Snoqualmie High Point is the highest point in the City of Snoqualmie. It’s also on the boundary of Raging River State Forest at Rattlesnake Mountain‘s northern foothills. Meanwhile, North Bend High Point sits in the city’s southwest corner.
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Snoqualmie High Point and North Bend High Point at a Glance
Access: Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.8 miles
Elevation Range: 690′-1220′
Gear: none
Route Info: Peter Schilling
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
The Preface on Snoqualmie High Point
I found out about King County City High Points list while researching today’s trip. Due to urban sprawl, some places are now on private land or in the middle of the road. So it’s not unusual to find a high point behind some random home.
The 39 incorporated cities in King County include the bi-county towns of Bothell and Milton. One can often spot at least one water tower or a reservoir nearby. It makes sense to set these facilities up high for water distribution.
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En Route to Snoqualmie High Point
We turned left onto the Upward Mobility Trail from the Raging River State Forest entrance. After several turns, we left the path at mile .5, right above the water tank. Then Snoqualmie Pass High Point was 30′ downhill.
With the would-be one-mile roundtrip hike, I wanted more exercise. So I checked the maps for a close-by place. Then I saw North Bend High Point 2.5 miles southeast, which happened to be the city’s highest point.
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En Route to North Bend
So, we went past the gate from the water tank 100′ below and walked down the main road. Soon, we entered the state forest in one mile as the path went into the powerline clear-cut. We would sometimes see east valley views.
The road crossed several small gullies; some had water in them. Then in one mile, we came to the road’s end above the old washout. It’s also the highest point of this trip and the only place with an open east valley view.
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North Bend High Point
The washout had taken out a quarter-mile of the roadway. After diving into the trees, we dropped 200′ amid debris and the encroaching blackberry vines. Then we went out onto the lower roadbed that slowly improved.
We went downhill and turned left at the fork. Soon, we walked along the west of the creek before making a right onto a grassy roadway. Then we crossed Ribary Creek on a small bridge over to the “private property” signs.
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Back to Snoqualmie High Point
We didn’t stay long as it was unnerving to see someone’s yard behind a thin line of trees. So we left shortly and stopped by the creek before leaving the area. But going in reverse meant we needed to regain the lost 1000′.
We went uphill before a small stream at the road’s end to bypass the blackberry vines. I admired the small twin falls over an unnamed creek en route. Before long, we were on the upper road after some scrambling.
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Outro
The view of Snoqualmie River Valley up here was even more striking in the evening colors. There was still lots of snow over the ridgelines because of the recent snowfalls. Soon, we walked northwest to the parking lot.
Two bikers came down a steep trail where we saw another person earlier. Back by the water tank, we stayed straight and turned right at the first fork. Then we went below Snoqualmie Point Park to loop back to the car.
See more trip photos here.