Our group of 2 dads and 4 kids (ages 9-13) spent 2 nights at Thorp Lake. Our original plan to loop via Little Joe Lake become impractical when the Thorp Creek trail was closed for the season because of a dead horse on the trail. (The ranger website says it's closed and the ranger confirmed this by phone.) So we hiked in from Knox Creek and back out via French Cabin Creek, leaving a bike at the latter trailhead to retrieve the car at the former.

We sweated up the short steep hike on the Knox Creek trail. At the top, where you meet the Kachess Ridge trail, you can scramble up a steep face for a great view down into Thorp Lake. The ridge walk north to the junction with the lookout trail offered views of Kachess Lake. We continued north to the junction with the Thorp Creek trail, which is easy to spot even though the sign has completely fallen apart. Then we dropped steeply down to the signed junction with the Thorp Lake spur. (There's no sign from that end saying anything about the trail closure beyond.)

As you approach Thorp Lake you first reach a very large campsite suitable for groups. A few yards further, perhaps 30 paces from the lake, was our choice site, with space for 2 or 3 tents and nice logs for sitting. If you walk around the lake clockwise (the trail fades in spots but you can't get lost), you'll find a couple more small sites. All these spots are well shaded. Then, on a bit of land that juts into the lake, lie a couple of more open spots that also looked appealing. It's possible to continue circumnavigating the lake by scrambling across rocks, though one section would be a little dicey with backpacks or young kids.

Given the effort required to reach the lake with the main access closed, we were surprised the next day to be visited by another hiking party, who had apparently come in via a "fisherman's trail" (which they had trouble following) from the end of road 4312. And a day hiker came in that way the next day.

On the way out we took a side-trip up to the lookout, but alas, the only looking that day was into thick fog. No ranger was present.

A few notes on the hike south along the Kachess Ridge trail from Knox Creek (junction with 1315.1) to French Cabin Basin (junction with 1305): the trail climbs from 5300' to about 5650', partly on a ridge with a deadly drop on the left if you're not paying attention. (We felt OK with our kids who were 9+, but a younger or less responsible hiker could be in danger.) There's actually one short section that still has some snow, but it's no problem. Then it drops to 5500' before climbing again to 5766' and then dropping to the junction with the French Cabin Creek trail (4900'). Shortly before that junction it meets a forest road which is .2 mile away according to my 2002 Green Trails map, but ignore the road and continue left on the trail. Then you reach the signed junction with the French Cabin Creek trail #1305.

Also, there is a signage problem with that trail #1305. It's called 1305 on my map and the wooden sign at the top of the trail. But at the trailhead (the upper one, a half mile drive on a very rough road above road 4308) is a metal sign saying simply "1307". (There is a less conspicuous "temporary sign" near there that says "1305".) The only trail 1307 I can find is 5+ miles away near Jolly Mountain. Either I'm missing something or someone made a serious mistake. I've emailed the ranger in hopes of getting this fixed.

The drop down 1305 is steep and quick. Despite the numbering confusion, we were happy to discover that we'd left the bike at the right place, and I took a nice ride back to our car at Knox Creek trailhead, 4 miles, 400' down, and 900' up in 50 minutes.

We found a few mosquitoes on our hike but they weren't a problem. There are still some good wildflowers and we found a few berries in spots. There were a couple of blowdowns and muddy spots, but not significant so I won't check those boxes.

This was going to be a spectacular day; a view hike was definitely in order. We decided to head to Thorp Mtn Lookout via the Knox Creek trail and Thorp Mtn delivered!

The first notable mention should be to the roads; Forest Service Road 4308 (French Cabin Rd) is a typical forest service road with gravel and washboards and is fine but the last couple of miles on Road 120 up to Knox Creek could be hazardous to a passenger car. It is narrow, mostly due to brush, with many ruts and rocks. A high clearance vehicle would be recommended and some buffing may be in order on your paint job when you get home. We were able to do it in a VW Golf; however, went very, very slowly and carefully.

The roads to the trailhead are well marked, as well the trailhead itself. The widened road at the trailhead serves as the parking and is adequate. We arrived just before 9:00A and there were 3-4 cars already there.

