The Pulpit by Preacher Mountain lurks above the confluence of Pratt River and Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. The quickest way to the peak is via Rainy Lake Trail. Even with a treed top, the west views are decent to entice one to make the trip.
See more trip photos here.
The Pulpit at a Glance
Access: Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trailhead
Round Trip: 9.2 miles
Elevation Range: 1040′-4523′
GPS Track: available
Gear: snowshoes
Dog-Friendly: with guidance
The Preface on The Pulpit
Hallelujer! Go and preach it on the mountain! The Pulpit was our first sunny and new climb after weeks. We’ve spent the past three weekends visiting Eastern Washington, including the most recent trip to Moses Coulee Preserve.
I can’t remember the last time we went east that many weekends in a row. But things were starting to look monotonous after a while, and I needed a reset. Oh, the things I do to avoid the rain in the Cascades.
See more trip photos here.
Rainy Lake Trail
We started on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail and went over the bridge in the wee morning hours. Soon, we turned onto Rainy Lake Trail at the fork. It’s been six years since I came to visit Preacher Mountain.
The dry trail lasted until 2000′ where we found snow patches. Then at 2400′, we lost the path to down trees. But the pup and I continued to Rainy Lake with Rainy Creek within earshot. Views were scarce in the old-growth forest.
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Point 4400
Soon, we were in heavy snow at 2800′, and I put snowshoes on at 3000′ on flatter terrain. Then we followed Rainy Creek’s southwest branch up through the steep hillside. Before long, we were on Point 4400’s south ridge at 4100′.
It was cold in the shade despite being sunny. Not having views in the trees didn’t help either. We later went west on the summit ridge toward The Pulpit, now a quarter-mile away. Meanwhile, we bypassed two outcrops from the south.
See more trip photos here.
The Pulpit Summit Views
The Pulpit was narrow and lacked the sweeping vistas of the neighboring Preacher Mountain. Too bad because it sat at such a terrific spot. But the opening to the west was large enough to peek across the valley.
Massive clouds had moved into the area and took away most views to Preacher Mountain. But I could see Moolock Mountain and South Bessemer through the trees. It took some skills to fight the beaches for photos.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
We stayed for 45-minute before reversing our tracks down to the trail and hiking out.
Hello! Just wondering: I see you indicate a gpx track is available but I’m wondering if you happen to know where you found it? I haven’t managed to have much luck.
Thanks for reaching out! I didn’t find any GPS tracks before my trip. But I’ll send you mine via email.