Trip Reports

Arrived at Ancient Lakes Trail head around 12 pm from Seattle. For first timers, the gist of this route is to follow the cliff band to your left as you enter the trail. Wish we would have known this as we had a minor deviation early on. There are some orange flags marking where the jeep road turns to single track.

We got lucky today as it was windy, making the heat very bearable, the only thing we would have done differently is to have brought more water as we underestimated the aridity?(aridness?) of the desert.

On the topic of water, all new goers should know...

expect the views of the lakes to be beautiful as are the surrounding meadows and cliffs.

However, up close, the lakes are downright nasty. Goose poop ABOUNDS, the water is full of algae, it is not, in my humble opinion swimmable or fit to drink by any means. Even after filtering I was skeptical...

Bring lot's of water

Saw 3 snakes today, 1 bull snake and 1 racer near the trail head, and 1 rattlesnake near the falls.

    We just happened to find the Kraus Ridge trail #275 and were delighted. The 4.4 mile trail is described at “easiest.” It gradually ascends the ridge (700 foot elevation gain) through beautiful old growth forest with abundant spring wildflowers. It crosses forest road 2506 and continues on to forest road 2506.037. We decided not to turn around and hike the trail back to our car. Rather we walked roads 037 and 2506 to where the Kraus Ridge trail crosses road 2506. The two lane track was enchanting with the sun filtering through stands of alder. We then finished the hike by retracing the Kraus Ridge trail to our car. Our pedometer read nine miles.
    It was a beautiful day for a hike. It hadn’t rained for several days, the sun was shining, and it was pleasantly warm. I’d suggest googling “Kraus Ridge Trail 275” to download and print a forest service map of the trail and two roads for an enjoyable round trip hike.

The snow is pretty much gone from the trail, except for a little at the very top, easily crossed. Most of the lake is covered in snow, as is the lunch rock. The bridges are clear, and there are some logs to sit on. If you have never taken this trail, it starts out easy until you get to the large falls. After that it switchbacks up the ridge to the lake basin. There are lots of steep stairs, which, with my short legs, I find harder than the rocky trail. Interesting... on the way we ran into the FS ranger. He was tracking the trail with one of those round wheel mileage counters. We stopped to talk to him, and apparently there is some grant $$ for work on this trail. He said it was not built to handle the high numbers of hikers it now gets, and there was some resource damage happening. I asked if WTA would be working on this trail. He said that the FS was going to contract it out, but there would be volunteer groups working on it too. I spotted a lot of the survey stakes in various places on the steep part. By the way, the loos are still locked.

I was up early in Seattle and saw only a few clouds in the sky. But as I turned east on I-90 it was obvious the weather was going to be very different in the Tigers. A heavy cloud cap enveloped the entire mountain, and it looked like I would be hiking the cloud forest today.

I planned my route to include two Tiger trails I had never hiked: a short section of the Hidden Forest Trail going downhill (south) from the TMT, and the section of the 15 Mile RR Grade going east from the Hidden Forest Trail to the point where the RR Grade crosses the TMT near Custer's Bridge. I decided on a long loop route that includes both these trail segments.

At 7 AM I started up the High Point Trail and turned west on the TMT. At the crossing of High Point Creek the bridge still is "out," although signs posted there indicate a replacement is planned for the Summer of 2013. In the interim, trail crews have made the crossing easier by removing some large, slippery logs that formerly had to be scrambled over. The creek itself was low enough for easy boulder-hopping.

As I proceeded uphill on the TMT to the intersection with the K3 Trail, then up the K3 itself, I quickly found myself not just looking up at the clouds, but actually in the clouds, and I would be there for most of the rest of my hike. This was visually quite pleasant.

I took the K3 through to the upper part of the TMT, then took the TMT on across the ridge between the W. Tiger #2 and #3 summits. I continued south on the TMT another 1.5 miles to "Larry's Crossing" and its signed intersection with the Hidden Forest Trail.

