Guide - Mt Electric - W7W/KG-141

Drive Guide - Mt Electric from Seattle

• Duration: 0:55
• Google Maps
  • From foo to trailhead: https://tinyurl.com/mt-electric-3
• Seasonal/Limited Access: All weather except deep snow. Last mile is dirt.
• Directions:
  • North on 35th Ave NE and go 2.3
  • R on Lake City Way and go 3.7
  • McDonalds on L. Continue by turning L out of parking lot onto SR 522 and go 5.4
  • Exit: NE 195th St
  • R on NE 195th St / North Woodinville Way / NE Woodinville Duvall Rd and go 9.4
  • After crossing bridge, L on Main St and go 0.1
  • Bear R on NE Cherry Valley Rd and go 4.3
  • Bear R onto Kelly Rd and go 2.4
  • Hard L onto Stossel Creek / Swan Mill and go 2.5
    • Pavement ends after 1.4 miles at 47.72178, -121.87685
    • Drive 1.1 past end of pavement. Dirt road in good condition but there are surprise potholes.
  • Park at intersection at top of hill.
• Food:
  • Penultimate McDonalds: Kenmore (before Bothell)
  • Last McDonalds: Woodinville (off route a little)

Trail Guide

• Duration: 1.5 miles, 1:20 up; 1:00 down
• Navigation:
  • If driving from Seattle, take the gated road on your LEFT. It is northwest. Uphill.
  • The walk on the road is easy. The bushwhack went very slow due to dense ferns making it impossible to see where I was putting my feet. Many soft spots, requiring probing with my hiking poles. I fell on the way out when the ground gave way.

• GPS-failure Return Route: Head E back to trail and turn R.

• Trailhead altitude: 602
• Summit altitude: 1090
• GPS tracks/waypoints:
  • Trailhead: 47.7229 -121.8565
  • Possible Bushwhack 1: 47.729,-121.8595
  • Possible Bushwhack 2: 47.7363,-121.8593
  • Summit: 47.7394,-121.863
  • Grid Square: CN97br
• The gate at 47.72296, -121.85669 was open on 2022.09.25.
• Temperature: When it was 46 at the trailhead (per car thermometer), it was 51 in Seattle (per Wunderground).

Where IS the Activation Zone?

The activation zone MAY include some of the road. I had inconsistent elevation results measuring with my GPS. On the way in, the grade from bushwhack start to the summit measured as steeper than on the way out.

• On the way in, I measure as marginally in the activation zone at the bushwhack begin, but not just before there.
• On the way out, I measured you as in the zone all the way from the summit up the road to 47.72952,-121.85848.

I’m skeptical of the “way out” data points, because they indicate that the high point on the road near the knob SE of Mt Electric is only 3’ below the summit, which is implausible (at best).

The only way to know for certain would be to measure a loop from:

• “Turn 1”
• “Turn 2”
• Up the road to “Bushwhack Begin”
• Through the summit
• Through the saddle at 47.7381,-121.8613
• Across the knob at 47.73754, -121.86048 (Not “Hill 1110” at 47.73203, -121.86035)
• Through Turn 2
• And back to Turn 1

… getting similar elevations on both passes through Turn 1 and Turn 2. The “mapbuilder overlay” at caltopo.com shows the full loop as maybe just barely within the AZ.

Summit Guide

• Hang antenna from tree: Yes/No
• Space to guy mast: Yes/No
• Cell coverage: AT&T=SMS reliable in 2022
• APRS=failed in 2022 from the summit, but worked and got a fast ACK at the road high point at 47.73134,-121.85936.
  • You might be able to get out on APRS if you elevated your antenna
• Cell was 1-bar LTE, but functional, at the trailhead

Plan-B Candidates

• None identified yet.