Summary. Very enjoyable hike with a little of everything. Starts out steady and then hits hard with the incline. The trail is well maintained for the first ~3 miles, then becomes quite technical and overgrown.
Numbers.
- 9.11 miles of roundtrip distance.
- 2,068 feet of elevation gain up-and-down.
- 1,491 and 3,005 feet above sea level at the lowest & highest altitudes, respectively.
- 21 minutes and 4 seconds per mile average moving pace.
- 4 hours of elapsed time, 3 hours and 12 minutes of those moving.
Getting there. The drive to Spada Lake was fine. The dirt road heading up was well maintained. There is lots of parking at the trailhead and two portable toilets.
The hike. The first two miles over former Forest Road were relatively flat and well-maintained. There are lots of picnic spots in this section that are perfect for those not too into hiking. Decent amount of wildflowers can be spotted through this section.
Shortly after you pass the old trailhead markers, the incline becomes unrelenting. The trail transitions to very challenging terrain: roots, boulders, and downed trees.
The brush takes over the trail entirely past Little Greider Lake. Lucky me, there were plenty of ripe huckleberries inches from my face.
I only saw six other people on the hike. It was awesome.
Land acknowledgement. Every place and each person are shaped by the history that has led to this very moment. I visited the cultural and ancestral lands of the Snoqualmie and Skykomish tribes. I share gratitude for their stewardship, their resilience, and the land itself.
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