Rattlesnake Ledge Trail,WA

It’s a Sunday morning and you don’t get to experience temperatures greater than 80 degrees in Seattle area often. Well we’ve been enjoying the Summer in Seattle and it’s always great to be out on hikes especially during excellent weather. Rattlesnake Trails has been on my list for a very long time but got skipped multiple times.

Rattlesnake Trail has one of the best views that I have visited so far in Washington state. The trail path is well maintained but the elevation gain is very steep at most places from beginning to end of the trail. This is a 4 mile roundtrip but the steep elevation does put you into a tiresome mode if you are not well prepared. The trail is not wide enough and can get too crowded especially during weekend hikes to let other hikers pass by.

We did this hike with my mother who was finding it challenging with the elevation gain. She has done several hikes with us within Washington State and Alaska region but the slope at Rattlesnake was definitely difficult for her.
We were amazed by her confidence and she did make it to the top along with us. Plan to take breaks and always good to do hikes in a group that will help you keep busy, engaged and have fun as a group.

The trail path to the view got tougher towards the end as the inclination was steady. As we knew there is a big surprise awaiting us at the top, we had the drive & urge to continue climbing up the path. We were almost there and came across 2 folks who were selling popsicles that was right next to the view.

I had a great feeling of achievement and wanted to finish it off with a popsicle :-). This is the first time we came across people selling items especially on a high altitude which did help many hikers to cool themselves after the intense hike.

This is the worth the hike as you will experience the breathtaking views of the Northwest region. You will be immersed in the beauty of the picturesque views that you’ll forget any pain and the tough breathing encountered during the hike. My son who was active hiker in this trail today asked us “Why do you guys breathe so heavily?. I’m hearing almost everyone panting?”. We felt happy for him as he didn’t complain much in this trail.

We spent good amount of time at the top enjoying the awesome views. The beautiful view of the lake from the top was glittering and shining that will make you stay for some more time relaxing there before heading down the trail.

Overall this was a very good hike and would recommend people to visit at least once. As I said earlier this hike has lot of elevation gains and makes it tougher for young kids and elderly people with medical conditions. In our hike we did come across many young children complete the hike.

Driving Directions
From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 32 for 436th Avenue SE. Turn right onto 436th Avenue SE, road becomes Cedar Falls Road SE. Proceed about four miles down the road to the Rattlesnake Lake parking lot on the right.