This is my fourth attempt to go up Sauk- and I hope five will be the charm because we ended up turning around. First, didnt plan for snow. Rookie mistake. We stopped the car about a mile from the trailhead as snow was coming down pretty hard. We hiked to the trailhead and then started the trail. The trail is not in forest- it’s like a field (of snow). And its zig zags up a steep field. With the fresh snow and no poles, I decided I would rather come back better prepared than to take my chances slipping in snow and falling down that steep mountainside. When I come back I’ll have a lighter pack, poles, & spikes. It was absolutely gorgeous and no regrets. Until next time, Sauk!

I hiked Sauk Mountain on Sunday with my adult son. This was my 3rd hike up, over many years. The road is in pretty bad condition with many deep potholes. The trail is generally about 2 feet wide and requires constant attention. Passing oncoming hikes requires some cooperation.  Poles give some comfort. The view at the top was beautiful despite some smoke haze. We could see the Sea! I need to mention dogs off leash. A large dog a switchback ahead ran wildly in circles, down a shortcut and up the trail. We had to just stop to let those hikers get well ahead of us. This is not just a park for walking your dogs. Please leash your dog for the safety of all of us.

I read of the hiker's death on Saturday. On Sunday, no one expressed awareness of the fall. My sympathy to his family and friends.

You definitely want a car with 4WD or AWD preferably with a higher clearance for the road as well as solid hiking boots and probably trekking poles for the trail as well as a leash for your four legged companions. We arrived pretty early around 0830 the last quarter mile or so of road was definitely rough which my husband decided was the perfect excuse to try out the 4L setting on the bronco. Trail was pretty solid, there are a lot of “shortcuts” that make the actual trail extra narrow in places. My husband was carrying the baby in a front pack (switched to backpack on the way down) and used trekking poles for the first time ever but was glad he had them pretty early in in the hike. I had our 95lb mountain dog leashed around my waist with the baby essentials in her saddlebags. The trail being extra narrow did cause her to start to slide in one spot. Her hind legs went just over the edge of the trail. Thankfully she just dug in instead of panicking and I was able to grab the handle on her harness and give her a boost. There were a couple unleashed dogs including a dog reactive one that were coming down as we were headed up. That was not a fun experience for us as our dog is very non reactive but it was a narrow trail and having an unleashed dog growling and snarling at you while his owner loses their grip on his harness is a bit anxiety producing. Our dog handled the trail pretty easily but the super rocky part near the top was more of a challenge for her. Trail was otherwise gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to look at the cascades as we hiked.

This trail offers a wonderful way to reach a mountaintop and take in some truly beautiful views. However, I was hiking here on the day of the most recent fatality, and I heard the hiker’s shout as he fell. It was a deeply unsettling experience.

What struck me most was how easy it is to assume that if someone slips, they’ll simply land on a lower switchback. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The slopes beneath the trail are steep, loose, and unforgiving. A simple misstep or trip—even while staying on the designated trail—can lead to a serious, unrecoverable fall.

The current emphasis on "not cutting the switchbacks" is important for trail preservation, but it might unintentionally downplay the real risk: that a fall can happen even if you're doing everything right.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from hiking Sauk Mountain—it's a special place—but I do believe it’s important to clearly communicate the potential hazards.

This trail may appear beginner-friendly at first glance, but conditions can be much more hazardous than expected. Proper footwear with good traction and trekking poles are highly recommended for added stability.

Thank you, WTA, for all the hard work you do to maintain our trails and educate the public. I hope this feedback is helpful and might support efforts to inform future hikers more clearly—potentially helping to prevent future accidents.

⚠️ SAUK MOUNTAIN — DANGER

This is the most dangerous hiking trail in the PNW.

Three hikers have now died falling from the switchbacks:
• July 11, 2017: 69-year-old woman
• July 18, 2018: 71-year-old woman
• Sept 27, 2025: 63-year-old man

PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL.
• Stay on the built trail. Do NOT cut switchbacks or tolerate anyone else doing so.
• Shortcutting has severely eroded the maintained trail at the top of the shortcuts and can contribute to a fatal fall.
• Keep children close; leash dogs; yield carefully before/after narrow trail sections.

When we arrived at the trailhead, two hikers arriving back reported that they had heard the yelling from a serious accident above them, called 911 and confirmed that 911 was on the phone with the people at the scene, and pointed out to us where we could see the people at the scene on the exposed switchbacks.

We gathered a few things and hiked quickly up to the scene. Bystanders were performing CPR on a 63 year old man who had fallen off one the switchbacks and tumbled hundreds of feet to just above another part of the trail.

After paramedics arrived and attempted resuscitation with their equipment, and after getting the 3 youth in his group headed down to their van with one of the adults from the group, EMS declared it to have been a fatality.

We walked the other adult member of the group, and the bystander who had performed the CPR chest compressions the entire time we were there, back to the trailhead. We then hiked back up to attempt to find the patient’s pack, but did not find one visible from anywhere on the trail above or below the scene.