Create New Account. No trails lead to Cedar Butte in the remote South Unit of the Badlands. Revisited Cedar Butte for the first time in many years - nothing against the trail, I just don't repeat trails often. Cedar Butte is a 3.6-mile roundtrip hike that starts on the wide, gradual grade of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, before making the uphill push to the small, wooded summit. Cedar Butte Trail. Located only about 45 minutes (depending on the traffic) from Seattle in North Bend, the Cedar Butte Trail offers a great year-round day hike. Need ideas for getting outside while social distancing? When I got back to the car, a ranger came by and told me they were closing the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, indefinitely, from Rattlesnake Lake to Snoqualmie Pass." We chatted for a while. So I hoped to find someplace new. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Day two of our New Year’s week hiking streak. We went back down to Saddle Junction below the summit. About See All. Cedar Breaks National Monument, located east of Cedar City, is a smaller, quieter version of Bryce Canyon. Start near the outhouses, going up a short spur to the Palouse to Cascades Trail. I've been a tour guide in both Alaska and Washington and I love to share the places I love with visitors, newcomers and my fellow locals. I’m a fourth generation Seattleite who lived in Alaska for 7 years. So it was nice to have tree coverage. — mtnhiker • Jan 23, 2012 "After hitting Mail Box peak and then Dirty Box, I didn't feel quite fulfilled and the clouds finally started to part so i decided to make use of the remaining daylight at Cedar Butte. (Perhaps state agency boundaries have changed.) In 1937, the Civilian Conservation Corps added a ground cabin with a cupola. Over the summer, Badlands National Park offered visitors a guided hike to Cedar Butte, in the park’s less-explored South Unit. After a horrifying experience going down a real mountain on a bike in Equador I vowed to never actually mountain bike.) Wreck of the Peter Iredale (4) Warrenton, OR. I didn’t find this to be a problem, as the trail is very wide and visibility is good (no blind corners). At the time of this writing (January 2021) the upstream trail is closed due to a washout. Cedar Butte is smaller by comparison, but still makes a good off-season or pre-season hike with many interesting aspects. Cedar Butte is lessor known than some if it's North Bend counterparts: Mount Washington, Rattlesnake Mountain and of course, Mount Si. Yaquina Head Lighthouse (3) Newport, OR. I'm Jennie. This is a good hike if you want something short and/or close to home, especially on a summer weekend when the nearby trails are insufferably crowded (there will still be people, but finding parking shouldn’t be a problem!). Then I helped photograph the couple by the clearing. Then Cedar Butte next to Rattlesnake Lake popped into mind. There is fast charging available at the North Bend Outlet Mall (walk to Pioneer Coffee!). In the winter months, the snow is deep and roads are closed. The sun came out just then. See more of Cedar Butte Girl Scouts on Facebook. Lots of mud on the trail in wet weather. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Cedar Butte Township, SD. Learn how your comment data is processed. It’s a brown wooden sign attached to a tree. This time when you come to the fork in the trail you’ll go left (to go the same way you came). Though, I found the west end to be more interesting because of the tunnel. Access: Palouse to Cascades State Park TrailheadRound Trip: 4.1 milesElevation Range: 960′-1880′Gear: noneGPS Track: availableDog-Friendly: yes. NOTE: The Olallie trail is build for and shared with mountain bikers, expect some on the trail and the need for a quick response to get out of their way. Page Transparency See More. 2800' elevation. Nice clearing at the top with 2 wood benches for a summit break with a view, even in stormy conditions. You can also take in the summit marker that oddly says “Cedar Butt” instead of “Cedar Butte”. Go left here. We reached the second junction in another quarter of a mile. Forgot account? The land around Talapus Lake is the homeland of the Duwamish and Snoqualmie people. Where is the end of the trail? After .75 mile on the road, we reached the trail entrance. Even if there are some clouds, it’s still a nice view across the valley. When you get to the Rattlesnake ledge parking area (crazy parking situation!) The popularity of this area made me think that there would’ve been lots of people already. A Discover Pass is required to park here. But I had been turning my head to look to not go past the inconspicuous turnoff. When you intersect the Palouse to Cascades Trail, there’s a sign noting the distance to various destinations. But I swore the pup was gaining weight by the second. The main route to this BLM wilderness is via US Highway 26 that runs from Blackfoot through Atomic City, all the way to Butte City. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. I very much appreciated the gradual elevation gain. Later, the state turned the section between Cedar Falls and Columbia River into Iron Horse State Park. The sign wasn’t visible from the road. We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. Silver Falls (1) Lakeside, OR. The Cedar Butte Trail, for example, is a hidden gem that often doesn’t see snow until we’re well into winter. Cedar Butte Wilderness Study Area lies 42 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho, in Bingham County. The border is currently closed between the United States and Canada, and many US states and Canadian provinces and territories have additional restrictions. or. The Rattlesnake Lake parking lot was starting to become full when I drove past it. I decided to take the direct route (left side at the unmarked fork) up, then I followed