Hiked up Beverly Turnpike trail on a BC skiing adventure to ski the N face of Iron Peak. The road is now open to the TH (two weeks ago we skied up the road on two feet of snow-fast melt) and the Turnpike trail is snow free until around 4000 feet where the snowpack quickly deepens. The ford of Bean Creek was a little sloppy as the flow is still pretty high and the logs across the crossing point are minimal. The lower section of the Bean Creek basin trail also looked melted out. The upper basin below Iron Peak is still fully snowbound and a large cornice still hangs from the ridge along Iron Peak. Great skiing from Iron Peak down through the basin but it looks to be a couple of weeks before the worst of the higher levels now melts from the Teanaway, especially on north facing aspects.

After a foiled plan for St Helens due to the high avalanche conditions, we came up with the idea of our old stand-by: the Teanaway. First plan was Navaho Peak. However, that plan was foiled due to a large sign right at the junction of N Fork Teanaway road and the Stafford Creek road which said "road closed due to logging operation". Yikes! Heading up the main road a bit more, we encounter a sign saying "logging operations", and indeed, see LOTS of trees by the road, huge piles of debris, etc. We set up a car camp partway up to the (now closed due to snow and the logging operation, I suspect) Beverly campground. In fact, due to the logging operations, there are very few dispersed recreation camping options at this moment. Also, the road is blocked due to snow just beyond the bridge to the Johnson/Medra trail.
So, the final decision for the hike was Iron Peak accessed via the Beverly trail. We were able to drive perhaps a 1/3 of the way to the TH, parking at a wide spot with 4 other vehicles. Some of the snow piles on the road to the true TH should be melted out quickly, but a few are a couple of feet deep and may take a while.
From the actual TH, the way was primarily on snow. The crossing of Bean creek has some wet logs. On the way up, we were "chicken" and changed into our wading shoes, leaving them behind a tree for our return. The first 1/2 mile or so are easy to follow between bits of trail and obvious openings in the trees. The next 1/2 mile are a little more challenging as the trees are closer and the obvious openings fewer. But after that, we opened into the wide upper basin, just setting our sites of Bills Peak first, before turning into the upper basin and Teanaway/Iron Peaks. At about this point, after seeing no one all day, we head snowmobiles, and in fact encountered a party of 4 who were cruising this basin, and doing a bit of highmarking, initiaing some sluffs in the process. I think snowmobiles are legal here, but not sure...
Getting up to the Iron Peak ridge meant getting into some steeper terrain, and mainly pointedly avoiding the cornices - which were large and remarkable to see! There was basically one spot to ascend the ridge safely. From there, we went all the way out to the top, one rocky prominence barren of snow. In fact, we found the summit register, which needs to have more paper added.
The way down was fairly straightforward, the snow not as soft was we had worried about. We forded Bean Creek on the logs on the descent, and managed to avoid very wet boots. The only "hard" was the soft snow on the rest of the trail, then the walk on the road back to the car.
Awesome views and always a treat to get back to the Teanaway each spring!!!

Drove to Beverly Creek TH of the Teanaway River Road. Road in good condition. Lots of hunters camping and on the trails. We had forgotten to bring the usual orange accoutraments that we wear this time of year, but found a red emergency blanket and orange vapor barrier socks, emergency bivy bag, and cotton T-shirt among our supplies and once draped or tied on to pack and worn over fleece, did the trick. Very cold starting off but by afternoon I was hiking uphill in a short sleeved t-shirt (fine as long as I kept moving). Gorgeous day. Saw only three friendly hunters within 2 miles of the TH and no one else all day. Not so much reds and yellows along the path but larches below Earl Pk are almost near peak. Snow varied from none to a dusting to about one foot. We looped up Beverly Creek, along trail 1226.1, cutting south after the Hardscrabble Creek junction and up and over Earl's NE ridge. Soaked up the views from the summit, then dropped off the SSW ridge to pick up Bean Creek trail and back to the cars just as it was getting dark (6:30 ish). 12 miles/4,000+ gain/8.5 hours

The trail up Beverly Creek is a sweet 8 mile round trip that gains only 2200' up a gentle, well graded path. Most of the flowers are past their prime except at the very top and the dry, crisp breezes of autumn are already in the air, but the trail loses none of the exhilaration of being out in the mountains on a great day.

Beverly Creek trailhead starts at the end of a dirt road deeply bisected by at least 8 axle-scraping drainage swales. Across the bridge the trail goes a half mile to the junction with the Bean Creek trail. Beverly Turnpike goes left and steadily up through peaceful pine forest, switchbacks up through open prarie dotted with trees and fading flowers, and then crosses a large talus slope. There are two blowdowns easily crossed and otherwise the trail is in fine shape. Finally at 2.7 miles, the trail comes to a junction. This is a classic embarassment of riches.

To the right, the trail ascends to the boundary line trail, a delightful ridge walk that connects to many other Teanaway trails. This opens many possibilities for loop hikes or two-car traverses. To the left, the trail ascends gently up through a beautiful valley to Iron Peak pass or Turnpike Creek pass. A WTA crew was completing a sturdy heavy duty puncheon there as we passed.