I turned downhill onto the latter, a new route for me, and I tried to eyeball a distance of about 1,100 feet, when I would need to be alert for the 15 Mile RR Grade coming in on the left. As I suspected, there is no sign there but the RR Grade trail is obvious enough. The first hundred yards or so are rather minimal, and then the grade levels out into something that might once have been a logger's RR grade. The footpath itself remains narrow, encroached on both sides by very moist plants: bleeding heart, vanilla leaf, waterleaf, fringe cup, salmon berry, tall wild grasses, et al, so my pants cuffs were quickly soaked.

The RR Grade parallels the TMT, with the TMT at most a few hundred feet upslope. But the RR Grade has a much wilder feel than the TMT, and at least the western part clearly gets very little use.

Along the RR Grade I saw two trees, quite some distance apart, with bark clawed off (photos.) On one the scratches were high enough to be a bear's territorial marking. But I was puzzled by the other which had bark removed all the way around from the ground level up to about 2 feet. A bobcat, perhaps?

At one creek crossing along the RR Grade there are signs of flood damage. If there was ever a bridge there it is completely gone now. Today, with the water level so low, there was no problem just stepping across the creek and finding the trail on the other side. But there are signs of impending major trail work, and a few yards east of the crossing considerable steel and wood
materials have been stashed. So perhaps a sturdy, all-season bridge is planned.

I continued on the RR Grade, crossing the TMT then, soon after, crossing Road 4000 at the Paw Print Rest Area. This was a good snack stop, after which I continued on the Paw Print Connector to reach the Bootleg Trail and, eventually, Dwight's Way which took me back to the High Point Trail and my trailhead.

My total distance today was about 10.5 miles with about 2,000 feet elevation gain. I maintained a leisurely pace, made a lunch stop and some photo stops, and finished the hike in about 5 hours. I saw no large critters, and encountered only one other hiker. Despite the heavy cloud cover there was no rain.

My route is less complicated than it may sound, and I had no problem with route finding. But I'd recommend that anyone unfamiliar with the Tigers consult the Green Trails Map 204S before attempting this hike (the 2013 revision of the map is printed on waterproof, tear-resistant material well-suited for use in the Tigers!)

This is my new favorite hike! Flowers galore, meadows, rolling green hills, thin forest, birds chirping, butterflies, lupine/pine scented air. Heaven. There were a lot of junctions along the trail. Lot's of areas to explore. I could see it being easy to get lost. I went left to cross the creek early on, took the next left spur, went up and through a meadow, turned right onto a road, went straight through a four-way intersection, up a bluff, around a cirque, and back down the canyon to make a loop. Two hours total. Never found the cabin. Wish I would've had a map.

A rare Monday off along with what is supposed to be the last day of good weather for the week drew me back out on the hiking trail for the fourth time in just 22 days. Today I would take off up the East Fork Foss/ Necklace Valley Trail (second trip here for me) to the footbridge at the 5 mile mark giving me 10 miles round trip on the day. Today's adventure would be my first foray into a wilderness area this year and bring me up to 30.2 miles hiked in the 22 day span. I had no problems reaching the trailhead off Hwy 2 finding only some bumps and minor potholes along the way. There was just one car at the parking area that belonged to a trio of ladies I saw returning from an overnight trip about 3 miles into my day.

The trail is in fairly good shape and I made good time for the first 3.5 miles where the river meets up with the trail allowing for easier access (this is where I stopped on my previous trip). Along the way there are several creek crossings, blowdowns that get bigger the further you go (climbed over a couple near the end)and just some minor snow patches that won't present a problem in the last 1.5 miles to the footbridge over the river. Bugs were out and thick in places but were not biting today. The creeks were clear and full with runoff, the one just a mile in being the most spectacular. Wildflowers are really starting to come along here the whole length of the trail. Of course there's also lots of moss and trees that get bigger the further up the trail you go. Had lots of peek-a-boo mountain views too including Mt. Daniel. I passed the camp at mile 4.75 and pushed on just a bit further to the footbridge over the river, crossed it, took some pics then went back to the camp for lunch.