The first 1.3 mi, with an 1100’ gain, started with a series of switchbacks across a brushy hillside fully exposed to the sun. The trail is very overgrown in this section. With about 300-400’ remaining, the trail began to level out and occasionally we passed thru some shaded areas until we came to the junction with the Kachess Ridge Trail. At the ridge, we entered a wooded area with a nice tread, turned right and then lost some elevation. This was a welcomed cooling off period; however, we were quite surprised to come across some runners! Apparently this was the weekend for the Cascade Crest 100 Endurance run, people had started this 100-mile race Saturday morning and were on the last 15-mile section. Congratulations to all the runners! What a feat!

After about .5 mile from the junction, we started coming out of the woods and grand views were ours! Mt Rainier was stunning, Lake Kachess below while we walked through wildflowers; doesn’t get much better! Eventually, we entered a level, wide, wooded area just before the last .3 mi up to the lookout and came upon one of the race’s aid stations. One of the volunteers was very kind and shared a lot of information about the endurance run and continued to be very impressed with what the runners were accomplishing as well as everyone who was supporting this event.

We continued upward (up being the operative word) until we reached the lookout; 360 degree views! Absolutely stunning! Mt Daniel, Mt Stuart, Lemah, Bear Breast, Thorp Lk below, etc. The lookout is staffed and met a very nice ranger protecting our forests from fires.

It took us about 2 hrs to get to the lookout; this included time to step off the trail for very tired runners and our visit at the aid station. We enjoyed the views at the top for an hour and then about took us about 1.3 hr arrive back at the car.

We only encountered 2 other hikers but about 30-40 runners. Suspect most of the cars at the trailhead may have belonged to the race volunteers or perhaps overnighters at Thorp Lake.

Couple of notes: (1) there was no water on the trail, suggest carrying what is needed or take a trip down to Thorp Lake and (2) bug spray is definitely in order!!!

Great day! Great views!!

The ranger website reports that as of 8/12:

"ALERT! Thorp Creek trail is closed for the remainder of 2011. This closure is in the interest of public safety and is designed to prevent conflict between humans and scavengers associated with a dead horse located adjacent to the trail. Use Knox Creek Trail to access Thorp Mountain."

Note that this closure affects just trail 1316 from the Thorp Creek trailhead to the junction with 1315. It does not affect 1315.2, the spur from 1315 to the summit, as long as you access it from 1315 (from the Knox Creek trailhead, No Name Ridge, or Little Joe Lake). But I'm tagging this report with both trails to make sure anyone hiking in the area will see it.

I expected spectacular vistas from the Thorp Mountain lookout, but wasn't prepared for the amazing wildflower show along the way. This trail (NFS 1316) passes through some of the most extensive wildflower meadows I've ever seen; and, the closer to the top it gets, the more flowers to see. With a vertical gain of 2200', the trail passes through several ecozones, each with its own population of colorful species. At the midlevels are bluebells, literally thousands and thousands, in a single meadow that covers several sunny acres. As you approach the lookout the species are more typical of a sub-alpine environment. Around the lookout the flowers are at their exuberant peak right now, but won't last much longer. So, right now's the time to hike this trail if wildflowers are your thing.

It's a good time for trails in this area, which tend to be sunny while further west the now seemingly permanent cloud cover rules. I had thought about a Mt. Rainier hike this day; I was glad I opted for Thorp when I saw only the tip of Rainier peeking above the heavy clouds.

The trail begins rather inauspiciously, following an abandoned logging road, but only for a quarter mile or so. Just after the creek crossing near the TH, take the "road" leading left; there are remains of a sign, but it long since fell down and now lies on the ground. The road to the right heads up to Little Joe Lake and eventually loops around to the lookout (this is the route recommended in "Day Hiking Snoqualmie Region", but it's much longer and sometimes hard to follow).

Note that there is a dead horse along the trail, now getting very ripe. I ran into a ranger on his way up the trail to assess the situation and decide what to do with the festering corpse. NFS is afraid that an unwary hiker could surprise a bear feeding on the carrion and get into "a situation". They will soon decide whether to 1. Bury the corpse 2. Cut it up and carry it out 3. Blow it up (yes, that's right - BOOM!) 4. Close the trail and/or post warnings at the trailhead. So, before heading up to the trail, check with the NFS (Cle Elum district) to get the current situation. If you do go, bringing bear bells or a loud companion might be a good idea.

Logistics: The NFS road to the trailhead is a bit washboarded, with a few bumpy rocky sections, but easily driveable by any car. There are lots of creeks along the lower stretches of the trail with water suitable for drinking (after filtering, of course), but I don't know if they will be there through the summer, so bring what you think you'll need. Some of the trail signs are falling apart, so bring a trail map if you don't know the route.