Trip Report
Day Hike - Norse Peak via Trail 1191
An early June day hike to Norse Peak using trail 1191 (Parked at Gold Hill Road gate).
Jim Griffing
- Mon, Jun 9, 2025
- Norse Peak
- Scrambling & Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Gold Hill road is gated just past the junction with Crystal Mountain Boulevard. Make sure you do not block the gate as there is an active construction project going on up the road.
The trail is in very good condition except for seven blown down trees. I had little trouble getting past these obstacles. The first batch of five begins at around 5150' and ends at about 5450'.
First blow down at about 5150' 
2nd blow down 
Third Blow Down 
Fourth blow down 
Fifth blow down at about 5450' The last two are at about 6480' and 6700'.
Sixth blow down at 6480' 
Last blow down at 6700' I expect blow downs will continue to be a problem on this trail as much of it goes through a burn area that has lots of dead standing trees.
Typical dead trees in fire zone Intermittent snow patches began at 6200'. I was able to walk across most of them with just poles and hiking boots. It was warm the day I want so microspikes were not needed.
Typical Snow patch over trail There is one short section of steepish snow as you approach the summit. I pulled out an ice axe and scrambled up maybe 75'. The summit is snow free.
The very short snow scramble section Some of the upper portions of the trail are eroding into gullies about a foot deep. These sections are still easy to use but might benefit from some trail work soon.
Eroded Trail on the upper portion of the mountain
An early Monday morning start to avoid Seattle Traffic. I left the parking area near the Gold Creek Road gate just before 8 AM. A short walk on the newly graded road took me to the signed Norse Peak Trail on the left-hand side.
The trail is very pleasant and well cared for. There are clear signs to keep you off the closed sections of the former trail, but if you are ever in doubt, just follow the well-trodden path.
I saw black tail deer, mule deer, and six elk cows. There are lots of ungulate hoof prints in the meadows you pass through.
Some snow still lingers at higher elevations, but it was easy to negotiate on this rather hot June day.
The summit of Norse once was the site of a fire lookout tower. There is some old wire along the trail near the summit which may have been associated with the lookout, but I found no other remains.
The summit was a nice place for lunch with all five Washington stratovolcanos in view.
Total hike time 5.5 hours with 30 minutes of that spent at the top. I hiked 10 miles and gained a touch over 3000'