Hiking in Seattle’s Backyard

West Tiger 3
6 miles, 2100 ft elevation gain

I’ve done a lot of hiking over the last two years, but people are often surprised to hear that I haven’t done the popular hikes closer to Seattle, like Rattlesnake Ridge, Mount Si, and until this weekend, Tiger Mountain. Instead, I’ll drive an hour or more to go hike elsewhere.

Why? Mainly because what I get to see is more spectacular when I hike in the Cascades, and the hikes closer to Seattle tend to be extremely crowded due to their convenience.

But this time, Mike and I wanted to take a hike before going to the Seattle International Beerfest, and all the hikes I’d normally consider were buried in snow except one in Eastern Washington. So we went for the most popular hike on Tiger Mountain, West Tiger 3 – a short but challenging hike to one of the three summits of West Tiger Mountain.

The convenience of hiking close to home can’t be denied. As you can see from the map above, West Tiger is just minutes away from Seattle’s East side suburbs. A short drive + a short hike = time to do other things that day. It was a quick 1.5 hours up to the summit and about 1 hour coming down, with stops.

 

Most of this hike is in lush, green woods, and the shade and the well-maintained trail make the elevation gain easier. It’s not an easy hike, though… it’s the same amount of elevation I gain on my other hikes. A bit after mile 2, it opens up to sun and mountain views. It was pretty at the top, and I was happy that there wasn’t too many buildings visible in the panoramic view. But I still prefer seeing a lake at the end. :) This trail would probably also be more scenic in a few weeks as more flowers bloom.

Well, that was a good warm up hike for the season. Now I’m ready to see some alpine lakes! Hopefully the warm weather will stay and melt away all the snow in the mountains.

~N