rattlesnake ridge (august 2014)

Okay, so I guess I lied about the Ross Lake post being next. I forgot about this scenic hike we took towards the end of August. Kevin wanted to show one of his coworkers (new to hiking) a moderate trail and, although we had never ventured out on this particular trek before, we had heard good things about it. 

Rattlesnake Ridge/Ledge is a 4 mile hike with 1160 ft elevation gain. WTA.org describes it as "a fine hike on a well maintained, albeit busy trail through the forest with views of the Cedar River watershed, Mount Si, Mount Washington, Rattlesnake Lake and Chester Morse Lake". 

That said, here's my feedback on the hike:

• We ventured out on a beautiful day so that was an immediate plus!
• Parking was a bit tricky, but we managed to find a spot.
• WTA's description of RR being a "busy trail" is very accurate, which makes it not super great for a large family with young children--if you fall into that category, pack your patience and be prepared to help your kiddos carefully stay to the right of the trail and navigate through the flow of hikers.
• The difficulty level of the hike itself was nice (not too hard/not too easy for the typical hiker).
• The view at the top is definitely beautiful (particularly on a nice day), and there is quite a bit of space for lots of people to rest.
• If you think you might be interested in an over-priced popsicle at the top of the trail bring a bit of cash just in case--I've never seen a vendor on a hike before, but there was a couple at the top who had hauled a cooler all the way up and were in fact offering icy treats for a pretty penny. We didn't actually purchase anything--hadn't anticipated needing money, but seems worth noting.

And now for the pics ... 

Here's a view looking up at the ridge from the bottom of the hike. 

Close-up of the ridge. 

And now us at the top of the ridge looking down (we didn't actually take any pics on the way up)!

And a close-up of us. Isn't the water gorgeous?!! You can tell it was a sunny NW day, because pretty much none of my kids could look at the camera without their eyes burning. 

And then we ventured back down to the bottom ...

To relax in the sun ... 

And PLAY!!

If you can, plan this hike for a nice warm day! That way you (or at least your kiddos) can take advantage of the refreshing Rattlesnake Lake. 

Ours sure did!!

Made it worth the crowds I suppose ...

To have a prize like this at the end. 

Fun times outdoors with the family!!