Distance (Roundtrip): 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1300 ft
Highest Point: 2600 ft
Dirty Harry's Balcony Hiking Guide
Summertime in the pacific northwest is hard to beat. The sun was out and the wind was blowing, but I decided to take a trip to a fondly named trail called Dirty Harry's Balcony. The trickiest part about this hike is finding the trailhead.
The parking lot can be found by following signs to the Washington Fire Training Academy. A Discovery Pass is required, so make sure to purchase one ahead of time. There is a gate with a sign saying it will "lock at 5:30pm daily". Beyond it, there is a paved road for about half a mile. After crossing over the bridge, keep an eye out over to the right side of the road. Right before one of the switchbacks, there will be a gravel path with a trail marker. This is the trailhead to Dirty Harry's Balcony.
The trail starts off relatively steep, and stays the same pretty much the whole time. It isn't too easy for the experienced hiker, but it much harder than something easy like Rattlesnake Ledge for beginners. There is a point where the trail is pretty much a small creek near the beginning, so be careful not to slip. A little further up, there are huge rocks to tread through. The entire trail is very rocky and seemingly unkept, but some people (myself included) like the rugged terrain.
About 2 miles up, there are two rock piles on the right side of the trail along with the infamous rusty milk jug. This indicates the wooded path to the balcony. Continuing up past the jug and on the trail will lead to Dirty Harry's Peak (roughly 3 more miles).
The last stretch to the balcony is mostly flat. Old rusty parts are strewn along to lead the way. If there are no rusty objects in sight, it isn't the right trail.
Views from the balcony were gorgeous on a clear day like this one. It was very windy, but nice and warm with the sun beaming down. Looking down and towards the east, it's easy to spot the I90 freeway. After hanging out at the top for a bit, I made my way back down. Since the trail is very rocky, I made sure to be careful not to twist an ankle.
From the trailhead, it took 35 mins to get to the balcony and about 20 mins to get back down. Really great day for a quick hike!
WTA Trip Report
Photos
No comments:
Post a Comment