyable. The trails are in impeccable shape compared to most other places. If it's your first time up, set aside 6 hours to enjoy the scramble up the haystack (again better with more people), just don't do it if it looks like rain is coming.

I did this hike on 7/25/04. I'm a 37 year old male in good physical condition. I made it to the top in 2.5 hours with another 15 minutes of scrambling up the Haystack Scramble to the summit. The Haystack requires a lot of caution. I couldn't go up right away because a hiker coming down the cliff was having trouble. However, the view is well worth it. Just be cautious. Take a lunch and eat it at the top. Coming down, my knees were hurting before I even went a mile. I would definitely recommend trekking poles. I took it easy and was down in 2 hours. I was well hydrated when I started the hike. During the hike, I consumed about 2 liters of water. This is a good hike if you want to gain elevation and be rewarded with a great view at the end. I was able to take some great photos at the summit. This is also a good hike for a hot day. During most of the trip, you are in forest cover.

Mt Si is an "easy" hike in terms of hours spent, but in terms of elevation gain it is fine. If you have knee problems, take knee belts, because coming down is strenulous for the knees. For me and my husband, the hike took about 3 hours to reach the top, and about 2 to go back. The 8 hours in the 100 Hikes in Alpine Lakes we aren't really faithfull. The views are good only at the top, so the climbing&return trip are kind of dull. If you like to walk in a forest, away from the sun, though, do try this hike. The forest is beautiful, with mos al over the trees at times, and with strange vampire trees (with roots in a fallen tree's decomposing trunk), which are fun.