Finding Mud Mountain Dam
Posted on Tuesday, 19 August 2008
On Sunday afternoon I wanted to go for a motorcycle ride. I did not have a destination in mind, but I knew I wanted to go a little farther than my longest jaunts to-date to Black Diamond. I decided to head in that direction and keep going. As I drove up HWY 169 through Enumclaw, I considered continuing on HWY 410 and making the trip up Mount Rainier … but the rainclouds in the distance made me change my mind. So instead, I took a right at the junction and drove past the King County Fairgrounds. I followed the very straight and increasingly slow road until it veered left and turned uphill. The road began to twist and turn in a quiet forest as it gained altitude. At the top was a sign for the Mud Mountain Dam recreation area off to the right. In all my years of driving through Enumclaw I had never heard of Mud Mountain Dam, but I figured it would be a nice place to stop.
After I pulled into the parking area by the viewpoint, I hit the engine cutoff switch on my bike and was startled by the immediate silence. When I am riding around I do not really notice how loud my bike is, and never before had it been more apparent to me than at that moment. I also noticed that I had pulled in right next to a car where a young boy was sitting in the back, reading a book. I felt a small pang of remorse at having “spoiled” someone’s serenity and made a mental note to pay more attention to where I park in the future.
The lower trail from the viewpoint was closed, so my visit was short. Off to one side I think part of the backside of the dam is visible (as in the photo). And off to the other side is the White River flowing through a canyon. I was bummed the trail was closed, and I could see coming back again some time for the hike and a better view of the dam.
Mud Mountain Dam Park
30525 SE Mud Mountain Rd
Enumclaw, WA 98022
360.825.3211
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