Originally Posted: June 2021
Updated: January 2023
Mt. Teneriffe Summit Loop: Kamikaze Ridge to Rachor Pass
Teneriffe Falls fka Kamikaze Falls
Mount Teneriffe (4788’)
Rachor Pass
Teneriffe Bend
Route Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Taylor–Tolt Mountains
Area: Mt. Si Natural Resources Conservation Area
Starting & Ending Point: Mt. Teneriffe Trailhead on SE Mt. Si Road (Elev. 840 feet)
Way Points: Old Teneriffe Road-Trail Junction & Teneriffe Falls Trail Junction & Teneriffe Creek & Teneriffe Falls & Kamikaze Ridge & Teneriffe Summit Trail Junction & Northwest Teneriffe Knoll & Rachor Pass & Teneriffe Bend & Si-Teneriffe Junction & Upper Roaring Creek & Teneriffe Overlook & Lower Roaring Creek & Teneriffe Falls Trail Junction & Old Teneriffe Road-Trail Junction (trail hike & trail scramble)
High Point / Summit: Mt. Teneriffe (Elev. 4788 feet)
Approximate Stats: 10.0 miles traveled; 4250 feet gained & lost.
Typical Season: mid-March thru mid-November
Route Overview
For hikers living in the Puget Sound metro area and looking for a good, strenuous, one-day trek, the Mt. Teneriffe Summit Loop checks a lot of boxes: Short drive to a trailhead with ample parking? Check. Well-defined loop trail with minimal backtracking? Yep. Respectable mileage and elevation gain? You got it. Dramatic waterfall? Absolutely. Good summit views? Sure thing. Furthermore, if you do this loop on a weekday or during the shoulder seasons, you won’t see many other people. And even on a summer weekend, the crowds greatly diminish after the first few miles.
The Mt. Teneriffe Summit Loop begins and ends at the Mt. Teneriffe Trailhead on SE Mt. Si Road in North Bend. This trailhead features a large, asphalt-paved, nicely landscaped parking lot with a restroom and information board. A Washington State Discover Pass is required to park here. Also, be aware that the parking lot gate closes approximately at dusk each day; if you don’t make it out in time, your car will be locked in overnight (I know this from unpleasant experience).
Although the summit loop can be completed in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, I prefer the latter direction because it allows me to ascend the steepest terrain and to descend the more relaxed terrain. My knees like it much better. The route description given below conforms to this strategy.
Full Route Description
From the trailhead, curvy switchbacks lead upward through shady forest for ½ mile until encountering a T-intersection at an abandoned road. This is the old Mt. Teneriffe logging road, which was decommissioned many years ago and later converted to the Mt. Teneriffe hiking trail.
Turning left on the road-trail, walk for another 5 or 10 minutes to an obvious fork marked with a small sign. The Mt. Teneriffe Trail goes straight (left), and you will return via that trail near the end of your loop. For now, take a right onto the Teneriffe Falls Trail.
From the trail fork, you will begin climbing out of the valley bottom—first on an old, gently inclined, logging road and later on a steep, rocky, single-track trail. The trail gradually works its way over toward Teneriffe Creek, such that the roar of Teneriffe Falls can be heard in the distance.
Rocky switchbacks carry you upward alongside the creek and past Lower Teneriffe Fall. Eventually, you will reach the formal end of the trail at a small viewing platform cut into the bedrock at the base of Upper Teneriffe Fall (2.8 miles + 1700 feet from TH). This series of waterfalls was known as Kamikaze Falls for many decades but has been officially renamed Teneriffe Falls more recently. During the spring-summer runoff, the upper fall forms a very impressive “horsetail” that showers viewers with a fine mist.
After stopping to admire the waterfall, walk back from the viewing platform a dozen yards and locate a crude trail angling rightward up through the forest. This is the start of the Kamikaze Trail. Be aware that some maps do not show the correct starting location.
