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I am fortunate enough to be traveling to Seattle on business in about 3 weeks time. I will have an extra 1.5 days and was looking for suggestions to get out into the hills. A challenging hike or a moderate (Grade I-II) Alpine climb (preferred) that is within the prescribed driving distance and could be completed in 4-8 hours is what I am looking for. I really haven't been on anything in WA, so I am wide open for suggestions. Thanks.

sahale, on second thought, it may take more than 8 hours. Maybe Si

triyoda wrote:I am fortunate enough to be traveling to Seattle on business in about 3 weeks time. I will have an extra 1.5 days and was looking for suggestions to get out into the hills. A challenging hike or a moderate (Grade I-II) Alpine climb (preferred) that is within the prescribed driving distance and could be completed in 4-8 hours is what I am looking for. I really haven't been on anything in WA, so I am wide open for suggestions. Thanks.

There is an entire lifetime of climbing within 2-3 hours of seattle.

http://books.google.com/books?id=-ukAUE ... &q&f=false you can preview several pages or buy the book. Also, if you swing by The Mountaineers HQ on Sand Point Way, they have a few freshly printed copies of "75 Scrambles in Washington" which has a nice range of things that ought to satisfy you.

Sahale looks a nice challenge. Is it within a 3 hour drive of Seattle?

triyoda wrote:Sahale looks a nice challenge. Is it within a 3 hour drive of Seattle?

If, as you say, you don't have any experience in the Washington Cascades, you should know that these mountains get a heavier snowpack than any other range in the continental US, and will still be very snowbound at the end of May. This will affect what you can accomplish within your own guidelines.

Sahale is a great destination, and normally it is within a three hour drive of Seattle. But if you're coming to Seattle at the end of May, I don't know if the Cascade River Road will be open all the way to the end. It might have been last year that it was heavily damaged. Whatever you do, contact the closest US Forest Service Ranger Station to find out road conditions. For Sahale, even if you can get to the road end, the entire route will be on snow and will take you more than 8 hours. It is, after all, 5200 feet elevation gain.

If you're coming at the end of May, I'd check out the Teanaway area in the Eastern Cascades. It melts out earlier, and it is about a 2-2.5 hour drive from Seattle. For an 8-hour excursion, there are many scramble peaks such as Hawkins Mtn. or South Ingalls Peak, Navaho, or Esmeralda Peaks. Stuart, also in the Teanaway area, is one of the great peaks of Washington, but unless you're very fit, it will be more than an 8-hour trip.

Cascade river road may still be gated but it wont have any snow on it. It has not had any snow on it since late march. I would be very surprised if it is not open all the way to the trailhead by then. Most trail heads are free of snow already. This was a very low snow year.

Use this site for road conditions: Road Conditions & Closures

Latest conditions on Cascade River Road from the NPS: Open to milepost 21 (2 miles from end of road).

Snow
NOTICE: Open to mile post 21. About 2 miles before the end of the road, Cascade Pass Trailhead.

This is a Skagit County Road - contact Skagit County Public Works at 360-336-9400 or at pw@co.skagit.wa.us.

We did indeed have a very warm and snowfree winter, but the spring has been hard, and snowpack is anywhere from 80-120% of normal. As of today, Stevens Pass has had nearly 2 feet of new snow in the past 48 hours, and even Snoqualmie Pass got hit hard last night.