In the legends of the Snoqualmie people, Mount Si was the body of the moon, fallen to earth through the trickery of the fox and the blue jay. The mountain more than lives up to this otherworldly tale.
To call Mount Si a popular trail is an understatement. It is hiked each year by upwards of 100,000 people. Its rugged beauty and its proximity to Seattle all but guarantee that the parking lot is overflowing on any nice (and many a not-so-nice) day.
Gaining 3,100 feet in a little under four miles, it falls in a kind of sweet spot for experienced and novice hikers alike: enough of a test for bragging rights, not so tough as to scare people away. In early spring, climbers getting ready for Rainier come here with weighted packs. Conventional wisdom says if they can reach the end of the trail in under two hours, they’re ready to conquer the state’s tallest peak.