The Kamikaze Trail climbs steeply through the forest, making tight switchbacks in some places and simply going straight uphill in other places. The trail was never formally constructed; rather, it began as a footpath and gradually received informal improvements. I regard this part of the trek not so much a trail hike as it is a trail scramble.
Approximately 300 vertical feet above Upper Teneriffe Fall, you will reach the crest of Kamikaze Ridge at a little step. Here, the trail turns sharply northeastward (leftward) and continues along the narrow ridge crest. Any expectation that the trail gradient will decrease is soon found to be false; it continues climbing at a steep angle and even has a few Class 2-3 rock steps thrown in.
After a seemingly relentless ascent, the trail crosses over a minor shoulder in the ridge at approximately 3900 feet. The gradient becomes more reasonable for a while, and the forest remains quite pleasant.
At an elevation around 4200 feet, the Kamikaze Trail suddenly breaks out of the dense forest and passes through a large patch of scrub cedar trees. Steep snow often lingers in this area during the late spring and early summer months, making micro-spike crampons very handy for traction. There is also a rock outcrop that requires 20 feet of scrambling to surmount.
Shortly above the patch of scrub cedars, the trail abruptly comes to the edge of a broad, vegetated ridge that drops off steeply on the other side. The Snoqualmie River Valley sprawls out below, and the summit of Mt. Teneriffe can now be seen as a rocky knob at the top of the ridge.
A short hike and an easy rock scramble leads to the rounded 4788-foot summit (4.1 miles + 4000 feet from TH). Sit down and soak in the nearby views of Mailbox Peak, Mt. Washington, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Mt. Si. On a clear day, you will also be able to see Mt. Baker to the northwest, Glacier Peak to the northeast, and Mt. Rainier to the south.
To continue along the counter-clockwise loop, hike back down your ascent route for approximately 100 vertical feet and look for a trail coming through the forest on your right (north). It can be very difficult to spot when the hillside is covered by snow; in this case, simply pick a location and start contouring northward through the forest until intersecting the crest of Mt. Teneriffe’s northwest ridge, then head directly down the crest.
You are now on the Mt. Teneriffe Trail, which follows the ridge crest downward to a woodsy saddle and then continues northwesterly over the top of a gentle knoll. On the far side of the knoll, both the ridge and the trail veer leftward a bit and keep descending. Eventually, a distinctive corridor (presumably a man-made fire break) appears on the crest. When the ground is snow-covered, it is actually easier to follow this corridor downward rather than trying to sleuth out the trail.
The formal trail and the fire-break corridor meet at 4200-foot Rachor Pass—a broad saddle between Mt. Teneriffe and Blowdown Mountain. Rachor Lake sits 700 feet below the north side of this pass. The Mt. Teneriffe Trail turns left (west) and skirts across the head of Teneriffe Creek, first losing 200 feet of elevation and then regaining 50 feet. At a point about 1 mile beyond Rachor Pass, the trail reaches a minor high point as it curves over a spur ridge. This is “Teneriffe Bend,” and it’s all downhill from here.
Just as you leave Teneriffe Bend and start to descend, be sure to look up. This specific location provides a unique and very surprising view of “The Haystack” on Mt. Si.
From Teneriffe Bend, the trail drops steadily through dense forest, soon passing a junction with the Mt. Si Connector Trail (“Si-Ten Junction”). Views in the forest are limited, but perhaps you will find some satisfaction in traveling along this fine example of a road-to-trail conversion project.
As you descend farther into the valley, you will pass two more connector trails leading over to the Mt. Si Trail. The Mt. Teneriffe Trail then abruptly levels out and begins an eastward traverse, crossing a series of three sturdy wooden bridges.
Immediately after crossing the third wooden bridge, you will arrive at a junction with the Teneriffe Falls Trail, thereby closing your loop. From here, simply retrace your incoming route back to the starting trailhead (10.0 miles + 4250 feet for total trek).
Route Map & Profile
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