Little Si

An easy to moderate 5-mile day hike or scramble with 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The trail winds through second growth forest with plenty of rock faces and boulders. Consider including the Boulder Garden Loop Trail. Hikers are treated to a grand view of the Upper Snoqualmie Valley and North Bend. This trailhead also provides access to Meditation Rock, a good high-angle rescue training area.

getting there

Take Exit 32 off of I-90 near North Bend. Turn left, crossing over I-90, and follow 468th Ave NE to SE North Bend Way and turn left.  Turn right onto SE Mount Si Road and then left into the Litte Si/Exit 32 Parking Lot shortly after crossing the bridge across the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River.

on the trail

Little Si

Hike the Little Si Trail 2.1 miles and 1,076 feet of elevation gain from the parking lot.

meditation rock

Look for climber's trail on left hillside just before an old camp. Ascend through dirt, brush, rock, skirting small cliffs moving occasionally right until cliffed out. Head through trees on faint trail left along the wall. When the wall ends ends, ascend a small chimney (10 feet, good hand holds and foot holds but dicey when wet). At its top is small grassy ledge. Climb another short pitch a little more difficult than first (grassy and slippery with no holds). There is a good rest stop and views at top of this section. Then move right over rock slabs, gravel and brush following cliff wall closely. There is a lot of brief exposure between chimney and end of this section. After climbing through trees, the route becomes clear. Move left up through rock, then right up over good rock to summit.

boulder garden loop

A trail that forks right ~0.3 miles from the start of the Little Si Trail and leads to the Mount Si Old Trail and loops back to the the Little Si Trail. Done by itself, it is 2.5 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain. Done with the Little Si Trail, it adds ~1.5 miles and 600 feet of elevation gain.

Information for Leaders

Scheduling & Permits

  • If you are scheduling this as a non-course related activity, please limit your group size to the recommended party size. The maximum party size is for use by course field trips only, and includes both students and instructors. Group size maximums do not reflect how course field trips are run (in smaller groups of students and instructors), but allow for course leaders to register the course in our system.
  • Permits are required in this area for all fee-based (course-related) activities, regardless of group size, and all free activities involving 13 or more people. Leaders may list trips at this route/place with the understanding that they need to verify that a permit has been obtained before running the trip (if required as outlined above). Permit applications are submitted to WA Department of Natural Resources annually in December. Please contact info@mountaineers.org with any additional questions. More details about permitting on WA DNR land as it applies to Mountaineers trips, as well as our current year Land Use License, can be found here.
  • Suitable Activities: Day Hiking, Scrambling, Trail Running
  • Seasons: Year-round
  • Weather: View weather forecast
  • Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
  • Length: 5.0 mi
  • Elevation Gain: 1,200 ft
  • 1,576 ft
  • Land Manager: Mount Si NRCA
  • Parking Permit Required: Discover Pass
  • Recommended Party Size: 12
  • Maximum Party Size: 36
  • Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 36
Map
  • Green Trails Mount Si NRCA No. 206S
Activities

Upcoming Activities

Day Hike - Little Si

Day Hiking Trip
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Wed, Mar 20, 2024
No Prerequisites
1 participant 0 leaders
Registration closed Mar 18
Tacoma Branch

Backpacking Conditioner - Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop

Backpacking Clinic
Backpacking Conditioner
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Sun, Mar 24, 2024
Prerequisites
7 participants on waitlist 1 leader
Registration closes Mar 22
Seattle Branch
Elyse Verstelle

CHS 2 Hike - Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop

Day Hiking Field trip: Conditioning Hiking Series
Great early season conditioner with a view! We'll hike from the trailhead to the boulder
Difficulty: Moderate
Thu, Apr 4, 2024
No Prerequisites
8 participants 0 instructors
Registration opens Mar 25; Instructor registration open now
Seattle Branch
Craig Behnke

CHS 1 Hike - Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop

Day Hiking Field trip: Conditioning Hiking Series
CHS hike led at a CHS 1 pace (1.5-2.0 mph)
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Sun, Apr 7, 2024
No Prerequisites
8 participants 0 instructors
Registration opens Mar 25; Instructor registration open now
Seattle Branch
Nancy Temkin

Ford MS- Hiking - Little Si

Youth Field trip: Mountain Workshop - Ford Middle School
Climbing workshop for Ford Middle School Adventure Club
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Sun, Apr 21, 2024
No Prerequisites
9 participants 0 instructors
Registration closes Apr 18
Tacoma Branch
RyAnn Peverley

