Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Juniper Ridge
Featured In:
Day Hiking: South Cascades,
by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Ridge-top meadows stretching for miles await you here, though you'll work to reap those rewards. The trail climbs steeply from the low valley bottom to the high ridgeline, but once aloft on those airy plains, you'll stroll through endless fields of flowers, basking in the glorious views of the South Cascades peaks, from the mammoth volcanoes-Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and even Oregon's Mount Hood-to the modest little knobs and knolls that make up the heart of the range-Juniper Peak, Jumbo Peak, Sunrise, Dark Mountain, etc.
Driving Directions:
From Randle, drive 1 mile south on Forest Road 25 and then turn left (east) onto FR 23. Continue south 9 miles and turn right onto FR 28. Continue 1 mile and turn left onto FR 29. Four miles down FR 29, turn left onto FR 2904, and in an-other 4 miles look for the trailhead on the right (south) side of the road at about 3600 feet elevation. Recent Trip Reports
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trip reports for this hike.
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Juniper Ridge
— Aug 09, 2011
— Alex's Dad
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
No water source
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Getting to the TH is a challenge in a small car. There is a sign - even before the...
Getting to the TH is a challenge in a small car. There is a sign - even before the final dirt road - that travel by cars is not recommended. The final road has a series of moguls that were probably to entice motorbikers. With care and very slow driving they were (barely) manageable with our car. The trail is deeply gouged in places by the tires which makes the going a little more difficult.
The views are well worth it. There are places on the trail where - in addition to the wildflower meadows - you can see Rainier, the Goat Rocks, Adams, and Mt. St. Helens simply by turning in place. It's pretty dry, as the guidebooks suggest, so bring plenty of water. We didn't see anyone else on the trail - including bikers. Juniper Peak is a short easy scramble off the trail (there is some loose rock); we turned around before Sunrise(?) Peak. There was just a little snow on the trail. Our first time in the Dark Divide - beautiful! But so much trail (and off-trail) damage from the motorbikes.
Juniper Ridge
— Jul 24, 2010
— WriteFlier
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Washouts | Bugs
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Only hikers on this gorgeous ridge-top route on a sunny Saturday in July. It's been several years since I last...
Only hikers on this gorgeous ridge-top route on a sunny Saturday in July. It's been several years since I last hiked the route, and unfortunately, the trail has degraded significantly in that time.
Not too long ago, WTA had a priority of establishing a Dark Divide Roadless Area to eliminate the loss of these pristine ridges to the destructive power of motorcycles. It seems that goal has been abandoned. Hikers are now ignoring this area, and motorcycles are DESTROYING the trail. Ruts up to 2 feet deep now pass for trail tread. We did encounter one bike on our Saturday hike -- a solo motorcyclist on a bike that had no muffler nor a spark arrester. Loud, smoking, and spewing the occasional gout of sparks. Flowers on the ridge top were in full bloom, but so was the mosquito population on the wooded sections.
Juniper Ridge
— Jul 15, 2009
— The Pigeon
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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First let me say, despite the fact this is a ‘multiple use’ trail – e.g., used by motorcycles as well...
First let me say, despite the fact this is a ‘multiple use’ trail – e.g., used by motorcycles as well as hikers - it is DEFINITELY worth hiking.
Road info if approaching from Randle: The 28 road is very well marked as the way to the Cispus Center, but not well marked as the 28… just keep that in mind. On the 28 Road, just after crossing the river the 29 Road is on your left. From there it is 3.8 miles to the 2904 road and 4.1 miles on the 2904 to the trail head. I would not take any low clearance vehicle you care much about on the 29 or 2904 roads. While the 29 is wide, it is severely potholed and there are two damaged areas that could be a problem. My 1998 Honda CRV did just fine. The 2904 is narrow; it is maintained just fine so long as you’re not driving a low car. The ascent from the trailhead to the first stunning views of Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens is mostly in the woods, with a very active mosquito population that will definitely let you know you’re part of the food web if you stop for long. There are several great views of Adams as you near the “top”, but don’t turn around there if you’re looking for a short hike; within a few minutes you’ll reach the really good views. Continuing past the initial views you’ll find the wildflowers are stunning as well. But keep in mind this is not a long walk to the top followed by an easy descent back to the car. If you continue south on the ridge you’ll descend, ascend, descend… it was a good workout and the views, flowers, and birds on this sunny day were definitely worth it. Much of the trail tread is in terrible shape or deeply rutted due to use by motorcycles, which I felt noticeably increased the difficulty. Nevertheless, I don’t think – as it seems many others do – that the motorcyclists should be thrown out. I have no comprehension of what makes motorcycling fun, but I have friends who are avid road and off-road riders, and I know they are not evil louts. And after all, I don’t know of many places where a motorcyclist can ride and get these beautiful views and flower gardens, while there are many hiker only trails in similar places. Anyway, regardless of your thoughts on that, this is trail worth taking… and on the Wednesday I walked it, I only saw one other hiker, and no motorcycles or their keepers. Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Today was a great opportunity to enjoy a quick hike up to Juniper Ridge with some friends. FR 29 and...
Today was a great opportunity to enjoy a quick hike up to Juniper Ridge with some friends. FR 29 and FR 2904 to the trailhead are both in decent shape (with some potholes) and mostly snow free, there's about 1" once you reach the trailhead parking area. The trail itself is in decent shape too, still with it's signature motorcycle ruts. There were LOTS of pretty snow covered trees to see but, no mountain views today. The blue sky teased us a time or two but, the clouds remained. The snow is fresh and powdery and there is about 18" of accumulation at the ridge. So peaceful and beautiful. We saw some deer and rabbit tracks but no wildlife seen today. Stats: 6 miles and 1900'
Juniper Ridge #261
— Aug 06, 2007
— St. Ed
Day hike
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Hiked up to Juniper Peak for the first time in almost twenty years on Monday. The trail was more rutted...
Hiked up to Juniper Peak for the first time in almost twenty years on Monday. The trail was more rutted from motorcycles than before, but not as bad as sections of the Boundary trail #1 I've been on. The ridge was just as beautiful as I remembered. I had the trail and the peak to myself. Clouds obscured the more distant views but most of the peaks in the Dark Divide region were visible. The access roads are still drivable in a passenger car without much difficulty, although there are a number of potholes. |
Juniper Ridge trail. Photo: Matt Dubin
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