On our last weekend stay at Snoqualmie Pass we spent some time in nearby Suncadia. If you like Sun River, Oregon - but find that too far, Suncadia may be the place for you. There are a lot of similarities.
This is the lodge - my what a place and what a view.
Karen Sykes of the Seattle P I calls Bandera Mountain one of the most popular hikes in the region.
In early July it is one of the few snow-free trails in the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest.Karen writes about Bandera here.
The hike can lead you to Mason Lake.
Take Interstate 90 east and get off at Exit 45 (Road No. 9030). At the stop sign, turn left, go under the freeway to Forest Service Road No. 9030. Drive about a half-mile to a road junction and continue straight about three miles on Road No. 9031 to trailhead parking and facilities, elevation about 2,300 feet. Allow about an hour drive time from Seattle. A Northwest Forest Pass is required.
Some photos from Flickr to entice you: by grliepixie
Karen Sykes writes special to the Seattle P I. As I said, it’s summertime and the hiking is popular at Snoqualmie Pass.
from Karen’s article: Four of us squeezed into Bob’s car and headed over Snoqualmie Pass in November-like weather. It felt like winter when we stopped at the Cle Elum ranger station for an update on the Jungle Creek Road….
…….there is hope for hikers tired of the snow. Most of the snow should be gone within a couple of weeks of good weather, at least in the Teanaway. Then experienced hikers with route-finding skills can study the map for loops, obscure summits and one-way hikes with a car shuttle; there are options aplenty.
click here for the P I website and the article on “Hiking In The Teanway With Summer Weather”.
Getting there — From Seattle drive east on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass to Exit 85, east of Cle Elum. Cross over the freeway overpass and turn right onto state Route 970 (north). Continue about five miles and turn left onto Teanaway River Road and continue until the pavement ends (about 13 miles) at 29 Pines Campground. Turn left just beyond the campground on Road 9701 (Jungle Creek Road) and continue to the Way Creek trailhead at 3,600 feet (no facilities). If the slump before the Jungle Creek trailhead concerns you, park beside the road and continue on foot to the trailhead. From the slump it is about a half-mile to the Jungle Creek trailhead (3,000 feet) and 2 miles to the Way Creek trailhead at 3,600 feet (there is 600 feet of elevation gain between the trailheads).
How about scenery? Sure. How about a 100 mile race? Sure. You name it, you got it.
How about a 100 mile relay race? Sure. Snoqualmie pass has it all.
About 15 athletes from Sammamish are scheduled to compete Sunday morning in one of the fastest-growing athletic events in Washington.
The Mountains to Sound Relay is a 3-year-old race that combines biking, running and rowing into a 100-mile jaunt. The event is part of the annual Greenway Days festival. Learn more by clicking to the Sammamish Review.
It will begin at Snoqualmie Pass at 8 a.m. June 25th and end at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle later that day.
From Snoqualmie Pass, the mountain bikes go to Rattlesnake Lake.
From there, road bikes travel through North Bend and Fall City, just north of Sammamish, through Marymoor Park and finally to Redmond.
The rowing portion begins with a paddle through Sammamish Slough, before the marathon gets the hand-off in Kenmore.
The final six miles are from Gas Works Park in Seattle to Golden Gardens Park. The winners typically finish the race in about six hours.
photo courtesy of Flickr and p1ggyw1g.
