Tiger Mountain Loop moves through the main high points on the massif. From the state forest’s main (east) summit, the route heads west to the middle peak. It then winds north through the three points of West Tiger Mountain.
See more trip photos here.
See other Tiger Mountain trips here.
Tiger Mountain Loop at a Glance
Access: Preston Powerline Trail
Round Trip: 15.3 miles
Elevation Range: 540′-3004′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Preston Powerline Trail
My recent discovery of the shortcut today shaved off nearly two miles. So we only had to walk .25 miles from the house to the Preston Powerline Trail. It was our starting point for the main summit last year.
Past the entrance, we soon hiked south through Dwight’s Way. Then, we moved southeast on East Tiger Trail. After taking a spur trail, we somehow missed the first part of the trail. But we later found the official path at 2100′.
See more trip photos here.
In Search of East Tiger Trail
Eventually, the trail made its way out onto a road after staying flat for a while. We then crossed the bridge over Soderman Creek through the logging area. But I didn’t see any trail signs nearby to know our exact location.
We soon walked a short way down the road before seeing the logging debris ahead. But I knew the road wouldn’t be part of the trail network, and we turned around.
See more trip photos here.
Getting Back on Track
We backtracked to the East Tiger Trail, looking for another way up the peak. Soon, a tiny cairn with blue flagging right across the road from us suddenly caught my eye. So we followed it and reentered the forest.
Soon, we hiked a short way through the trees before entering the logging area west of the boundary. The logging had wiped out much of the trail through this area.
See more trip photos here.
One Step Closer to East Tiger Mountain
We may or may not enjoy doing things the hard way. But we painfully contended with the debris to the east end before reaching the Preston Railroad Trail.
We couldn’t locate the last East Tiger Trail and scrambled up the north ridge through more down trees. But we later took the East Tiger Summit Trail, which crossed the Off-the-Grid Trail.
See more trip photos here.
Tiger Mountain Loop Summit Views
We soon continued on the main path and crossed Road 5570 during this. Then, one last bit of the trail hike took us straight to the top. We met four bikers, three runners, and two hikers during our break.
The southeastern view down to the valley was clear. But the low clouds had long shrouded most of Mount Rainier. The incessant clanking from the gusts beating the towers was nerve-racking.
See more trip photos here.
Middle Tiger Mountain
The heavy rain in the forecast would arrive between 4 and 5. But there was still time, so the pup and I took the East Tiger Summit Trail to Middle Tiger Mountain.
I vividly remember our trip eight years ago with nothing but trees to see on this summit. We left after a few minutes on top before continuing to West Tiger Mountain.
See more trip photos here.
West Tiger Mountain
We spent most of the four miles walking the long service road. It took us straight from Middle Tiger to West Tiger #3. Soon, we went through the summits of #1 and #2.
The walk through the high points went by fast, but West Tiger #3 was especially memorable. It was the first place on Tiger Mountain, the late black lab Cooper and I visited nearly a decade ago. Time flies!
See more trip photos here.
Outro
We descended the mountain at dusk before making the last 3.5 miles of the loop hike. We needed to find our way back to the Preston Powerline Trail.
Soon, we went north-northeast over many trails. Then we fought through some brush and returned to our starting point. But talk about the timing; the rain came right then!
See more trip photos here.