We had three consecutive sunny days this week. Interestingly, all of them fell on weekdays. I wanted to make use of the beautiful afternoon weather on the last day of sunshine. So the pup and I went up to Stegosaurus Butte in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley.
See more trip photos here.
Stegosaurus Butte at a Glance
Access: Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trailhead
Round Trip: 3.8 miles (including 1.7 miles to Nordrum Lookout)
Elevation Range: 1040′-2120′
Gear: none
The Preface
Back in February, I had planned on combining this hike with The Pulpit. But then I decided to save the outing for a short day like today. So we could get in a quick trip after work. It would also be an excellent place to snowshoe, especially in winter months, when the going is slow.
See more trip photos here.
Getting up to Stegosaurus Butte
I thought Stegosaurus Butte was a scramble when I first heard about it. But it ended up being a relatively moderate hike. I stumbled upon the hidden entrance on the way to the Rainy Lake Trailhead. Then we followed the trail into the forest.
Soon, the path took us through the lush old growth. Then it slowly made its way up to the higher ground. When we got up to Point 2037, the views were spotty. So we didn’t stay there long. Afterward, we dropped down 50′ to the saddle before the summit.
Stegosaurus Summit
The butte stands just above 2000′. So it isn’t tall by Cascades standard. It is also much below the tree line to have a clearing. But surprisingly, there was an small opening to the south. So we had views to Preacher Mountain and The Pulpit.
The ridgeline from Mount Teneriffe to Moolock Mountain was also visible. Sadly, we couldn’t see Mount Garfield through trees. Or anything to the north for that matter.
See more trip photos here.
Nordrum Lookout and Out
The short outing made it possible to pay a visit to the old Nordrum Lookout. It was just on the north side of Middle Fork Road past the Middle Fork Campground. We had no views there—only trees enclosing the old site. I could only imagine the magnificent views across the valley back in the mid-1900s.