I spent a good 40 minutes at the camp with a view of the river and a small peak looking over me. The river was noisy but not loud here and very tranquil. I had lunch, took some pics and just enjoyed the scene. Right as I was leaving I had a couple come up on me. I left them behind and ran into another couple about a mile later coming back and chatted for a bit. That was the last of new hikers I would see for the day. The first couple came up on me going back but cut off at part of the river you have to climb down to see (I plan on checking it out on a future trip). I never saw another soul the rest of the way back. Another great day on the trail with the best hiking of the year to come. Now if only the high country would thaw out soon!

     Outside the Tri Cities, of state 225, near Benton City,WA. This is part of the Columbia Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve a piece of land set aside in 1973. There is a parking area (Discovery Pass Required) and a wooden sign telling you you are in the right spot.
     This is a unmaintained trail. It starts off as a car path with a duel set of tires making the "trail". As it preceedes to the ravine, then canyon, it becomes a narrow, single file track.
     Once you reach the corner of a barbed wire fence the trail splits. Following right, along the fence will lead down into the canyon. The left hand route stays up on the hillside.
     Both are narrow, single file paths. The lower one stays along the bottom of the wash and keeps you somewhat out of the wind. The upper path works the hillside and provides better overviews. Be on the lookout for glacial erratics, misplaced bolders of granite.
     Eventually the paths will converge and take you over the hill side and out onto the "praire" of the preserve.Here the view of Rattlesnake Mountain is unobscured. Turning back from it the view is out over the Hanford Reservation, back into the Tri-Cities, out to Benton City and this hills such as Badger Mountain, Red Mountain, Candy Mountain in the distance.
     The true reward for this hike is silence. Shrub Steppe solitude. It might be broken by hawks screetching overhead. There could be a dust cloud produced by wandering elk or deer (the reservation has a heard). Most certainly on a windy day you will feel and hear its effects. Watch it send a spray of native grasses bending and flowing up, out, and over the rolling hillsides.
     Try to go either early or late and avoid the heat of the day. Take plenty of water there isn't a sip to be found anywhere. Tennis shoes are going to fill up quick with cockleburrs, best to wear hiking boots.
     With a name like Rattlesnake Mountain Preserve the chance to experince snakes looms. Seasons matter. Winter is best, Spring next and finally fall. Once the native grasses grow the trail is even more narrow. Seeing off trail in places is pretty impossible. Just stay alert.
     Timing it right to catch the wildflower blooms is also rewarding here. Usually that's mid to late April.
     Stand alone on untrammeld prarie not too far from a urban landscape!
     

We parked at the ranger station and road bikes to the trailhead. The trail was in pretty good shape and a very lush and green forest area. Some of the old trees that are down over the trail are huge and full of new growth. Ranger Falls was very cool and onto the lake. Trillium were in bloom all along the trail, lots of buds on the Salmonberry bushes. We got to Green Lake and a group of women were just leaving as we got there and we found a spot to sit and have lunch on logs hanging out over the water. The sun was nice and warm and we could see some nice size trout swimming about. Also found what looked to be frog eggs. The water was a brilliant green, hence the name Green Lake. Had these little butterflies flying all around. Total time for the Bike and Hike was 5 hours with appx 1-1/2 hour break for lunch and to enjoy the sun.

The hike was about a week ago. I parked by a fellow from new mexico thqt looked like he stole mufflers out of his van.We didnt catch snow until the very top but the trail is wet. The water is great to look at and to taste. Enjoy the hike and hope your muffler doesn't get stolen

To start, you cannot drive to the trailhead because there is snow over the road. There is snow the entire way to the top. It is difficult to hike the mountain in boots. Some folk skied the top and we both skied on the way down. I recommend something celebratory to drink because the hike is a muscle aching nightmare.

Pretty hike along the river, but the trail is almost a bog at points. There were lots of bugs out today.

First hike in Washington. We started from the military trail head that joined the red town meadow trail. Was deserted, spotted just a couple of other hikers. Weather was perfect at a 70C. I would go back to try the Coal creek trail leading to the waterfalls.

