HUMPBACK MOUNTAIN
A very steep hike to a summit with great views! This trail is a good workout, includes some fun boulder hopping, and doesn’t see too much traffic, making it a nice choice for a quick but rewarding weekend hike!
Quick Facts:
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip (lower trailhead, yellow track) or 4.5 miles roundtrip (upper trailhead, green track)
Elevation Gain: 2700 feet (lower trailhead) or 2300 feet (upper trailhead)
Location: Lower Humpback Trailhead or Upper Humpback Trailhead, I-90 Exit 47, Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
Season: Summer-Fall
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Parking Pass: None
Check the weather: mountain-forecast, weather.gov
Check for recent trip reports: WTA, AllTrails
Notes: Having poles is really helpful for this trail since it’s so steep. There are two different ways to access this trail: the lower trailhead is a shorter hike with less elevation gain, the upper trailhead is a longer hike with less elevation gain.
Getting there:
Click here for the Lower TH or Upper TH location on Google Maps
The Google Maps directions linked above will give you the right directions to get to these trailheads. The last 3 miles before the trailhead are on somewhat rough forest roads with some sizable potholes, but any car should be able to make it if you drive slowly and carefully.
View of Rainier from the trail, July 2020
One of the boulder fields the trail crosses, July 2020
Hike description:
From either trailhead, this hike starts off with a walk on an old forest road. From the lower trailhead this takes you through some open forest and by a sort of rock amphitheater (unfortunately covered in graffiti). After a turn in the trail about 0.5 miles from the trailhead, be on the lookout for an unsigned trail on the right that heads sharply uphill – this is the start of the Humpback Mountain trail.
The first 30 feet of this trail are almost comically steep – I promise the whole trail isn’t like this! It looks like there was a small landslide at some point that washed away the trail and left a steep, sandy bank. Once you make it up that you’ll pick up the real trail, and start heading steadily uphill. For how steep the trail is, it actually feels pretty hikable.
Along the old forest road, July 2020
Turnoff for the trail on the old forest road, July 2020
The steep initial portion of the trail, July 2020
Even as hikable as it is, it’s still a tough trail. Although the forest you’re hiking through is pretty, there’s not much to look at for most of the trail so you can really push your legs as fast as they’ll take you! After 0.25 miles you’ll cross the forest road that the second trailhead starts at, and cross it to continue to the trail.
About 1.5 miles in you’ll reach the first of several small boulder fields. It can be a bit hard to tell where the trail is on these, so the best course of action is to try to stick close to the ridge on your left. This way you should be able to pick up the trail easily on the other side of the boulders. These boulders are pretty fun to climb over because the rock is quite grippy, but we did have to help our dog across a few sections that she couldn’t quite make. Make sure to look to your right as you cross the boulders to get a great view of Mount Rainier!
After crossing a few more boulder fields with trail in between, you’ll come to a final very steep section of the trail that will drop you off below the boulder field that makes up the summit. Scramble to the top of those boulders and take in the amazing views of the peaks across I-90 (including Glacier Peak on a clear day!) and all the way to Stuart, as well as nearby Silver Peak. If you scramble down the summit ridge to the south a bit you should be able to find a summit register that you can sign your name in. Enjoy the views before heading back down the trail for a quick return trip to your car!