Palouse to Cascades Trail - Rattlesnake Lake, Palouse to Cascades Trail - The Tunnel & Palouse to Cascades Trail - Easton — Saturday, Sep. 17, 2016

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Note: this was a bikepacking trip on our cx bikes, not hiking. We set out from Snoqualmie on Saturday at about 4pm and rode up to Rattlesnake Lake to jump on the John Wayne/Iron Horse. The segment from the trailhead to the Snoqualmie tunnel is well graded, and you hardly feel like you're climbing. This was the best maintained segment for riding since it was more compact with less loose gravel, but it did make for wet conditions. We encountered a serious rainstorm on the way up, and by the time we got to the tunnel it was dark and were soaked through. Headlights came out for the tunnel and the rest of the ride. After getting through the tunnel we looped back up to the pass to get a cup of coffee, then descended the John Wayne down to the backcountry camp at Cold Creek. It was about 8:30pm at this point and the rain wasn't letting up. Our shelter was a bit flimsy and we endured a very wet night in the mud. The backcountry camp here is pretty nice, with 3 sites that I could see. Each was nicely leveled with good drainage (thankfully). The only downside to the camp was the incredibly smelly vault toilet facility. In the morning we awoke to find the rain had stopped and we continued east on the John Wayne. This stretch has much softer gravel and riding is a bit slower than on the west side of the pass. We rode until we reached Stampede Pass Road and took that up into the mountains. The loop off the John Wayne consisted of 3 pass climbs, including Tacoma and Stampede Passes and a loop from Lester back on FS 52. Great loop for riding with lots of climbing. After finishing the loop we jumped back on the John Wayne and rode it back to North Bend for a beer and food. The trail is in good condition for riding or hiking, and we saw more hikers than bikers overall. Great overnight bikepack that ultimately was a lot of suffering, but well worth enduring the rain and neverending pass climbing. Would do it again! Total trip was 111 miles, 7,500 feet of climbing.