Rattlesnake Ridge, Iron Horse Trail and Cedar Butte Hikes Washington

We headed up near North Bend to combine some short hikes for a day of Spring hiking.

First, Rattlesnake Ridge which is on Rattlesnake Mountain seen in the photo below 

and is on Washington DNR land.

 A short popular hike, 1.9 miles round trip with 1000 ft elevation gain. On clear days there are great views from Rattlesnake ledge, we enjoyed seeing the lake where our hike started even though there was low visibility. The rock outcropping has several deep chasms and a 1000 ft drop offs.  Need to watch your step as people have fallen to their death while taking photos and jumping around.

 wildflowers in bloom
Next we traveled down the Iron Horse Trail (Washington State Park) along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. The portion we hiked was flat, so easy. Interesting to walk along sections where the railway had cut through rock. Below the trail built over the original trellis and a brief glimpse of a waterfall in the forest. We hiked out about 3 - 3. 5 miles before turning back.

The Cedar Butte trail head (located 1 mile up the John Wayne Pioneer Trail). This is a short 3 mile round trip with 900 ft elevation gain. Most of the hike is in the forest, but at the top there is a place to sit, and enjoy the view of the upper Snoqualmie Valley.

 Also some colorful fungus