Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite (West Granite) is a famous hiking destination in Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It shares a saddle with Low Mountain to the north. Meanwhile, South Fork Snoqualmie River stretches across the south side along Interstate 90.
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Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite at a Glance
Access: Granite Mountain Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 1840′-5629′
Gear: microspikes, snowshoes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
The Preface on Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite
Alas! The yellow pup and I skipped 2020 because of the new puppy. Then the inclement weather kept us away last two years. After three years of hiatus, we returned to Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite on this crisp New Year’s Day.
Due to worsening weather midweek, I skipped my New Year’s Eve celebration on Avalanche Mountain. To top it off, it rained and snowed in the mountains until yesterday. So I knew that trail breaking was inevitable.
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Granite Mountain Trail
There are several reasons why I’ve always started early for this hike. But the main reason has been to stay ahead of the New Year’s Day crowds. So I could enjoy the landscape in peace and include the west peak if time allowed.
The subfreezing temperatures this morning had created an icy path. Snow was firm from the get-go, plus water ran down the trail past the first stream. So I put on microspikes, and we were soon back on continuous snow.
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Pratt Lake Trail Fork to the Clearings
We reached the trail fork in a mile and turned right onto the steep slope. Immediately, I zigzagged through the knee-deep holes created by recent boot tracks. Feeling annoyed, I switched to snowshoes to move more quickly.
I was glad to have the days-old tracks, which I assumed would eventually end. Sure enough, the footpaths faded by the new snow at the second clearing at 3100′. Then the dog and I proceeded to break trail after a brief pause.
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Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite Summer Route
The fresh powder was ankle-deep in the trees yet manageable. But the switchbacks at the edge of the forest held knee-high amounts. Nonetheless, we could still follow the summer trail to 4000′ before losing it to the snow.
Down at the first gully at 3600′ were minor point releases near the tree line. We quickly crossed since they were high up on the chute. Despite the mild avalanche forecast, the deaths on this mountain were a constant reminder.
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En Route to Southeast Ridge
Using my GPS track from 2019, we moved east for half a mile from the 4000′ switchback. Then we veered north at 4300′ and up the open terrain. We dug ourselves out of deep snow several times with sparse tree cover.
Soon, we slogged up 700′ through where it would be the meadow area sans snow. Then at 5000′, where the summer trail crosses to the north, we stayed on the crest. There was our first view of the unmistakable Kaleetan Peak to the north.
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Final Stretch on Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite
It was exhausting making tracks today, but glad we made it onto the southeast ridge. Perhaps it’s the altitude, but I needed to take a deep breath every few steps. Or it could be that we haven’t spent much time in the snow this season.
Today’s soft snow kept us from reaching the crusty layer underneath. Otherwise, trudging uphill would’ve been less brutal. Finally, after dropping many f-bombs, we made it to my favorite winter summit in one piece.
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Granite Mountain Summit Views
Despite the harsh sounds picked up by the camera, the east wind was more of a breeze. But the windchill had us huddle west of the tower most of the time. Before we knew it, we had spent an hour and a half on top!
I saw two people walking up the ridge an hour into our visit. Soon, Liam and his friend, whose name escaped me, joined us on top. They hadn’t snowshoed much before and were ecstatic to have made it up to take in the views.
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Onward to Tusk O’Granite
After chatting a bit, I took a shot of the two and left with the dog to Tusk O’Granite. We hugged the ridgeline while avoiding the icy south slopes. But moving through the krummholz and exposed rocks in soft snow was irritating.
We avoided open terrain by staying in the trees past the saddle. Then we briefly crossed the slope to the southeast ridge, where I saw exposed rocks earlier. Before long, we were on the woodsy ridgetop of Tusk O’Granite.
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Tusk O’Granite Summit Views
The high point sat far west of the ridgetop, less windy than Granite Mountain. We stayed a short while to check out things I might’ve missed on past trips. Alas, it was time to revisit the nearby peaks.
These peaks were new to Connor, who looked unfazed by the surroundings. He also didn’t explore much without the yellow lab. But having him shadow me was better than roaming off someplace and getting in trouble.
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Leaving Granite Mountain by Tusk O’Granite
The trip took longer than usual because I stopped every five seconds to shoot footage. I thought I’d see more than two people on Granite Mountain today. But perhaps those who went up later could still benefit from our tracks.
The area had less snow this time but enough to keep the brush under control. We exited alongside day-old tracks to the south slope. Then we dropped 2000′ to Pratt Lake trail and dillydallied our way back to the car at dusk.
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