Dundeel - Jun 3, 2018 8:30 am Date Climbed: Jun 2, 2018
West side historical trail
Came in via an abandoned trail that starts at the Ole Creek spur off of L1000. The trail passes through beautiful mature forests but is sometimes difficult to follow. Not recommended for the inexperienced.
Growing up in this area, I've been up Mt. Mitchell a few times. The meadows below the summit have some pretty good beargrass blooms, and the views from the top are outstanding.
Great views of St. Helens' rarely seen south side. Went a little too early in 2008 season. Lots of side climbing so I recommend waiting until the snow melts a bit
My in-laws have a cabin just a few miles from Mitchell so I hike up it on a regular basis. The views from the top are great and huckleberries are prolific in early September.
Did this one a couple of times. First time we had some snow toward the top of the trail, but not too much. Views were awesome. I scrambled around on some of the rocks at the summit... it was fun. Second time we went too early and had no views. This trail is a good, fairly easy hike with some amazing views if you go on a clear day.
BSPclimber - May 10, 2007 3:29 pm Date Climbed: May 9, 2007
Success
My son and I started at 5:45 pm...summited at 7, stayed on top for 30 minutes and got down in just under an hour, getting back to the car right at sunset. Almost no snow on the trail, just brief patches right before the beargrass meadow. Hard to beat the view at the top, and there are plenty of places for a nice quick scramble up there too. I recommend this mountain for anyone in the area looking for a fun hike with great views.
BSPclimber - Mar 17, 2007 5:26 pm Date Climbed: Mar 16, 2007
Mt. Mitchell trail
Beautiful day. Turned around at 3200 feet due to a combination of postholing and forgetting my gaiters, which equals cold, wet feet. Looks like this would be a great May hike, will be back to summit then.
mountaingazelle - Jun 18, 2006 6:32 pm Date Climbed: Jun 11, 2006
Mount Mitchell Trail
This is an under-rated mountain. It starts off from an old logging road. I saw two young does at the beginning of the trail. It climbs through the forest and the views open up near the top. Mount St. Helens is so close by and the view is great. I could see four cascade volcanoes from the summit.
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell Trail Date Climbed: September 06, 2004
I did this hike thinking it was a lesser known peak. I saw about 30 people and 8 dogs on the trail. So much for escaping the Labor Day crowds. None the less it was a good hike with excellent views. while sitting on top, I saw a plane circle below me which was kind of neat considering it is such a small mountain. A hunter I met up with near the trailhead told me there had been a newspaper story about this hike, which would certainly explain the crowds.
Route Climbed: North side trail Date Climbed: July 17th, 2004
Hot and humid today but still a great hike up this under-appreciated peak. The many rock outcrops at the summit make this a great spot from which to highlight pics of the distant cascade volcanoes.
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell Trail Date Climbed: June 20, 2004
Well, this day did not go as planned. Started out going to go hike up Mt. Margaret and Mt. Whittier north of St. Helens to get a view inside the breach. Turns out the road to the trailhead (Road 99) is still closed with snow. The north road was blocked by a washout several miles north of the trailhead as well.
So, my backup plan was to hike in that north road (Road 26) and find the trail up Strawberry Mountain. This was thwarted by logging operations only a couple miles in. I talked to the crew for a bit and they allowed me to pass underneath a high cable that was pulling tree trunks up the mountain. Hiked up the road and then an old logging road a couple miles but when the road started descending I turned back. Turns out I should have gone on a short distance and I should have been on the trail to the summit.
So, back at my truck I went to backup plan #3, pulled out Sullivan's book and picked out something on the drive back home. Got to the trailhead of Mitchell about 2 and summitted about 3:30. Chatted a while with some Vancoverans (Vancouverites? Vancouverians? Couvies?) on the summit about Katahdin, someone had a friend doing Everest, William Sullivan's books, etc. I scrambled out onto the other peaks for some photos and then headed back with only 2900 total feet of elevation gain for the day. Was trying to get in at least 4000 for a hopeful attempt on Shuksan this coming weekend. Oh well, sometimes it just works out this way. There were excellent views though and the steep first part of this trail was a decent short workout.
Dundeel - Jun 3, 2018 8:30 am Date Climbed: Jun 2, 2018
West side historical trailCame in via an abandoned trail that starts at the Ole Creek spur off of L1000. The trail passes through beautiful mature forests but is sometimes difficult to follow. Not recommended for the inexperienced.
