Noble Knob
Region: South Cascades and Mount Rainier
Roundtrip Miles: 5.0
Elevation Gain (feet): 900
Best Month(s): late August
Hikeable: July-November
Trailhead Coordinates: 47.051170, -121.523684
Pass: NW Forest
Features: mountain views, wild berries, fall foliage, wildflowers
Water: none, unless you descend to George Lake
Time: With all our photo stops and time spent playing in the lake (Noble Knob + George Lake is 6.75 miles, 1200 feet), it ended up being about a 4-hour adventure, not counting drive-time to and from the trailhead. It took us about 1 hour to get to Noble Knob from the trailhead. We hung out up here for a bit before heading down to George Lake. It took us probably another 30 minutes to get down from Noble Knob to the lake. We played for a while here. It was about 45 minutes back up to the junction with the Noble Knob trail. Then another 45 minutes from here back to the trailhead. It would have been much shorter if we had just done Noble Knob…more like 2-2.5 hours.
Summary: This is one of my all-time favorite hikes, especially in the 3rd or 4th week of August when the wild blueberries and alpine strawberries are ripe! The road up to this trailhead is long, about 10 miles of it (after the turn from FR 70 onto FR 72) is on gravel/dirt with some nasty washboarding, so take your time. Try to get up here as early in the morning as you can to 1) beat the heat, 2) have the sun behind you and not behind the mountain so photos are better, and 3) potentially have the trail to yourself, especially on a weekday. You also have the option of tying in a trip down to George Lake for the dogs to swim if you’re feeling up for adding another 1.75 miles roundtrip and about 300 feet of elevation loss and then gain. This was definitely worth it for us because it was starting to get warm and the dogs loved the lake swim. Also, this is where most of the berries are! Even if you don’t add on the George Lake post-summit detour, Noble Knob on its own is a fantastic destination. We saw Pika about a mile into the trail. This is also a hike best done on a clear day because of the gorgeous view of Mount Rainier to be had along much of the trail, but especially at the peak. The first 1.5 miles were relatively easy and flat, although the burned out forest from the Norse Peak Fire made parts of the hillside trail less solid. After that you hit a couple steep climbs which lead you to a meadow where you can go left to George Lake or straight/right to Noble Knob. Do Noble Knob first if you’re doing both. Trust me, you’ll lose motivation to climb more if you do the lake first. The view from the Knob is just breathtaking. This trail can get pretty dusty as summer progresses and the wind up on the ridge makes the dust extra fun, so I’d recommend bringing a bandana and sunglasses or safety glasses.
Post-hike Food Stop:
- Wally’s Drive-In (Buckley): milkshakes, fries, and burgers all delicious…the fish not so much.
Note: The restaurants and breweries denoted with * are potentially dog-friendly for their outdoor seating. Their patio dining may only be open during summer, however. You should always check with each restaurant to see if outdoor space has a separate entrance and if they are willing to accommodate well-behaved dogs. I would never assume just because a place has allowed dogs in the past that this is still the case.