Mount Teneriffe

BOU AVENUE
Mount Teneriffe

Leaving Kirkland, Washington on the morning of 7 August 2018, Zosia Zgolak and I stopped near the town of North Bend to hike up Mount Teneriffe. I first became aware of this peak when I climbed up nearby Mount Si in 2013. Although Mount Teneriffe is higher, it is still overshadowed by Mount Si's immense popularity. That may change now that there is a revamped hiker-friendly trail and a newly-built trailhead.

From I-90, take Exit 32 and head north on 436th Avenue SE for about 1 kilometre. Turn left at the T-intersection with SE North Bend Way and drive northwest for about 500 metres. Turn right at the intersection with SE Mount Si Road and drive across the bridge over Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. The Mount Teneriffe trailhead and parking lot (Discover Pass required; $11.50 USD per day or $35.00 USD for an annual pass) are located on the north side of the road about 4.4 kilometres beyond the bridge.

From the trailhead, we followed a well-maintained trail which is essentially an old exploration road that winds up the forested slopes between Mount Teneriffe and Mount Si. The trail climbs fairly steadily for the first three-quarters of the ascent, but the grade is never uncomfortably steep. Most junctions are signed (keep right at any unsigned junctions), and route-finding was generally not an issue for us. Although most of our hike was spent in viewless forest, this was not entirely unwelcomed given the very warm weather we had. Occasional breaks in the trees nevertheless granted us some views of Mount Rainier, Mount Si and even the summit block of Mount Teneriffe.

We eventually reached a high col about one kilometre northwest of Mount Teneriffe's summit. The trail becomes a foot path at this point, and we followed this over a forested hump before emerging from the trees just a short distance below the summit. We finished the ascent with a short and easy scramble.

Being a weekday, we pretty much had the summit all to ourselves. A trail runner showed up a few minutes after us, but she did not even bother to climb the last few metres to tag the actual summit. She stayed only long enough to take a few photos with her phone before turning around and disappearing into the forest. We lingered for a bit longer, but the unbearably hot sun prompted us to get moving as well.

Shortly after leaving the summit, we were surprised to encounter a lone mountain goat on the trail in the forest. Unlike the fearless goats we met on Scotchman Peak in Idaho a few days earlier, this goat was much shyer and quickly darted away before I had a chance to snap a picture. Zosia and I took that as a good omen, and the remainder of our descent back the way we came was long but uneventful.

After a long climb through the forest, Zosia hikes past some bluffs which help break up the monotony.

I so want to climb that!

A break in the trees reveals majestic Mount Rainier about 70 kilometres to the south.

	Pink foxgloves provide a splash of colour along the trail.
	Mount Si is visible behind Zosia as she marches up an open section of the trail.
	The forest is thick along the northwest ridge of Mount Teneriffe.
	Zosia breaks out of the forest just below the summit.
	Zosia and Sonny stand on the summit of Mount Teneriffe (1450 metres).
	Over 140 kilometres away, snow-capped Mount Baker and Mount Shuskan are unmistakable on the northern horizon.
	Glacier Peak stands out about 80 kilometres away to the northeast.
	Some haze in the atmosphere partially obscures Mount Rainier to the south.
	Rattlesnake Lake, Rattlesnake Ledge and Rattlesnake Mountain round out the views to the southwest.
	Here is the surveyor's benchmark on Mount Teneriffe's summit.
	On the way down, Zosia stops to indulge in some ripe huckleberries.
	The summit block of Mount Teneriffe is readily visible along a short section of the trail.
	The forest shade provides some relief from the hot sun on this day.
	Here is a last look at Mount Teneriffe from a truck stop near I-90.
	Total Distance: 21.8 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 8 hours 9 minutes Net Elevation Gain: 1192 metres GPX Data