Trip Report
Mt. Beljica and Gobblers Knob from Lake Christine TH
Seattle Branch hike to summits of Mt. Beljica and Gobblers Knob with 6 hikers starting from the Lake Christine trailhead.
David Bradley
- Sun, Sep 4, 2016
- Gobblers Knob
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road recommended for high clearance only
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The road to the Lake Christine/Mt. Beljica trailhead is very rough. A non-high-clearance vehicle may not be able to make it.
The main trails to Gobblers Knob are in good shape, though in many stretches the trail is a bit overgrown. If the foliage is wet then hikers, too, can get very wet by rubbing against it. Rain gear may be required even when it is not raining.
The side trail up Mt. Beljica is poorly marked, indicated only by the word "summit" hand carved into a small log. The trail is steep and rutted, and was significantly more difficult than we expected. The summit of Beljica is a web of social trails, and care is required in order to avoid accidentally contributing to the trampled condition of the foliage. The summit is exposed on three sides but the exposure is not apparent until one comes upon it.
We summited Gobblers Knob starting from the less popular Lake Christine trailhead (a.k.a. The Mt. Beljica trailhead). This approach is more difficult (10 miles, 4600’) than the usual Westside Road route, but avoids that route’s crowds and 7.6 miles of road-walking in exchange for fewer people and 9 miles along the Lake Christine and Puyallup trails. Our extra effort was rewarded by views of Lake Christine, Beljica Meadows, and Goat Lake, a side trip up Mt. Beljica.
For most of the day it seemed we had the whole Park to ourselves, seeing only one other pair of hikers near the summit of Gobblers Knob and 3 pairs of hikers (most with happy dogs) as we neared the trailhead on our return. The weather was cloudy all day so we did not get the classic expansive views of the Mountain from our two summits, but we did get some dramatic cloud views and extended time hiking through foggy old growth forest filled with plenty of trailside berries.
The last 20-or-so minutes of our hike out was in rain, but nothing our rain gear couldn’t easily handle. Post-hike we warmed ourselves with coffee, tea, and ice cream while sitting in full sun at a picnic table at Whittaker’s Bunkhouse in Ashford.