Description
Wikipedia
Mount Si (pronounced ; Lushootseed: q̓əlbc, CULB-ts) is a mountain in the northwest United States, east of Seattle, Washington. It lies on the western margin of the Cascade Range just above the coastal plains around Puget Sound, and towers over the nearby town of North Bend. Mount Si and neighboring mountain Little Si were named after local homesteader Josiah "Uncle Si" Merritt. The mountain became nationally familiar in the early 1990s by appearing in the opening credits of the television series Twin Peaks, which was filmed in North Bend. Only about a 45-minute drive from Seattle, the mountain is a favorite outdoor destination for residents of nearby metropolitan areas. Between 80,000 and 100,000 hikers visit the mountain annually. The land is owned by the state of Washington and has been designated a Natural Resources Conservation Area. The four-mile-long (6.5 km) Mount Si trail vertically climbs 3,500 feet (1,070 m) to the summit ridge. Its summit is reached by an exposed scramble, class 3, up the north side of the summit block, which is known as the "Haystack". In very favorable conditions, it is possible to ski from the summit although the mountain does not usually hold much snow in winter due to its low elevation. The peak can be accessed by two trails. The Old Mount Si trail is accessed by the Little Si parking lot and the Boulder Garden Loop. It is 0.6 miles (0.97 km) shorter, 270 feet (82 m) steeper in elevation gain, and less crowded than the main trail. The Mount Si trail is accessed by the Mount Si parking lot.
