Tips For Your First Hike Up The Mailbox Peak 'Hard' Route

SEATTLE, WA - Calling one of the routes up to the top of Mailbox Peak the "hard route" isn't totally accurate - both trails leading to the Mailbox summit are hard, but one is much harder than the other.

Up until a few years ago, the only way to get up Mailbox was a via a climb straight up the east face of the mountain. It's a tough hike full of roots, mud, and more roots (now there's a new route courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources trail takes a much longer route to the top).

A new King County Trailhead Direct shuttle service to Mailbox begins Saturday morning. The shuttle ferries hikers from Twin Falls Middle School to Mailbox, not directly from Seattle - but it's a much better option than taking a chance on parking at the mountain

If you want to check the Mailbox Peak hard route off your Cascades checklist, here are a few tips for your first time:

• First, you have to find the old trail. After leaving the parking lot, you'll find the new trail clearly marked by a sign. But if you go past the sign up the narrow forest road, you'll find the old trail about 1,200 feet ahead on the left.
• The trail gets steep quickly and only gets tougher as you go. You'll probably encounter a few people along the trail, but not many. Some will be huffing and puffing, others will somehow be hiking with no problem (this reporter once climbed old Mailbox and got lapped twice on the way up by a guy wearing running shoes).
• Bring a backpack with water and food (and beer maybe) and a sturdy pair of boots. You don't need any special gear to climb the old trail, just your wits.
• About midway up, you might start to lose sight of the trail because the mountainside is covered in roots. At this point, it doesn't really matter where you hike. As long as you keep going roughly east, you'll find your way back to the trail.
• You might think the hike is over after the root zone, but it's not. The old trail teases you with views of what looks like the end. Try to keep an even pace the whole way up to avoid fatigue.
• The hike gets significantly easier when the old trail meets the new trail - but you still have pretty far to go before the summit (where the namesake mailbox is). Thankfully, the DNR recently redid the trail to the summit, cutting the distance in half. The hike to the summit is mostly over a gentle staircase fashioned out of rocks - enjoy the scenery!
• On a sunny day, the Mailbox summit offers uninterrupted views of the I-90 corridor and a unique view of Mt. Rainier. It also might be a little less crowded than nearby Mt. Si and Teneriffe.
• Take the new trail on the way down. It's way longer than the old trail, but it's a safer bet for your tired legs.
• If you want to reward yourself for making it through a tough hike, there's a Popeye's Kitchen at the truck stop near Twin Falls Middle School. A fried chicken meal will replace all the calories you burned on the hike!

Find Trailhead Direct schedules here.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch