Trip Report
CHS 2 Hike - Mount Si via Roaring Creek from Teneriffe Trailhead
A CHS-2 led hike by Todd Cleland that took 7 up to the base of Si Haystack via Teneriffe Trail and back in a Lollipop loop via Roaring Creek. Atmospheric fog and rain made for a beautiful hike.
Courtenay Schurman
- Thu, May 29, 2025
- CHS 2 Hike - Mount Si via Talus Loop
- Mount Si Main Trail
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The trail is in great shape - zero snow and great drainage. I hadn't hiked the new Si trail in over five years, preferring old Si for less foot traffic. We saw more people on Si than anywhere on Teneriffe. The gate was closed at 7 when I drove past to the bus turnaround for a mile warm-up, but when we all met at 7:30 it was open.
Thankful for the large parking lot and stocked Portapotties. Trilliums on Teneriffe are mostly white (not yet pollinated) but on Si in the sun they were mostly pollinated (purple/pink.) Scramble down from the base of the Haystack wasn't too wet despite the rain.
Seven of us from the Mountaineers did an early morning Lollipop loop from Teneriffe Trailhead up to Mt. Si's Haystack and back down the Si trail to Cedar Flats and Roaring Creek. Total moving time was 5:20 for 10+ miles and 3100' elevation as a "Go Getter" CHS-2 hike for May.
We heard far more bird species on Teneriffe trail system than on Si, which had me puzzled - is it because of proximity to I-90, the rain, more foot traffic, or ?? Not sure. We only had 18 species at the tail end of spring migration, whereas I had 29 species at Exit 47 just two days earlier. Maybe they're all going higher up to beat the heat. I didn't hear a single thrush or flycatcher whereas they were abundant at Pratt Lake Basin on 5/27. Wednesday's heat eluded us; we were in spitting rain and fog for almost the entire trip until we returned to the cars around 1:20.
Fun group and decent pace, we started at 7:45 a.m. and our pace was 2.3 up for the first hour and 2.2 overall, including a 20-minute break at the base of the Haystack for a windy, foggy snack break. The one mammal sighting we had was a VERY plump rabbit near the top and a few squirrels chattered in the distance.