This trail is exactly what it boasts. It starts steep, and it ends steep. There is switchback after switchback and turns into no switchbacks. I have done Mailbox Peak twice and this hike does not gain as much altitude, but I swear my legs were burning more. The only reason to do this hike is either to train for something or for your view at the top. Their is really nothing to see along the way. Imagine my dissappointment at the top when we reached the avalanche chute at 4100 ft to find it covered in snow. We started out across it for a while but with the steep drop offs and hearing the creek somewhere (couldn't tell if it was distant or beneath us)and not being able to see the lake we decided to head back down. I saw earlier trip reports from later in the year where people were sitting on the ridge above the lake and was robbed of that experience. Now I have to climb up again later in the year just to finish. My legs are not looking forward to that.
There is a little creek off trail maybe a half mile in. You can hear it but cannot see it. We ventured off trail on our way down in search of seeing SOMETHING. We found a nice little tiered creek and in the summer this will be a nice place to cool ones feet.
The snow level is expected to drop to 3000 ft the next couple of days which will present some dangerous conditions at the top. Late spring snow with quickly rising temperatures are the same conditions that killed two hikers late April around North Bend. Best to leave this mountain alone for a while and hit it later in the summer when the snow is clear.

The hike was a great one to start off. Easy walking until the downhill switch backs which are just easy as ever. The trail then levels out and goes through a bog or two and then follows the river all the way to the tunnels. After the first tunnel a landslide washed out part of the trail but it is still crossable. after the second tunnel, the trail gets hairy so we decided that the second tunnel was far enough. Calm trail, no fish caught.

Okay, this was ambitious. We were going for Grindstone Mountain on this one, and I was trying both a new pack and new boots on a very steep trail, in snow, over boulders, etc. The day was iffy weather-wise: predicted mostly sunny, but with chance of rain and snow all day.

And miraculously, everything turned out just fine. We didn't get rained or snowed on. The views were absolutely gorgeous. The boots are my new favorite friends (and my feet are really, really fussy). The new winter pack is really rugged and comfortable. We just didn't make it past the jumpoff point from the Chatter Creek trail (or snowfield, as it was) to the Grindstone scramble due to slogging up the trail through running water, slopping across partly thawed boulder fields, wrestling with slide alder, and route finding. It got too late to justify going for the top, what with one of us needing to catch a plane in the morning.

I carried my approach shoes (and even wore them on flatter snow- they're actually great, grippy shoes) and switched to my new boots when I needed to in deeper, steeper snow. The lighter shoes helped a lot on the really steep sections of Chatter Creek trail (along with ski poles for the overused knees).

Chatter Creek is actually a lovely trail, mostly in trees until right before it crosses the creek and up into the forested part of the basin. There are several blowdowns on the trail, all negotiable. There are two big creek crossings, the first with a good log, the second with rocks and a few beat up logs you might have to rearrange (or just wade through). We saw pretty triliums, paintbrush, and lupine before crossing the creek. Coming back down when it was warmer, we saw lots of butterflies- blue ones and spotted dark ones, only one slow enough to identify was a mourning cloak. And one teeny rubber boa stubbornly trying to sun itself on the trail.

After the creek, the trail climbs up, up, up through the woods. We hit snow patches at about 4800 feet. The snow was good quality: while we had axes and crampons, we used ski poles and kicked easy, firm steps. The snow only became too terribly thin over a boulder field we tried to ascend to the rock band the trail winds through. We found a few holes and looked for an easier route. Oh, and the slide alder is either in plain view, or lurking right under the snow ready to spring up yelling
"boo" and give you a stinging lash in the face. There is water running over the trail in several places as the snow melts. The upper basin area had much more consolidated snow.

Wind was strong, and got stronger as we got to the 6200 foot level where you cut off to do the scramble. A persistent cloud cover hung over Grindstone, so with the late hour, we made a promise to come back a little earlier next year, enjoyed a fabulous view while eating our sandwiches, and turned around.

So here is my recommendation: go a bit earlier in May on a nice weekend, carry a light camp, set up at the head of Chatter Creek basin in the flat area with the tall trees breaking the wind and still allowing beautiful views, and scramble to the summit early the next morning when the snow will take crampons and before the wind kicks up. That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it next year.

Awesome day up the trail. We removed two miles of downed trees until we reached the snow line.

