West Tiger Mountain via Powerline Trail brings one to the mountain’s high point. Linking up the various paths with East Tiger Mountain makes a great workout. Plus, the views atop are even more magnificent now through the clearcut.
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West Tiger Mountain via Powerline Trail at a Glance
Access: Preston Powerline Trail (area info)
Round Trip: 7.8 miles
Elevation Range: 540′-2948′
Essential Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Keep Moving
Exploring More of the Backyard Mountain
Last year, we started in the dark and went through the brush behind the neighborhood. I didn’t feel like doing that again this time, but I was reluctant to wake my neighbors. Instead, we drove down the street and started from the Preston Trailhead.
Once on the side of Powerline Trail, the chicken coop seemed to have disappeared. I remembered the chirping noises the animals made when we would walk past. Before long, we entered the upper trailhead and continued past the private trail fork.
See more trip photos here.
West Tiger Mountain via Powerline Trail
I wanted to go home early today, so we saved time by taking the same route. A year ago, snow started from the house due to the heavy snow season. But this time, it wasn’t until 3+ miles in at 2600′ when it first appeared, and we saw book tracks.
There was only one to two inches of snow before we reached the bypass trail. The visible path with tracks soon brought us into the open amid the logging debris. Two switchbacks later, we were up by the radio towers, though it was not as windy today.
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Viewing the Cascades From the Top
It’s still hard to believe all the trees up top had disappeared. But we thoroughly enjoyed views of the other tiger summits, plus the inversion over Lake Sammamish. After checking out my photos from a year ago, I noticed that the weather looked nearly identical.
No one joined us after we spent a long time on top shooting footage. For some reason, the folks we saw all bypassed the top via the lower trails. Afterward, we met half a dozen hikers in the forest as we hiked out through Bootleg Trail.
See more trip photos here.