Palisades Trail (#1198) is a 11.3 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Enumclaw, Washington that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
This trail has it all, from beautiful forests, good climbing and fun descents to technical sections with views of Mt. Rainier from cliffs that will inspire you. Start hiking through old growth timber. At a tenth of a mile cross Dalles Creek and for the next mile be careful as you hike through a series of short switchbacks in loose rock. You will gradually climb and cross Snoquera Creek at mile 3.7. At mile 4.7 you reach viewpoints of the White River Valley below. The next section of your hike will take you through a recent timber harvest area at mile 5.5. Another viewpoint of the valley below is just ahead at mile 5.7. At mile 6.6 is the junction with Ranger Creek Trail 1197.
No permit required. No toilet available.
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Enumclaw Office 450 Roosevelt Ave. E. Enumclaw, WA 98022 (360) 825-6585
Follow Highway 410 from Enumclaw east 28.1 miles (one quarter-mile past the Skookum Falls viewpoint) to wide area on left side of highway. Follow White River Trail #1199 0.2 miles to start of Palisades Trail.
April 7, 2021Hiked on 4/5/2021. Clear day for the beautiful views! Snow started at the bridge after the first viewpoint. Packed and icy, I used microspikes. Made it a mile past the third viewpoint but the trail became impossible to follow. There was a section with deep snow where we postholed up to our knees. Was hoping to complete the loop but turned around and went back the same way.
March 11, 2021Made it to the 2nd viewpoint and then turned around soon after since the trail was harder to follow. Wore micro spikes the whole way there and back.
March 2, 2021Did this on 3/1. Snow was pretty soft and so it made it slow-going with spikes. We made it to the first ledge when you come out of the trees as we were on a time crunch. We did venture off to find the upper falls, as was recommended to us by the only other pair we saw. Beautiful icicles and rock formations. My pilot did get stuck as I pulled off the side of the highway to park. So we spent 15-20 minutes shoveling and throwing down snow tracks to get it out. Lesson learned to not point my front end down hill. A beautiful snow day!
February 27, 2021was a good place to snow shoe. after the second overlook the snow got deep and it was impossible to follow the trail
February 20, 2021Awesome hike in the old growth forest with views of the valley below. We went to the second lookout and then turned around, about 7 miles. Snow on the trail and some deep patches that make it a good workout. We used poles and spikes but probably didn’t need them because snow was mostly heavy and wet.
February 17, 2021We went on 2/15 and there was about 4 inches of snow minimum the entire way. There were definitely sections that were waist high. My group all had micro spikes and gaiters and I’d highly recommend them right now with all of the snow. There are some narrow sections on the switchbacks that made it slightly hazardous since you can’t really see the edge because of the snow, so I’d also recommend hugging the side of the mountain to avoid slipping off down the side. Our intent was to finish the entire trail, but we had to turn around at the second lookout because of time as we didn’t want to get stuck out there after dark trying to make our way back. Didn’t see a single person on the entire trail. It was incredibly beautiful and quiet. It snowed the entire time and there were giant icicles that formed on the falls. We also saw a HUGE mountain goat on our way back! Unfortunately we couldn’t see much at any of the lookouts due to the weather, but we still got a sense of the vastness of the valley below. Overall a very fun hike and the snow added some really nice variety.
February 8, 2021Beautiful trail! Covered in fresh snow all the way up, thought we worked need to use microspikes but didn’t end up needing them. Only saw 3 other people, but otherwise had the whole trail to ourselves! My phone died at about the halfway point so my recording was cut short :( But we only ended up doing about 10.4 of the 11.3.
January 30, 2021January 30, 2021January 25, 2021Great hike with beautiful views at each viewpoint. Start of the hike was tough with a lot of elevation gain on the switchbacks. Not really any snow until the 2nd viewpoint. It was a beautiful day but only saw 5 other people the whole time. Didn’t need any spikes. Definitely worth it!
January 20, 2021Challenging day especially through the posthole sections as you couldn’t use snowshoes without risking breaking an ankle.
December 12, 2020Clear trail until mile 3.5 then some snow. Microspikes were handy on the icy bridge and on the compact snow on the trail. Great day with lots of sunshine.
November 30, 2020Very pretty and steep in spots. Saw elk in the distance. Trail is rocky and narrow in spots and the waterfalls were decently full. No snow until the second viewpoint. Put on my spikes for the descent. Viewpoints were gorgeous and enjoyed the varied terrain and the weather was perfect.
November 28, 2020Great views once the fog and clouds burned off. Benefited from micro spikes fir sure. Snowshoes would have Ben handy were it not for the hikers in front breaking trail. Fun hike.
November 8, 2020Light dusting of snow.
October 18, 2020moderate trail mainly in forest canopy
October 2, 2020September 6, 2020Some great views. Tough first 2 miles as trail climbs right from the start. Trail is dry and in great shape. Last water at mile 3. Very in crowded. Saw 4 bikers, 2 hikers, 1 runner, 1 dog and 3 deer.
August 29, 2020August 22, 2020August 22, 2020August 4, 2020Liked how shaded the trail was since it was 91 degrees out. Had some great views once you hiked past the waterfalls. Ran out of time, so I didn’t complete the entire trail - but I’ll be back!
July 19, 2020HOW DO I EDIT THE HIKE I DROVE OFF WHILE RECORDING