We started at around 0815, and were met with heavy overcast and light rain. Along the trail we found:
- A Make shift log bridge: Roughly a mile in at 071 533 (MGRS)
- Well maintained trails
- Moderately steep inclines begin around 3386ft. 090 528 (MGRS)
- Snow on the trail at 4877ft.
- The snow toward the top is sketchy. Take the more difficult rock path and avoid the snow. I don't think it will hold after a couple more days of sun.
- Low visibility due to fog.
- High traffic during our descent.

We arrived early and had the whole trail head to our self. The parking lot was completely full when we got back. We made quick time to the falls and then decided to visit the upper falls. This requires going off trail and straight up. It turned out to be well worth the effort. The upper falls are breath taking. It also turns out to be a major short cut to the lake. Lake was completely clouded in and snowed over. We could hear major avalanches but could not see them. The trail is in good shape but muddy.

First time conquering mailbox peak and we'll be back! Only view today was of the clouds. :/ The trail was at times easy to lose. The diamond markers were most helpful! Trail was in decent shape for such a popular, unmaintained, boot-worn path. There was mud and snow in spots but both were manageable. As long as you're well-prepared, this hike isn't as tough as some make it sound.

WOW! Far harder than I thought it would be but a great feeling of accomplishment! Muddy and snow - there were people wearing tennis shoes but I would go with boots again for sure. No visibility at the top so that was a bit of a let down but it just gives another reason to go climb it again...even though I have to walk down my stairs backwards today :-)

Lots of people hiking with their dogs - very animal friendly.
Watch the train when you near the top - we went up the snow and rocks but there is a train that goes around that part.

Trail was muddy at places and a bit of snow right before the lake and then plenty at the lake. Lunch rock is still covered in snow :(.

Following our billy goat esque leader we made it up in 1:30, roughly 20 minutes behind him. Passed a lot of people that must have been cold when they got to the lake.

Recommend layers and hiking boots if you wanna hang out a bit and not be cold and wet up there. Was kinda suprised how much snow is still around up there, but I guess even with the warm start to may there was a lot to melt, as per the last couple winters.

We each drank the 22oz beer we hauled up, ate some GORP and fruit and cheese and crackers, then rushed down.

Traffic was snagged on the way back around the U district, as usual, left Seattle at 10am and made it back by about 6:30. Long day, but fun and rewarding.

Lake and walls were shrouded in clouds, unfortunately, although the sun came out on the drive home, as has been the pattern lately.

One day when hiking off 2 we'll stop at the BBQ schoolbus and reptile farm...

Fun day glissading down the chutes today but the track is starting to get spotty in sections. The upper section of the main chute has melted through to the rock wall so a second track is developing, but not very deep yet. The glissading path switches sides a couple times so the boot track up crosses the glissading path. Something to watch out for as you're going up and again as you're coming down. On the lower half, some rocks and gaps are starting to melt out too so you need to keep track of where these are and go slow in a some areas. All in all, still a great day but not as good as previous years and maybe a little past peak (for glissading) for this season.

Road is snow free until just before the upper trailhead. Trail is snow free until about a quarter mile before the bottom of the avalanche chute. Full mix of people today - from groups of mountaineers equipped to assault Mt Rainier to families with small children in shorts. We did just fine with our ski poles and hiking shoes and our dogs had a blast. Snow was soft and wet. No sign of any goats today.

We drove to this park 10 years ago. The giant palm frond fossil fascinated us. We planned to return and hike the lake loop trail (2 miles) as well as the longer ridge trail (7 miles RT) but time slipped away and as sometimes happens, winter storms wreck havoc on the access roads. Such was the fate of this park.

From the closed gate on Canyon Lake Road, it is a steep 6 miles to the trailhead. This distance and elevation was too much for us to do in a day. But thanks to some geocachers, we learned that there was an alternate road and locked gate we could use. The alternate route shaved off 2 miles and most of the elevation gain. We followed the directions provided by the geocachers and parked at the gate then headed up the logging road on our bikes.

Though my husband rode the entire 4 miles to the trailhead, I found parts a little too steep and ended up walking (pushing the bike) about 2 of the 4 miles, but we still made it to the trailhead in just over 1 hour. It was worth the effort of pushing the bike because the ride back was a breeze and took less than ½ hour.

