Saturday, March 26, 2016

Rattlesnake Mountain Trail

March 26 & April 9, 2016

With Christine in town for a few weeks on holiday from NZ, we took a family day hike at the slightly less popular Rattlesnake Mountain Trail (west). It seemed like an awesome beginner's trail to run, so a few weeks later Andy and I returned to do just that.

This hike is an easy drive from home and parking was plentiful on both early Saturday mornings. Two toilets are available at the TH.

The hike itself is a pretty steady climb right from the get-go, but afterwards, is quite relaxed with a few gains here and there to keep you excited.

The first lookout, Stan's Overlook, is about 2.5 miles in and offers a nice view. There were two benches and a picnic table which we utilized for our snack break.

The Fam
View from Stan's Overlook
We then headed to Grand Prospect, the second overlook, which was 5 miles in from the TH. There was still some snow on the ground in late March. Toby went crazy, wildly rubbing his body and face in the packed snow. Two benches were available to take in the views.

 
Definitely recommend hitting this trail as early as you can (opens @ 7am). We were met by some dozen groups of hikers on the way down towards late morning during both visits.