This was my first real Washington hike, and I agree with Lauren P. that the WTA description was very helpful in finding this trail. As a beginning hiker who is trying to get in shape, I usually choose easy hikes because I never know just how«easy» they really will be. And this is the reason. For an experienced hiker, or a pretty fit person, this might be considered easy. But this hike was quite challenging for me due to the constant(although not very steep) incline. I would call this more moderate just due to the steady incline. I also took the summit trail, and was so relieved when we reached the top! The view is quite nice. The viewpoint is small, but there was no one up there when we arrived so that wasn’t an issue. I liked this trail because it wasn’t very crowded. We passed a few groups on the way up and a few on the way down, but most of the time had the trail to ourselves. We arrived at about 11:30am and passed Rattlesnake, which was insanely packed. The lot for the Iron Horse State Park, where you park for the Cedar Butte Trail, was virtually empty. You do need a discover pass to park there, which I think is totally worth it at $ 30/year. My tracker told me this was just over 4 miles out and back, and it took my husband and I about 2 hours.
Lauren P.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Kent, WA
This trail is kind of confusing to find, with it being on the John Wayne connecter trail. As long as you read the WTA description, you’ll be okay! The hike is very mild at the beginning(more of a walk, than anything else). Once you get to the actual Cedar Butte Trailhead though, it gets pretty intense. Straight incline! However, you’re only at the incline for like 30 minutes. After that, you reach a flat junction where you can take one of three paths. Take the summit! You’ll be facing about another 20 minutes of incline, but once you reach the top it’s worth it. The clearing at the top isn’t very big, unfortunately. So if the trail is busy, don’t expect a place to sit at the top. However, there was only one other group at the top so we got quite a relaxing break. When all was said and done, this hike only took about 2.5 hours which is really quick! For anybody looking for a quick, but still moderately challenging hike, this is the one for you!
