Trip Report
CHS Alumni Hike - Granite Mountain Trail
Wonderful fall foliage, great conversation, and 16 bird species including evening grosbeaks, a pair of red-tailed hawks, and a sooty grouse topped the list in today's hike above the inversion.
Courtenay Schurman
- Tue, Oct 7, 2025
- CHS Alumni Hike - Granite Mountain Trail
- Granite Mountain Trail
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road rough but passable
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Beware the pothole as you turn into Granite parking lot. Latrines are open and stocked (or were this morning) and a Northwest Forest Pass is required.
Fall colors are GREAT right now, and there are plenty of people hiking mid-week so solo hikers can feel comfortable that there will be others on the trail. The ONLY running water is on the lower approach trail (first mile), none up high. Plan your water accordingly.
A lovely day; great to get ABOVE the inversion. There are still berries!!
I led seven other lovely Mountaineers ladies, CHS alums, up Granite Mountain starting at 7:10 a.m. and returning to the cars by 2. We spent 30 minutes at the summit enjoying fierce winds and lovely scenery.
We enjoyed 16 bird species including a pair of red-winged hawks, some evening grosbeaks, a whole flock of pine siskens, and a sooty growse among them. We got some wonderful looks at Granite Lakes - I've been on this trail a number of times but now, having visited behind Granite, I finally got a peek at them through the trees. So cool!
With government shut down in effect I wasn't quite sure what to expect at the trailhead and on the route, but I've never seen this trail so clean. Bravo, folks, for keeping this trail pristine. Especially with the number of dogs (15?) I kept looking for poop bags. There are a disturbing number of social trails in the meadows, however; WTA might want to decommission some to give the beautiful huckleberries and pikas a chance at regeneration.