CHS 2 Hike - Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop

Day Hiking Field trip: Conditioning Hiking Series
CHS hike led at a CHS 2 pace (2.0-3.0 mph)
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Sun, Apr 28, 2024
No Prerequisites
6 participants 1 instructor
Registration opens Mar 25; Instructor registration open now
Seattle Branch

Rock Scrambling Field Trip - Little Si

Scrambling Field trip: Alpine Scrambling Course
Practice techniques for scrambling on 3rd class rock terrain.
Difficulty: Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Sat, May 11, 2024
No Prerequisites
0 participants 1 instructor on waitlist
Registration closes May 9
Foothills Branch
Rena Chinn
Qualified Youth Leader

Rock Scramble - Little Si

Scrambling Field trip: Women's Alpine Scrambling Course
Field trip to practice rock scrambling skills.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Thu, May 16, 2024
Prerequisites
1 participant 2 instructors on waitlist
Registration closes May 14
Foothills Branch
Danielle Graham
Qualified Youth Leader

Rock Scramble - Little Si

Scrambling Field trip: Women's Alpine Scrambling Course
Weather Back Up Date. Field trip to practice rock scrambling skills.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Wed, May 22, 2024
Prerequisites
0 participants
Registration closes May 20
Foothills Branch
Danielle Graham
Qualified Youth Leader

Intro to Trail Running: Backcountry Field Trip - #1 - Little Si

Trail Running Field trip: Introduction to Trail Running: Backcountry
Introduction to fundamental skills.
Difficulty: Moderate
Wed, Jun 19, 2024
No Prerequisites
8 participants 0 instructors
Registration opens Apr 6; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
John Murphy
Qualified Youth Leader

Intro to Trail Running: Backcountry Field Trip - #1 - Little Si

Trail Running Field trip: Introduction to Trail Running: Backcountry
Introduction to fundamental skills.
Difficulty: Moderate
Tue, Jun 25, 2024
No Prerequisites
8 participants 1 instructor
Registration opens Apr 6; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
Luis Zuniga

Intro to Trail Running: Backcountry Field Trip - #1 - Little Si

Trail Running Field trip: Introduction to Trail Running: Backcountry
Introduction to fundamental skills.
Difficulty: Moderate
Wed, Jun 26, 2024
No Prerequisites
8 participants 0 instructors
Registration opens Apr 6; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
Aaron Terrazas

Intro to Trail Running: Backcountry Field Trip - #1 - Little Si

Trail Running Field trip: Introduction to Trail Running: Backcountry
Introduction to fundamental skills.
Difficulty: Moderate
Sun, Jun 30, 2024
No Prerequisites
6 participants 1 instructor
Registration opens Apr 6; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
John Murphy
Qualified Youth Leader

July Hikes: 3.75 to 6.5 miles, 500 to 1,750 feet gain - Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop

Day Hiking Field trip: GoHike: Beginner Hiking Course
This hike may count toward your monthly required GoHike course July hike.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Mon, Jul 1, 2024
No Prerequisites
10 participants 1 instructor
Registration opens Jun 7; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
Brad Peacock

September Hikes: 4 to 8 miles, 750 to 2,000 feet gain - Little Si

Day Hiking Field trip: GoHike: Beginner Hiking Course
This hike may count toward your monthly required GoHike course September hike.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Wed, Sep 4, 2024
No Prerequisites
10 participants 0 instructors
Registration opens Aug 2; Instructor registration open now
Foothills Branch
Travis Vermeer

Olympia Explorers Hike - Little Si

Day Hiking Field trip: Explorers-Olympia
Hiking for the Olympia Explorers
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate, Strenuous 1, Technical 4
Sat, Nov 30, 2024
No Prerequisites
11 participants
Registration closes Nov 21
Olympia Branch
Claire Edwards
Qualified Youth Leader
Trip Reports
Titles

This is a list of titles that represent the variations of trips you can take at this route/place. This includes side trips, extensions and peak combinations. Not seeing a title that fits your trip? Log in and send us updates, images, or resources.

  • Boulder Garden Loop
  • Little Si & Boulder Garden Loop
  • Little Si/Meditation Rock
Resources

There are no resources for this route/place. Log in and send us updates, images, or resources.