Mailbox

Mailbox Peak is an 8-mile hike near Seattle with an actual mailbox at the top, which I think is kind of cool. The mailbox is usually covered by stickers and full of stuff left there by other hikers. One time I went up, there was a tiny statue of a chihuahua glued inside. The next time I went, only its paws were left!

I’ve hiked Mailbox 3 times now, in spring, summer and fall. It gets snowy and icy early fall and stays that way until mid-spring. It’s branded as a loop trail, but is really two up-and-back trails: the old trail and the new trail. The new trail has lots of switch backs and is kind of winding and long. The old trail is steep and goes straight up – you can save *hours* by taking the old trail. As a training hike, I prefer the old trail.

The top is above Seattle’s usual cloud level, so it has great views, especially of Rainier. I also like being able to look down onto the clouds that I’ve hiked up through.

Don’t forget to take a reward snack at the top!