Trip Report
CHS 2 Hike - Margaret's Way to Debbie's View
Well-maintained trail with cool, clear weather. Great view of Mt. Rainier from Debbie's View
Erik De Bonte
- Sat, Apr 25, 2026
- CHS 2 Hike - Margaret's Way to Debbie's View
- Margaret's Way
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The Margaret's Way trail climbs steadily until you reach Debbie's View, but was smooth and well-maintained. The Chybinski Loop was generally in good shape except for one down-hill section that was heavily eroded due to runoff, resulting in a 6" wide by 6" deep rut down the center of the trail for perhaps a few hundred feet. That section was narrow so walking was a bit awkward but not terrible.
I arrived to an empty parking lot at 7:00. By the time our group started hiking around 7:30/7:40, there were probably 15-20 cars in the lot. When we returned at maybe 11:15, the lot was totally full with cars parked along both sides of the entrance road and out on the sides of Rt 900 as well.
King county land. No premits required.
We spotted one owl on our way up Margaret's Way. I think it was a Barred Owl. Not positive though.
The group's devices disagreed on total distance and elevation, but consensus was that the hike was longer and taller(?) than predicted. My Garmin Enduro 3 claimed 9.23 miles, 2297 total elevation gain.
We had a longish stop of about 15 minutes at Debbie's View and a couple other brief stops to remove layers and remind folks (me) to drink water. Total time was 3:39. Moving time was 3:12. Avg speed 2.5 mph. Avg moving speed 2.9 mph. My sense was that we were flying on the downhill. My knees are regretting it.
