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The Pratt Valley Connector Trail





Sign post at the upper end of the connector (near Pratt Lake). The sign says trail #1007 (same as the Pratt Lake trail). The latest Green trails map shows it as trail #1035 (same as the Pratt Valley trail).

Entering or Leaving the Pratt via Pratt Lake

      At the up-river end of the Pratt Valley is the Connector trail. This trail is shown as a full green line on the latest Green Trails map (Map 207S Snoqualmie Pass Gateway). I think this is a bit of an over-statement. The trail has some challenges both on the top (near Pratt Lake) and at the bottom (getting across the Pratt River).       You should be prepared to do some route-finding on this trail and know how to get yourself down and back up again (or the other way if you came from Pratt Lake). The middle section is actually in pretty decent shape, being maintained by a group of volunteers who do it completely out of passion.


      Use some caution here. You will be far from help, your cell phone probably won't work, and there are opportunities to get into trouble. The Middle Fork River, the Pratt River, and Kaleetan Creek are dangerous, if not impossible, to cross except during dry times like late July through September.

From Pratt Lake to the Pratt Valley Trail (down hill)


      There are three key challenges in going down the Connector trail:

      1)      Finding the Start of the Trail: The trail starts just across the outlet of Pratt Lake and down-stream a couple of hundred yards (this is important, it is not straight across). Don't go too far, it starts before the outlet stream starts to drop off more steeply. The picture below shows where the trail start is. The sign at the top of this page is at the start of the trail.


      2)      Along the trail: Generally the trail is easy to follow for the approximately 2 miles to the 8-mile stump (this is an old stump with metal marker with an "8" on it. It marks 8 miles from the original start of the old Pratt trail which started at the current Granite Mtn trailhead near Exit 47 on I-90. Ironically, it is almost exactly halfway, so it is about 8 miles from the current start at the mouth of the Pratt). This key marker is in a switchback. WARNING: There is a very old trail that goes straight at this stump and trends down to the river. It gets very vague very quick. Switchback at the stump and continue down.

To aid in finding your way, it is worthwhile taking a GPS waypoint at this stump, it can be quite useful coming back. If not, spend some time with your map making sure you know where you are.

      3)      Getting across the Pratt River: The trail continues from the 8-mile stump becoming increasingly indistinct. Eventually it dissappears in a featureless second growth forest. You can now proceed directly to the river, cross, and go up to the railroad grade. The railroad grade may feel further up the hill than you expect but it is there and very distinct.


From the Pratt Valley Trail to Pratt Lake (up hill)


      The key to getting up to Pratt Lake is finding the connector trail. The new Green Trails map 207S, Snoqualmie Pass Gateway is extremely useful for navigating here since it shows where the trail is (or should be down by the river).

      1)      Crossing the Pratt: There is a very indistinctly marked spot where the trail leaves the railroad grade and heads to the river. It is kind of a little waytrail with a pink flag. There are sporadic pink flags beyond that which you may or may not be able to find. You will notice the Pratt Valley trail goes away very quickly after you pass the Connector Trail. If you come across a piece of rail and some track connectors on your left in a little puddle, you have gone about 1/4 mile too far (this may hard to find, so don't depend on it).

      2)      Finding the Trail: Most likely you have crossed the river a little east (upstream) of where you need to be to hit it going straight up hill. So head up hill while trending fairly hard to your right. If you have a GPS and the waypoint for the 8-mile stump you can head for that. Generally, you will eventually hit the trail it's just a matter of whether you get the first switchback or the second. Pay attention to the topography, you do not want to trend over into the Kulla Kulla Creek drainage (are you seeing why you have to have a good topo map?).

      3)      Finding the Pratt Lake Trail: Once you find the connector trail, continue up until you come to the outlet of Pratt Lake. Remember, if you aren't walking on trail tread after the 8-mile stump, you are off the trail, backtrack until you find the trail. The Pratt Lake Trail is on the other side of the outlet stream and to your right. It's not hard to find.

Some useful GPS waypoints

      I offer the following GPS coordinates to help finding key points on the Connector Trail. Now, I am not going to guarantee this coordinates and would advise that you should not trust your life to them (or any GPS coordinates you get off the Internet). A nice thing to remember is that if you require a GPS to get around, then off-trail travel in the Middle Fork is over your head. Got it?

Coordinates for Where to leave the RR grade to cross the Pratt (measured by other)

N47deg 27.038' W121deg 31.114'


Coordinates for 8-mile stump (as measured on 8/29/2009)

N47deg 26.912' W121deg 31.398'


Coordinates for Pratt Lake Camp (as measured on 8/29/2009)

N47deg 26.377' W121deg 30.697'

      Some of the features discussed above are shown in the map below:




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