We parked our bikes in the parking lot, read the trailhead sign, and then headed up the trail to find the palm frond fossil. After admiring the fossil, we continued up the trail to the junction and headed right on the lake loop trail. At about 1/4 mile from the junction we came to a stream that was a little wider and deeper than the rest and decided today was not the day to try fording so we retraced our steps to the trailhead.

Next we crossed the lovely foot bridge spanning the outlet creek and hiked a ways on the south side of the lake. We continued around the lake about ½ mile till we came to another steam rushing over the trail and since we were not willing to try fording this one either, we returned to our bikes to head back to our car.

We were saddened to find not far from the lovely bridge the remains of a campfire filled with trash. We were also surprised to find considerable trash (beer and pop cans as well as other items) in this park that supposedly has no vehicle access. We did meet two motorcycles and 1 SUV on our bike ride which made us wonder if the gate on Canyon Lake Road was actually open. On the way home, we drove by it and found it still closed so not sure how the vehicles had access to these roads.

Link for Information about the park:
http://www.whatcomcounty.us/parks/canyon-lk/index.jsp
Link to the route we took: http://it.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1360263
Detailed directions for the route we took: http://www.geocaching.com/s[…]x?wp=GC3mcdv&Submit6=Go
about 200 feet beyond the gate, take the upper (left) fork, continue to road 5200 and stay on it following the green-arrowed signs.

GC codes for geocachers: GC3MCDV, GC3MCCY, GC3MCBJ

The road into the trailehead is freshly graded and in great shape. Lots of blowdowns in the first mile (although a trail crew is slated for May 21), but clear after that. A bit of snow near the shelter, and some patches on the switchbacks above the shelter. The heavy snow starts just below the first pond, and after that it is still extremely deep, maybe 4 to 6 feet. The first lake has only a bit of melt. You will have a hard time finding the trail at the top unless you have been there before.

I was hoping Lake Dorothy wasn't too busy and as luck had it I had lunch with the lake alone. The trail has a little snow on the way up and it gets more considerable just as you hit the lake. A family of four had left just after I started off from the trailhead and after talking with them they didn't make it past the sign the splits you left to the camping and beyond or to the right to the "Day Use" area. A little route finding for about 1/4 mile got to were the trail was fairly obvious with some good signs that you were still on it. I started to break trail towards Lake Bear but decided since I was along and there was not likely to be anyone following it wasn't the best choice so I turned around and headed down to the lake camping area. One other soul had made it there since it had last snowed, looked like probably last week. There is one blow down that you need to straddle, and another you need to sneak around; if you have limited mobility this trail isn't going to be for you. There are a lot of stairs on the way up. Finally, the bugs are just starting to come out.

The route was manageable in trail shoes although my feet were wet. I had micro-spikes that I wore back down for a 1/2 mile and gaiters, which I didn't use but I probably would have had I been deciding to camp. the road up was fine with a few pot holes. My Jetta made it to the trailhead without event.

This 4.4 mile round trip moderate hike was perfect today. We started our hike at around 12:15 and found lots of people descended, so the way up was not too crowded. Given the lack of shining sun, the cool temps made the hike even more palatable. The conditions of the trail were slightly wet with a few mucky bogs along the way. Nothing too bad, though.

Sign at the trailhead said the boulder lake trail was closed due to the poor conditions of a bridge. Check with someone else before you drive out there.

Great trail conditions, a little muddy in some parts but, with the right hiking shoes it's no problem. The falls were beautiful. Easy hike, great hike for beginners. We arrived about 10am and left just after 1pm. We enjoyed lunch down at the river. We didn't see too many people on our hike in but, on the hike back we saw lots of people. Many cars at the trailhead.
Can't wait to go back and do this one with my 5 year old son.

What to do? Hawkins Mtn in marginal weather on Saturday or Sunday...head east and further north to a better weather forecast? A message from Jim...what are your plans...want to do Ingalls Creek.

So off we went. Bright and early. Jim up at the crack of dawn and meeting me at the Monroe Smokestack at 6am. We wanted and early start so we could hike at last in to the Falls Creek Trail junction.

