Mount Teneriffe Trailhead — Attraction in North Bend

Teneriffe 2.0 Consider joining the Teneriffe agenda today! (6/22/24)

For anyone in decent shape, the summit is a must go and much more rewarding than Mt. Si. C'mon, if you can do a 3k then you can do a 4k elevation gain. Have to choose between Teneriffe and Mt Si? Well your knees and legs will hurt from either so might as well hike the better mountain.

Did the loop today - up Teneriffe trail to summit - back through Teneriffe falls trail. I don't think the trail I went back on is even officially marked??? Typically people hike this out-and-back fyi. Anyhow, recorded 10.36 mi and +4150 ft total ascent from my loop. 6.28 miles to summit, 4.08 miles on the way down.

Less crowds, more chance for parking, and you can see a ~300°. See Mt Rainier and all the other mountains. And All Trails is certainly being generous with the 8hr budget considering I did not run today and finished in 6 1/2 hours, lunch and water breaks + snack stops included.

There are so many salmon berries in the bottom stretch and the ripe ones are so delicious 😋.

There are annoying flies and bugs though attracted to sweat. They don't bite, but maybe bug spray might help keep some from flying too close. BECAUSE of this I also do not recommend bringing 'exposed' lunch like a salad, bento or bowl because the freaking flies at the summit are going to get in it! Bring something simple and easy to obscure like a wrap, sandwich, etc. You'll need the carbs anyways.

Make sure to bring enough water!!! It reached 70 F today and mostly sunny. 2 liters minimum! You will NOT regret/feel the additional weight and definitely feels much better than running out of water on the way down and being thirsty the rest of the way down haha totally never happened to me before.

Sunscreen is a must too since there are several open areas exposed to the sun! I got slight sunburns even when hiking during a cloudy day so beware!!!

Do I need to bring a jacket for the summit?? If the weather is sunny and you see no clouds swirling at the top of the mountains on your drive/bus ride there, then it is warm and exposed at the summit! (Basically I would not bring a jacket) Otherwise, cloudy/clouds at top = cooler conditions and possible cool breeze at top which will make you feel cold.

Parking: Afternoon hiker gang, there are several spots open if you arrive at 12.

Trail overview: ~2 miles sweaty forest 💦 ~3 miles get hauling switch backs 🥾 ~1 mile into the pinesss 🌲 Summit! ⛰️

🚫no mosquitoes 2 honey buckets open...

Mt. Teneriffe Mt. Si Underrated fantastic Trail that is worth the elevation and mileage especially for Seattle newcomers. Most people only hike for the falls, but seriously miss out on the incredible summit views. I went on a Sunday and started out at 9:30 AM after taking the Trailhead Direct bus to get here. Had lunch at the summit and got back down around 2:45 PM. Note this trail takes around 8 hours on average if you're not hiking for the exercise and speed.

Make sure to have sun protection especially if you burn easily! It was cloudy and foggy the whole day but I still managed to get slightly sunburnt on my cheeks.

Parking lot does seem to get full in the morning. Given the length of the hike, it would be a good decision to get there early anyways.

Lots of relatively smooth trail good for running. This makes up about 2/3rds of the entire trail - a steady upwards incline. Once you get near the top, it opens up a bit and the last 2 miles is a ridge hike through some sort of fir or pine trees. I tracked 4,300 ft in elevation gain and 12.73 miles. If you want another extra challenge, go hike the falls as well. If you want less mileage or a change of scenery on the way down, go through the Mt. Si connector trail.

It was foggy and cloudy at top when I hiked, but unlike when Mt. Si gets foggy, the clouds do break every so often on one side of the summit. The other side has no luck with cloud breaks though. Summit also got a bit chilly so it would be a good idea to have a light jacket handy if you want to stay up there for a bit.

Lots of delicious salmon berries on the lower portions of the trail. There are flies and bugs but only really present in the mid-lower elevations. Very little bugs at the summit when I went, but likely due to the foggy...

TL:DR - only pros should attempt Kamikaze trail with correct gear. Started Mt. Teneriffe route at 8:25 am on 4/10 and took me 6 hr to summit thru Kamikaze trail. The route until the falls is very easy. After that it gets very challenging and there is no turning back due to the terrain. There are 2-3 spots before snow that pretty much involves freestyle rock climbing. With 30lb it is not a joke. I had to put my poles in the bag and was on all fours. At around 2800ft snow starts and it becomes even more challenging. Easy to get lost without gps. Before the ledge there is very difficult section where crampons are needed. Ice axe for self arrest. If you lose control you can easily go down 50-60 ft. Also cant have groups of more than 3 people at these spots. At ledge you need to remove crampons due to rocky areas or will slip. After ledge there is section goes left or right. The right one is more dangerous amd goes down 2500ft cliff. Take left section. Please avoid any extra weight not needed for hike - just bring essential items. The extra weight will throw center of gravity and pull you down at tricky sections. After summit need to come down facing towards mountain i.e backwards. Very difficult with all gear. Need good understanding when to use poles, when to use spikes and when to use crampons. The section coming down is only accessible after ledge so there is point of no return after falls, you have to clear the ledge....