If you have been hiking around Pacific North West, you probably have heard Mailbox peak trail as one of the most challenging trails around the region. With a 4000 ft (1213 m) elevation gain in 2.7 miles (4.3 km), the Mailbox peak old trail challenges even the very experienced hikers. But with great challenges, comes great views.
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| On Mailbox Peak; Mt. Rainier in the distance |
Being aware of the difficulty of the old trail, a "easier" new trail was build recently for a safer hike to the peak. The new trail is twice as long as the old trail, but the incline is more gentle and the road is more defined. My friends and I, all being beginner hikers, used the new trails to summit the mailbox peak. For this blog post, I want to share my experience of hiking the mailbox peak new trail and give you some information on what to prepare for this hike.
Time/Distance/Trail condition
Due to all being beginner hikers, we choose to hike up and down using the new trail. Most people hike up the old trail and down the new trail. Since it is easy to get lost hiking on the old trail as a beginner hiker, and it is physically very challenging, we decided to take the safer route.
We left early and started hiking at around 7 am.
At around 10:20 am, we reached the mailbox peak with hiking distance over 5 miles and elevation gain over 4000 ft (1200 km).
After resting for 20 mins, we started hiking down. We finished our hike at around 2:30 pm.
So it took us 7.5 hours to hike the 10.3 miles long new trail up and down.
Hiking up
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Walking in the woods
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The new trial is well maintained and is very defined. The trail is a little bit muddy even when it's not raining, but at least there weren't many bugs. For the first 2 miles of hike, the incline was very gentle, and we were basically just chilling and enjoying the walk in the woods.
After the first 2 miles, the trail started to grow steeper and narrower; my legs started to burn and the rocks on the road really hurt my ankle. We took some short rests to replenish water and stamina.
We pushed on for 2 more miles, and the woods started to clear up. We could see some views of the far away mountains and that really cheered us up. There were barely any people at that point.
At 4.7 miles, roughly 2.5 hours after we started, the new trail is joined by the old trail. The trail started to become crowded and we had to step to the side from time to time for people to pass.
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The rocky trail
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The last 1 miles of hiking was the hardest. It started with a rocky trail that is narrow (two-men's-wide) but less steep. Shortly, the rocky trial ends and it turns into a very steep dusty road. It was like a 40~50 degree incline, and we had to use our hands to stabilize ourselves. At that point, my friend was already exhausted, so I tried cheering her up with the ancient technique, called: "we are almost there." And it worked wonderfully.
We reached the mailbox peak at around 10:20 AM.
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| A woman with her dog at the mailbox peak |
Hiking down
Hiking down is physically more challenging than mentally does.
The dusty, steep trail is hard to hike down at first; but it is manageable if you proceed with caution.
One mistake we made was walking too fast. We almost ran at some part of the trail, because of that, we ended up needing more rest and consuming more time than we did hiking up.
Going downhill also hurts our ankles and knees a lot. But knowing delicious food was waiting for us, we pushed on.
Things to Prepare
Here are the list of things that we took for this hike:
- 1.5 L of water
- Lots of Snacks
- Jacket (since it is cold and windy at the peak)
- first aid kit
- One pair of socks (It is possible to get wet when crossing the creek)
- Camera
- Hand sanitizers/Face mask/tissues/garbage bag
Things to Know
Trail condition: Since the trail is easy to navigate and easy to walk on, we wasn't worried about getting lost on the way. There were a few creeks crossing the new trails, but stepping stones and bridges were set to help crossing. However, please know that it can be dangerous to hike while there are snows covering the trail. And it can get muddy at rainy days.
Phone signal: There are barely any signals on the trail. But there will be some signals on the peak.
Time: It is better to start early, because it is not as warm, less crowded, and gives us enough time to hike down before sunset. It can be hard to find parking if you arrive late.
Trail head: The entrance of the new trail is hard to spot. It will be on your left shortly after you walk up from the parking lot. Look for the information board, and that's the trail head of the new trail.
Parking: Parking can be hard to find if you arrive late. Discovery pass is also required to park there.
Mailbox peak trails can be challenging, but the views at the top is definitely worth the efforts and sweats. And it looks like one tradition is to bring some snacks and put it into the mailbox when you reached the peak. We found a sorts of wired stuffs in the mailbox, and we left some energy bars in there too for anyone in need. Lastly, when you reach the peak, don't forget to touch the mailbox and take a photo with your friend to signify your summit!
Best,
Bryan Yuan
09/09/2020