We arrived at the TH at about 8am and counted the cars...24. Wow...going to be a busy day on the trail. Good thing for the early start to beat most of the crowds.

The trail is easy, gaining just under 1700' to our turnaround which was about 1.75mi from the Falls Creek junction.

The trail is easy gaining a bit of elevation steadily. Never really steep and never for all that long. Sometimes right next to the creek. Other times well above it. The roar of the creek is ever present. Ingalls Creek is in my top 5 most scenic creeks. I don't mean the trail along the creek...I mean the creek itself. It's gorgeous. It always seems to be cranked high with water. The boulders strewn about it's course adding terraces for the water to cascade over...well it just doesn't get much better than this (one of my other favorites is Boulder River).

Lots of people out and about but all in campsites in the first few miles. We encountered a small group of scouts(?) hiking out pretty early. Wow...such a nice day...I'd lounge around in camp and hike out late in the afternoon.

The flowers start out early...mariposa lilies, some balsamroot, paintbrush, lupine, woodland stars... Further in calypso orchids, shooting stars, ballheaded waterleaf, oregon anemones, arnica, trillium... No glacier lilies though...saw 3 but the rest were crispy. Peak flower season looks like it was 1 week ago.

The mid portion of the trail is pretty interesting. I told Jim I thought the north side was very enchantment-like (lots of big granite boulders, etc). The south side of the creek had the typical debris flows you see all over the Teanaway. Makes me want to pull out my geology book to find out if the creek is along a fault like separating two geologic areas.

We never really did see the crowds we were expecting. The whole day...maybe 8 other hikers. Most of the campers had packed up and left by the time we passed campsites on the way out.

Snow is gone along the trail. Not even one patch all the way up to our turnaround point. Couple of sucking mudholes though. Miss-stepped into one and almost lost a boot.

Bugs...couldn't believe it but got bit twice by biting black flies at our turnaround spot. I hope it's not going to be a bad bug season.

Lots of trees down along the trail. Most easy enough to step over. A few required either a butt scoot under or an awkward crawl over. The rest had new social trails beat in get around the trees. I'd venture maybe a dozen trees down that need to be cut out.

Stats: 15mi / ~1700' gain (round trip)

Teneriffe Falls is one of my favorite waterfall hikes, because the falls are relatively tall, and you can get close to them. It is a moderate hike that provides a reasonable workout without requiring an all-day trip. May is a good time to go, as the falls are running at high volume with spring runoff.

We arrived at 9 am. Good timing, as the school bus turn-around area was already filling up, even on a cloudy day. The day was intermittently rainy, with some sunbreaks. Some folks were going all the way up to Teneriffe. The trail was in good condition, with only one blowdown, which has been there for some time--we used it as a photo prop. The last third involves switchbacks over rocky tread, which can be a bit slippery on a somewhat rainy day.

The falls were roaring, generating lots of mist. Along the way, we saw slugs and wildflowers. Bleeding heart and salmonberry are in bloom. On our return, we could see the Snoqualmie valley, which had been obscured in mist during our ascent.

Still some snow near the top... the last 1/4 mile. It would have been nice to have some micro spikes. If you don't want to carry them you can still make it to the top without any problems.

Otherwise, the trail is very wet. There are multiple stream crossings and sometimes they seem to run down the middle of the trail.

Nice hike and not crowded.

Fun hike! We went all the way to upper falls and felt like it was very
much worth the trek. It is well-built with many stairs and
switchbacks.
You can buy a Discover Pass from a machine at the trailhead too.
It was sometimes slipperly from the recent rain and it sprinkled a
bit while we were there, so I appreciated having good boots and poles.
We got there around 9:45am, and were done in 3 hours. There were many
more hikers on the way down. When we drove off there were also lots of
cars on the sides of the road approaching the trailhead, and the
parking lot was mostly full.

Awesome day for a hike! Road to trailhead is gated at the end of the bridge so overall this adds 1 mile to the hike. Trail in exelent shape to about 2300ft after that lots of old growth blow downs. Made it to the top but had to go off trail to do so. With map and compass you can go strait up the hill and miss most of the blockage. The views at the top were great. Could see all the way to Colonal Bob. Good workout hike, look forward to doing it again.

