We turned it into a two-day adventure from Bellingham by first ascending Red Top Mountain Lookout above Cle Elum and spending the night at Snoqualmie Pass. The novelty of a decorated mailbox on top has added to its charm for western Washingtonians. The 4,000-foot climb has made Mailbox Peak an attraction for Seattleites, who can get here in about 40 minutes. The hike’s final mile or so offers expansive views of the surrounding mountains and valley. while we had low clouds on Saturday, you could still see Baker poking her head out through the clouds.Mark Bergsma of Bellingham carefully descends over the rock pile a half-mile below the summit of Mailbox Peak. It was pretty crowded, about 30 or so people at the summit,there was still room for pictures and finding a place to eat some lunch. pretty easy to follow the trail - from the boulders, you still have a steep 1/4 to 1/2 mile of trail to the summit - keep at it - you are almost there. Once you come to the old trail/ new trail junction the bolder field begins. even though you are tired, you still need to pay attention to the trail as there are some offshoots that can be mistaken and get you off trail if you're not paying attention. very few people on the trail, mostly encountering folks jogging down. The old trail is steep but still in pretty good condition. primarily due to inconsiderate hikers who will park anywhere and block you in. be careful when parking on the main road. Cars were stacking up on the road, a few spots left in the main lot. Went up on Saturday, found parking in the main lot pretty easy - arrived by 8:00am. got back to the cars at 9:30am and drove home again Turned around and hiked down, I would like to say that the video gives a very good description of the current conditions. At the base of the boulder field, I changed into my running gear and ran back to the trailhead via the new trail. I used Crampons at the summit they were not necessary, but they did help. Upon reaching the summit the wind was very very strong despite only calling for 5mph winds. There was a fair amount of snow that started about 1mile up the old trail. I kept a solid pace of about 2MPH and reached the top just after 8am. my plan was to hike up the old trail to the top and then back down the new trail that way it would be nicer on my knees. Started my hike at 6:15Am there was only one other car in the parking lot. The following is a detailed report of my experience in the trail, a video of the hike that will show more details and updates can be found here: The last 1/2 mile gains about 1000 ft altitude, and is a light scramble to the actual mailbox. The old and new trail meet approximately 1 mile from the peak. If you choose to hike the old trail, remember to follow the white diamonds (trees marked). The new trail is approximately 11 miles roundtrip. It is important to note that this adventure features the old Mailbox Peak Trail. Put your name or a memorable note in the Mailbox at the top, there is a designated hiker who collects everything in the Mailbox and places it in the King County Library Archive :) This is not an easy hike, it seems short but the elevation gain is 4200 ft of straight vertical trails. But once you break to the infamous Mailbox scramble the views of Rainier and the valley are UNREAL. The views and scenery along the way are few to none, mostly forest trekking. The register is contained – appropriately enough – in a mailbox someone installed at the top. The greatest reward is the joy of the effort itself and of digging deep within yourself to find the strength to conquer the mighty Mailbox and be able to place your name in the summit register. Take the turnoff to the trailhead on the right and continue a short distance to the parking lot. Follow SE Middle Fork Road 2.2 miles to the stop sign at the junction with SE Dorothy Lake Road. Head north on 468th Ave SE until the intersection with the SE Middle Fork Road. For the updated route, check out Hike Mailbox Peak New Trail. Note this adventure covers the old route. Once you make it to the summit, the view is simply incredible. Mailbox peak is an extremely tough 5.4 miles roundtrip.
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