the Blowout route on the way back down. Then we proceeded to hike out on the Blowout Trail. The last.75 miles to the summit is the most steep of the trail. Finding the trailhead can be a bit confusing, as it appears a sign is down. On a recent winter weekend, we drove past the parking lot for Rattlesnake Lake and Rattlesnake Ledge, which was nearly full at 9 a.m., to the lot for the Iron Horse State Park, which had just a handful of cars. Cedar Butte via John Wayne Pioneer Trail, Iron Horse State Park. I’m so glad to have you along on the journey to experience your best low key adventure in Washington, Alaska and Western Canada! She moved off the trail but was perfectly visible. It was a cloudy morning. The branches spread out like giant spider legs. 9 people like this. They included the two sections between Kittitas and Vantage–Army East and Army West. It was a cloudy morning. The Cedar Butte trail offers a less crowded experience. Another thing that surprised me was that there was no one around. Stroll down the reclaimed railbed for about a half mile to find the signed trailhead on the right, a few hundred yards after crossing a bridge over Boxley Creek. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors. Ha! The instant I turned onto the Cedar Butte Trail from the PTC Trail I saw a young deer on the Cedar Butte Trail. This is the perfect trail for a half day adventure all year in any weather, with less crowds than some others nearby. The sign wasn’t visible from the road. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. I had hoped to get some views. So we continued on the main pathway on moderate terrain through the evergreen. Once at the summit enjoy views across to Mt Si if it’s clear. You’ll be following a segment of the historic trail that serviced the lookout since the end of the 19th century. Instead, we walked through a forest full of sunlit, moss-covered trees. Both of them remained the least exciting desert hikes in the books. But there wasn’t any. Continue on another 200 yards and find the signed Cedar Butte Trail on the right. Most hills were still below the snowline. As expected, it was a forested summit. The “crow’s nest” lookout pictured above consisted of a tall tree with a ladder climbing to the observation platform. Elk Flats Overlook (1) Rockawa…, OR. We must have spent an hour on top before two people showed up with their pup. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. We will go up the main steeper trail, and return via the slightly longer and less steep alternative trail. The first slightly less than a mile of the trail is on the Palouse to Cascades Trail, a railroad to trail conversion that is graveled and popular with mountain bikers. Cedar Breaks sits at an elevation over 10,000 feet, and for this reason, it is only open to visitors from Memorial Day to mid-October. If so, the Cedar Butte hike might be the trail for you! Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. What to wear for a hike in the Pacific Northwest, what to bring on a hike in the Pacific Northwest, Back Side of Flattop – Best way to do Anchorage’s famous hike, Best Hiking Pants for Curvy and Plus Size Women, How to Drive to Alaska: Everything you need to Know. Good views can be found here of Rattlesnake Ledge, Mount Washington and Cedar Butte. When you rejoin the Palouse to Cascades Trail, go left and then watch for the trail on the right back to the parking lot (the brown mileage sign is a good landmark). Cedar Butte Elevation 1880 ft Cedar Butte, a smaller summit near the Iron Horse Trail, is a classic hiking destination.Though the mountain is overshadowed by the closeby mountains of Rattlesnake Mountain, Mount Si, Little Si and Mount Washington, Cedar Butte features decent views from the summit and a good set of YDS class 1 trails around and to its summit. As COVID-19 continues to impact travel, make sure to CHECK and FOLLOW all federal, state, provincial and local closures and public health guidelines. Cedar Butte’s trailhead is somewhere off the Iron Horse Trail, which is my favorite trail for “mountain” biking (I call gravel road biking on a mountain bike mountain biking. A brisk Monday morning 4-mile hike up to Cedar Butte, with about 950 feet of elevation gain. It’s been sunny and warm all week here in the Pacific Northwest, making today a great day for a summit hike with my Little Hiking Buddy. Near Riverbend, Washington. 539 Posts #15 • Aug 1, 2017. The short Cedar Butte Trail takes hikers to a former lookout site in the western Coast Range. Of course if it’s not clear, you won’t see the view, but you’ll still enjoy a beautiful trail through the forest. At approximately 4 miles round trip and 900 feet of elevation gain, it’s similar to nearby Rattlesnake ledge or Stan’s Overlook in distance from home and challenge, enough for a good workout but still a very doable half day outing. The forested landscape has been logged in sections and also burned over many times. Cedar Butte is a 3.6-mile roundtrip hike that starts on the wide, gradual grade of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, before making the uphill push to the small, wooded summit. Community See All. Views are restricted as trees have grown up since the lookout was dismantled in the early 1950s. Head right after the bridge downstream along the Pratt Connector Trail at this time. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. It was just as beautiful as I recall with enough elevation to warm you up, but not so much that you felt like you couldn't make it to the top. Find the most current and reliable 7 day weather forecasts, storm alerts, reports and information for [city] with The Weather Network. Try the North Bend Bar and Grill if you’d like to get a hot meal and drink after your hike. Last updated: [wpautoterms last_updated_date]If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.