Granite Mountain by Low Mountain overlooks Denny Creek in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The nearby Tusk O’Granite (West Grante) is northwest of the joining ridgeline. Meanwhile, South Fork Snoqualmie River flows through the south flank below Interstate 90.
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Granite Mountain at a Glance
Access: Granite Mountain Trailhead
Round Trip: 7.4 miles
Elevation Range: 1840′-5629′
Essential Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Epic
New Year’s Day on Granite Mountain by Low Mountain
Another New Year’s Day pilgrimage on a favorite lookout in the Cascades! The lack of precipitation in recent weeks has brought more foot traffic. In turn, the tracks from everyone had made it smooth sailing. It’s always nice not to have to carve out a path whenever possible.
The weather was similar to last year but with much less snow. The path in the forest, plus the first three chutes, were mainly snow-free. Soon, we were on the packed-down trail past the third chute at mile 2.5. Then, it was continuous snow from 4200′ onward.
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Traversing Southeast Ridge to the Tower
Below the ridge, we met the other car’s owner, who enjoyed sunrise from the top. They began at 4:30 AM while I struggled to get up for our 6 o’clock start! Traction from the microspikes was sufficient for the trip despite bare ice on the final slope below the tower.
Some folks had stepped through the gaps among the boulders in the upper ridge. However, others had slightly detoured from the north slope to bypass the minor crux. But with careful maneuvering, staying on the crest for the entire traverse was doable.
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Views From Granite Mountain by Low Mountain
As always, views began as soon as we reached the open slopes. Despite the low 20s weather due to the wind chill, we enjoyed our visit on top behind trees. A guy came up a while later and quickly left. I then talked to the second hiker with a dog in goggles before leaving.
Instead of coming from the south rib as I had planned, it was nice to follow the existing tracks. But on the way out, we went that way to shave off some distance. Soon, we joined the trail by the first snow chute and enjoyed a quiet stroll through the forest.
See more trip photos here.