Tnarg - Jul 7, 2017 11:53 am
Great ViewsGrowing up in this area, I've been up Mt. Mitchell a few times. The meadows below the summit have some pretty good beargrass blooms, and the views from the top are outstanding.
Trevin Ziegler - May 29, 2009 7:59 pm
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell TrailGreat views of St. Helens' rarely seen south side. Went a little too early in 2008 season. Lots of side climbing so I recommend waiting until the snow melts a bit
BCJ - Aug 31, 2008 5:14 am
Regular visitorMy in-laws have a cabin just a few miles from Mitchell so I hike up it on a regular basis. The views from the top are great and huckleberries are prolific in early September.
awilsondc - Jul 19, 2007 11:17 pm Date Climbed: Apr 29, 2007
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell TrailDid this one a couple of times. First time we had some snow toward the top of the trail, but not too much. Views were awesome. I scrambled around on some of the rocks at the summit... it was fun. Second time we went too early and had no views. This trail is a good, fairly easy hike with some amazing views if you go on a clear day.
BSPclimber - May 10, 2007 3:29 pm Date Climbed: May 9, 2007
SuccessMy son and I started at 5:45 pm...summited at 7, stayed on top for 30 minutes and got down in just under an hour, getting back to the car right at sunset. Almost no snow on the trail, just brief patches right before the beargrass meadow. Hard to beat the view at the top, and there are plenty of places for a nice quick scramble up there too. I recommend this mountain for anyone in the area looking for a fun hike with great views.
BSPclimber - Mar 17, 2007 5:26 pm Date Climbed: Mar 16, 2007
Mt. Mitchell trailBeautiful day. Turned around at 3200 feet due to a combination of postholing and forgetting my gaiters, which equals cold, wet feet. Looks like this would be a great May hike, will be back to summit then.
mountaingazelle - Jun 18, 2006 6:32 pm Date Climbed: Jun 11, 2006
Mount Mitchell TrailThis is an under-rated mountain. It starts off from an old logging road. I saw two young does at the beginning of the trail. It climbs through the forest and the views open up near the top. Mount St. Helens is so close by and the view is great. I could see four cascade volcanoes from the summit.
cmc56789 - Sep 6, 2004 9:41 pm
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell Trail Date Climbed: September 06, 2004I did this hike thinking it was a lesser known peak. I saw about 30 people and 8 dogs on the trail. So much for escaping the Labor Day crowds. None the less it was a good hike with excellent views. while sitting on top, I saw a plane circle below me which was kind of neat considering it is such a small mountain. A hunter I met up with near the trailhead told me there had been a newspaper story about this hike, which would certainly explain the crowds.
Don Nelsen - Jul 19, 2004 6:42 pm
Route Climbed: North side trail Date Climbed: July 17th, 2004Hot and humid today but still a great hike up this under-appreciated peak. The many rock outcrops at the summit make this a great spot from which to highlight pics of the distant cascade volcanoes.
Brian Jenkins - Jun 22, 2004 12:01 am
Route Climbed: Mount Mitchell Trail Date Climbed: June 20, 2004Well, this day did not go as planned. Started out going to go hike up Mt. Margaret and Mt. Whittier north of St. Helens to get a view inside the breach. Turns out the road to the trailhead (Road 99) is still closed with snow. The north road was blocked by a washout several miles north of the trailhead as well.
So, my backup plan was to hike in that north road (Road 26) and find the trail up Strawberry Mountain. This was thwarted by logging operations only a couple miles in. I talked to the crew for a bit and they allowed me to pass underneath a high cable that was pulling tree trunks up the mountain. Hiked up the road and then an old logging road a couple miles but when the road started descending I turned back. Turns out I should have gone on a short distance and I should have been on the trail to the summit.
So, back at my truck I went to backup plan #3, pulled out Sullivan's book and picked out something on the drive back home. Got to the trailhead of Mitchell about 2 and summitted about 3:30. Chatted a while with some Vancoverans (Vancouverites? Vancouverians? Couvies?) on the summit about Katahdin, someone had a friend doing Everest, William Sullivan's books, etc. I scrambled out onto the other peaks for some photos and then headed back with only 2900 total feet of elevation gain for the day. Was trying to get in at least 4000 for a hopeful attempt on Shuksan this coming weekend. Oh well, sometimes it just works out this way. There were excellent views though and the steep first part of this trail was a decent short workout.