Rattlesnake Ridge

Infobox Mountain
Name = Rattlesnake Mountain
Photo = Rattlesnake Ledge.jpg
Caption = Rattlesnake Ledge with Rattlesnake Lake in the foreground
Elevation = 3,294 ft (1,004 m) [cite web
url=Gnis3|1524897
title=Rattlesnake Mountain on GNIS (Geographic Names Information System)]
Location = Washington State, USA
Range = Cascades
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|47|27|30|N|121|48|22|W|type:mountain_region:US
Topographic

First ascent =
Easiest route =

Rattlesnake Ridge (sometimes called Rattlesnake Ledge or Rattlesnake Mountain) is a mountain ridge located south of North Bend, Washington. It rises from the intersection of State Route 18 and I-90 and runs southeast about seven air miles or eleven trail miles. At convert|3517|ft|m in elevation, it is the highest and easternmost of the Issaquah Alps (although Cedar Butte in the gap between Rattlesnake Ledge and the Cascade front at Mount Washington is considered by Harvey Manning to be a quasi-Alp). A complicated maze of abandoned logging roads and constructed trails have been strung together to provide a 13-mile foot path from the Snoqualmie Point Trailhead at Exit 27 on I-90 all the way to the Rattlesnake Lake trailhead near Exit 32.

Since the North Bend area was the real town used for exterior shots in the television show Twin Peaks, the East Peak of Rattlesnake Ridge could be considered one of the two real Twin Peaks (the other one being Mount Si which looms on the other side of the freeway).Fact|date=April 2007

Legal status

Most of the mountain is owned by the state of Washington or King County, and is protected as "Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area",managed jointly by Washington State Department of Natural Resources and King County Park and Recreation Department. Southern section of the mountain, closed to public, is owned by Seattle Water Department, while large sections in the western part of the ridge are owned by Weyerhaeuser Corporation, which conducts substantial logging operations there. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/042299/ratt22.html "A lookout of legendary proportions: Vital link in greenway, Rattlesnake Mountain sets stage for stunning views"] By GREG JOHNSTON, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER.]

Directions

To get to the more popular eastern entrance to the park (the one closest to Rattlesnake Ledge), take I-90 to Exit 32, labeled 436th Ave. Go South on 436th Ave, which passes RiverBend and Wilderness Rim subdivisions. 436th Ave becomes Cedar Falls Road. Around convert|2.85|mi|km you come to Rattlesnake Lake parking lot on the right. The road continues for a short distance where it ends at the [http://www.cedarriver.org/ Cedar River Watershed Education Center] . ( [http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=704223 Pedometer Gmap] )

The western entrance is near Exit 27 on I-90.

Public transportation access to the park is limited: the closest point Seattle city buses get to is the Factory Outlet Stores stop in downtown North Bend, a few miles from the park's eastern entrance.

References

External links

* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/030697/hikepix1.html Photo of Rattlesnake Ridge by Karen Sykes] (probably from Little Mt. Si)
* [http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/Activities/Hiking/rattlesnakeridge.htm Rattlesnake Ridge]
* [http://people.omnigroup.com/andrew/journal/2004/20040410rattlesnakeridge/ Rattle Snake Ridge] April 10, 2004
* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/164117_hike11.html Hike Of The Week: Once rough route is kinder and gentler] Karen Sykes "The Post Intelligencer" March 11, 2004