A cloudy day doesn't deter PNW hikers!  Arrived at maybe 8:15 and the parking lot was half full, definitely full when I got back down noonish.  The bathrooms are closed so they have portapotties, and for those taking late afternoon hikes, they lock the gate to the parking lot at 8pm.

It was my first time here - lovely hike, tons of flowers and the falls are gorgeous.  After the first mile or two the trail is super rocky and steeper than I expected.  Lots of switchbacks!  Just a reminder to me that I should get more cardio during the week so I'm not wiped out on weekend hikes ;-)  I broke out the poles for the way down (and for the crossing of the falls), didn't need them on the way up. 

A great way to spend a June morning!

Four of us took my dog to Teneriffe Falls on a foggy Sunday morning along with half of Seattle. The lot was 3/4 full at 8:40 when we started up and full at noon when we returned. Our route took us up the usual route to Teneriffe Falls and down the Connector for better footing. I LOVE that newly built trail that bypasses most of the worst rocks.

Be aware that when Portapotties are serviced on Saturday there will usually NOT BE TP on Sunday. This trailhead is being loved and visited by many; bring your own or plan to go without. Fortunately, despite the number of dogs we saw, I found ZERO poop bags or offending trash bits to carry down. Well done, hikers.

The foxgloves are out in force, along with a few slugs; we only heard 11 bird species, perhaps due to the number of people using the trails or our own steady stream of conversation. The only people who weren't as courteous about sharing the trail with everyone were a handful of trail runners.

Such lovely dogs, all well-behaved and all on leash. Getting off the trail to let upward-bound hikers have the right-of-way can be a challenge in spots, but for the most part the trail is in wonderful shape.

All in all, we had great conversation and a fun-filled hike with old friends, made atmospheric with the fog and dew droplets. While a few ferns looked brown and dried out, the recent rains have re-invigorated the mosses. We SO needed the precipitation.

This was an exploratory hike on the trails east of the Teneriffe Falls Trail on the lower slopes of Mount Teneriffe. I parked near the school bus turnaround off the SE Mt. Si Road by the DNR blue gate. There is a kiosk with hiking info for going up the Mt. Teneriffe Trail on the old road. The road is only drivable a short distance to a large cement concrete water tank. The trail I hiked up takes off by the water tank. I was soon on an old road, now just a trail. The trail goes up hill, steep in a couple of places and comes out on to another old DNR road. I turned left and continued up hill on a moderate grade. The road is now only a trail. I went by a hill side covered in small flowers. I then came to a three-way junction, so I went left and was at the top of a steep hillside. I met a couple with three dogs who live in the area, so know the trails. I used my Gaia map to find my way around the area, as there are many trail junctions. You can do several different loops. The trails are not shown on the Green Trails for Mt. Si NRCA Map 206S, just the old DNR road.

From one of the loop trails, I took a side trail out to a viewpoint where I could see Mailbox Peak and McClellan Butte. I had fun looping around the different trails as I hiked the area. I could see some people getting lost if they don't have some navigation skills. All of the trails are on DNR land and have been there for many years. They had a good surface to hike on, not rocky or rooty. Some had been brushed and any fallen trees cut out. Made for a good day of hiking on some "new" trails for me, even after 72 years of hiking. I started at age 4. Did not see any wildlife, but there were a few flowers blooming.

I came back out on the Teneriffe Falls Trail about 1/4 mile from where it meets up with the Mt. Teneriffe Trail. There are two unsigned junctions for the loop trails I hiked that join the Teneriffe Falls Trail. I then hiked back down to the DNR blue gate near the school bus turn around where I had parked. No crowds on these trails. Another great day of hiking. George

Parking lot had plenty of spaces around 8 this morning. Trail in good shape, with some fabulous foxglove in bloom on the early scree slope, plus other wildflowers along the way. There’s one tree trunk across the trail near the falls at the top, but it’s easy to step over. Back at the lot around 12:15 pm there were a couple spots left. Not as crowded as I’d have expected on such a beautiful day.