Total Ascent: 3000ft
Highest Point: 5784ft
Total Distance: 12.2 miles
Location: N 47° 27.1200, W 121° 22.7160
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Moderate
Most hikers familiar with Snoqualmie Pass seem to have heard of Kendall Katwalk. Guidebooks unfailingly include this popular section of the Pacific Crest Trail, usually conjuring images of a vertigo-inducing shimmy across an exposed cliff-face hundreds of feet in the air. It sounded fantastic. This week we finally took the opportunity to hike up to the Katwalk and experience it for ourselves.
Something about the obvious intrusion of man onto an almost fairy-tale landscape has attracted hikers and backpackers for decades. The trail to the Katwalk begins in the mixed fir and hemlock that quickly yield to thick patches of huckleberry and salmonberry flanking the path. The Katwalk ended up being a bit further than we anticipated and we met a lot of folks equally confused and wondering if they’d somehow missed the infamous Katwalk. Our advice: just keep following the trail – you will know when you reach the Katwalk. The views are great, though we highly recommend taking the time to scramble up Kendall Peak, where the panorama dwarfs what you can see from the Katwalk.
There's a lot more to Kendall Katwalk, and you can learn all about it in our book, Hiking Through History Washington. You'll find a trail map, route descriptions, history, and more for this and many more hikes throughout the State. Help support hikingwithmybrother.com and the work we do by picking up a copy! To get there, take Exit 52 off I-90 and take a left toward Alpental Road. Take a right onto a small spur road marked Pacific Crest Trail and follow to the parking lot. - Nathan
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4 Comments:
The trail is well maintained and in excellent condition. The road to the trailhead is paved, so access is easy. The trail hugs the eastern slope of the mountain, so you'll have plenty of shade if you start this hike early.
Awesome hike, did it yesterday!
Hi guys:
Would you say the scramble to the top of Kendall Peak is more difficult than, say, the Silver Peak scramble? Planning on trying this out next week and just wanted to get a comparison/contrast. THANKS.
Hi Joe,
The Kendall Peak scramble is much shorter than the boot path up to the top of Silver Peak. It's a bit steeper though, and less defined. Hope that help!
Jer
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