Miles: 7.8 miles RT (for the off trail loop)
Elevation Gain/Highest: 3,072ft/4331ft
Map: Green Trails Bandera, WA 206 (partial), my GAIA, Caltopo
Favorite Eats After Hike: Garlic Crush, Agave Cocina, North Bend Bar & Grill, Chang Thai & Pho, The Commonwealth, Basecamp Books & Bites, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
12/15/2018 Have I mentioned that I love having friends who aren’t always about doing things the easy way? A scramble to Change Peak is a great alternative to the popular Mount Washington if you don’t mind a wee bit of route finding and bushwhacking through overgrown logging road and a wooded summit.
This route starts at the same parking lot as Mount Washington (marked for Ollalie State Park) and follows it for the first 2.17 miles to the junction with the Great Wall trail where you take a left. We were carrying both spikes and snowshoes anticipating snow but there never was enough to warrant either. There were views over to Mailbox and Mount Si and we imagined a conga line of hikers off in the distance. We, also, remarked how little snow there is for December and why did we think we would need our snowshoes still strapped to our backs?
We hiked along the Great Wall trail for about another mile turning at a few junctions until we came to a T where the trail seems to split and go around the base of Change Peak, around 3685 ft. Rather than take the long trail around to a ridge on the northeast side (left at the junction), we took the more western ridge straight up through the trees (and slide alder and thin, sharp branches). A couple more feet of snow really would have made this more pleasurable but alas, what fun would that be? You don’t have to do what we did and you can stay on the Great Wall trail around. We were heeding the moderate avalanche warning and avoiding the slope if we had continued to the other ridge although there probably was not enough snow to warrant it.
Another 550 ft in gain and we were pushing through the trees to reach the summit. Normally, I would not be excited about a wooded peak but the wind was sharp and they made for good cover. We stopped briefly to snack and confirm we would not be going back the way we came before heading out and down along the “real” trail that makes its way down on the southwest ridge and a wider, open logging road. It may be no surprise we hadn’t seen another soul by this point.
At the end of the extended summit the trail descended through a small talus field and continued along the ridge on a logging road that would eventually loop around and meet up with the original Mount Washington trail. Oh, but not us. At about .65 miles down from the summit, we left the road and made a direct line down to the trail, a roughly 440 feet descent in about a quarter mile. Spikes might have been helpful but we were stubborn and stuck with swinging from tree to tree (veggie belay). And maybe an occasional butt scoot to avoid a much worse slide.
We popped out at the Mount Washington trail with the help of our trusty navigator about a quarter mile from the junction with old trail and followed the signs back to the junction for the Great Wall and to the car for a total of close to 7.8 miles.
All in all, a fun day and better views then we had anticipated with the dismal forecast. And having only done this once, I think you can skip the off trail bits of you don’t mind following existing logging roads around in a much larger loop.
Check out the video for a play-by-play of our fun…
Directions: From Seattle drive east on I-90 to exit 38. Turn right, immediately crossing the South Fork Snoqualmie River, and take the first right turn into Ollalie State Park. Follow the gravel road to the end, parking near the bathrooms at the west end of the lot. Discover Pass needed.
For more hikes in this area, visit my I-90 page.
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