Granite Mountain WA

May 14th, 2023

We are the Mountain Goats, and today we climbed Granite Mountain. 

This is my second time climbing Granite, and I always find it an enjoyable training hike. The start of the trial is pretty straightforward as you zigzag through the lower forests. At around 4000 feet, you hit snow, which is by far the worst part of the trail. The snow here is extremely patchy, and the forest doesn't help. Luckily, all the snow should be gone by next week. This is the only spot where I would recommend microspikes, as parts of the trail can be extremely slick. With that being said, I was completely fine with just my trail runners. After 30-45 minutes of this terrain, you break out into the open and take the straight shot to the summit.

Up on the snow

Summit into view

Ranier

The snow above the trees is great, and there's a pounded-down boot path to the summit. It took us just under 2 and a half hours to get to the summit, and that was going at a reasonably slow pace. The views from the summit were stunning, with sprawling views of the surrounding mountains and Mt. Rainier. Coming down was much easier than I anticipated; I was just able to run down the snowy part, and I was back to the trailhead in around 1:15. Overall, this is a great training hike, and it will be even better when the patchy snow in the woods melts out! 

View of I-90 Corridor

Summit

Final stats: 6.42 miles, 3618' elevation gain, and 4:30 total time