I began my hike from the Preston Trail trailhead located on SE Preston Way just east of the WSDOT maintenance yard. You get off I-90 at Exit 22 for this hike. I parked on the gravel shoulder of the road across from the trailhead by a section of chain-link fence. No DNR parking lot or restroom for this trail. There is an old wooden sign for the trail behind the fence. The trail goes up to the PSE service road, and I hiked it west for about 1/2 mile. The first part of the road is rocky, but not as bad as it was the last time I hiked it 5 years ago. After passing by a wood fence and a building roof covered with 105 solar panels the road goes up a short steep section. At the top I took the PSE spur road turning sharply to the left to get to the Preston Trail. No trail sign located here. You pass by an old horse gate and a straw bale. The trail heads up the hill with five steps dug into the dirt.
Once I got into the forest on the Preston Trail I came to the first creek crossing. There used to be a log to walk across the creek, but it now has broken in half. This creek is an easy rock hop. Further up the trail I came to the one big tree across it. A large Western Hemlock had blown down and will need to be cut with a chainsaw. I then came to the seven short steep switchbacks that gets the trail up to the ridge line. I came to the first trail junction, left goes down to some private property and right is the Preston Trail. The next junction was for the unsigned Lower Bootleg Trail going left. A little further was the junction for the Dwright's Way Trail going right and the Preston Trail heading left uphill to West Tiger 1 at the Hikers Hut.
I hiked the Dwright's Way heading west. This trail was named after Dwight Riggs who laid out the trail for the IATC to connect the Preston Trail with the Lingering and High Point Trails. Even through the GT Tiger Mtn. map shows the same elevation on both end of the Dwright's Way Trail, it is not flat. This trail snakes through the forest and has many small ups and downs along the way. There are many creek crossings and small waterfalls to see.
After getting to the Lingering Trail, I took it south to meet up with the High Point Trail not too far from getting to the TMT. I then hiked the TMT a short distance to the Murats Bridge over High Point Creek. This bridge was built in 2015 and replaced on old wooden DNR bridge that got washed out in a storm.
I then started my hike back the way I had come. While on the Lingering Trail I spotted a woodpecker getting its lunch from an old rotten tree. I had my lunch back down at the Dwight's Way Trail junction with the Lingering. There are some logs here to use as a bench. After eating I hiked back to the trailhead. Only met five other hikers on my trip so no crowds on this side of Tiger Mtn. So, if you are tired of the conga line of hikers going up to West Tiger 3 or Poo Poo Point, try some of the many other trails on Tiger Mtn.
Keep on hikin', George
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