Wonderful day for a hike! Middle Fork road is easily passable at this point in the year. Trail is still muddy and slippery in places but much of the path is in great shape. There is one river crossing that requires gingerly maneuvering over rocks in cold, quickly-moving water. Crossing would be difficult with children.

After we reached the riverside, which is the turnaround point for the 6-mile version of the hike, we pressed onward another two miles until we reached a large bridge and beautiful waterfall. I would recommend extending your hike and continuing to this point. Be careful with dogs or children on the bridge, however, as there is a portion of the railing missing.

In snow for the last 15 minutes, we did it with just hiking boots but poles or have crampons would have helped.

Cloudy and some sprinkles, but nothing we're not used to in Seattle. Trail follows the river for most of the trip. Unofficial side trail to Otter Creek Falls is well marked by some rock cairns. Big Creek Falls lived up to its name -- it was roaring! It made for a good turnaround spot. With little elevation gain, this makes for a fairly easy hike even though it's 10+ miles.

Great hike if you're looking for something simple with a heaping helping of peace and quiet. The wife and I hiked the 9 mile loop and didn't encounter another soul. Trail was in great shape, just a few lengthy muddy spots along the middle portion of the loop near Sherman Creek.

My only input for those attempting to find this hike, be aware that the posted directions on the trail description are inaccurate. The trailhead is at the intersection of D-4000 and D-4400, not D-5000. Additionally, the trailhead is marked as Mima Falls West, not Mima Portal Trail (you'll run into a sign about .3 down the trail with this name on it). If you reach a large T-junction with D-4400 veering off to your right and the Mima Falls trail crossing right though the junction you have found the right place!

Very little snow at top. It was deep in some areas but did not seem to be a problem for anyone in our group (some wore approach shoes (low ankle shoes), mountaineer boots, and ankle hiking boots. We did not use snowshoes or crampons. The wildflowers were out. We did not see any rattlesnakes and had good views the entire hike. Elevation gain was roughly 4700 feet. Top was exposed to wind, so pack accordingly with warm layers, which are mainly only needed when at rest at the top of the trail.

There are a few stream crossings. Most were done by just walking through the water or stepping on rocks.

Six of us camped at Colonial Creek Saturday night and day hiked Thunder Creek to Fourth of July Camp on Sunday morning.

We were thankful that it didn't rain, but wished the clouds weren't hanging so low.

The trail was great with just a couple of wet spots and a couple of small trees to hop over. The mosquitos (big ones) attacked when we stopped at the creeks. We saw several different flowers, including purple and blonde/white calypso orchids.

We enjoyed our lunch and a bit of view at the camp before heading back.

Next time, we will make it to the pass! We were told that the trail was really flooded beyond the camp, so we didn't bother this day as it was getting late.

Note: a friend managed to find a tick along the trail. It embedded into her neck. The tick extraction was a first for all of us, and it was quite an experience. We were not expecting this to be a tick trail!! My friend is off to the doc today with tick in tow.

It's a nice day hike. The first 2 miles are flat and very easy. The last 1 mile is rocky. You need a good hiking boot. The falls is of great volumne.

Hiked up the roadway by Lake Elizabeth today. The road is clear for vehicles to roughly 5 miles passed the Money Creek Rd-West Fork Rd Jct. After that it's blocked by snow. The hike up is mostly on snow but there are large patches of clear roadway also. The lake itself is approx. 1/2 snowed over, but melting rapidly. One skinny pine has blown onto the roadway, but really poses no obstruction to man nor motor.

Found the trailhead without difficulty, thanks to previous postings: turn in at Camp Sheppard, then turn right to the parking lot. The guidebook trail directions are still confusing -- veer right at the first trail junction is correct, but there is a second one where you must go left.

C-ro's post is correct -- the distance and elevation gain in the guidebook are way off. My GPS measured 4 miles and about 800 feet cumulative elevation gain, to a maximum elevation of just over 3000 feet (vice 6 miles, 2800 feet and 5000 feet in the guidebook). At least the web version of this trail description should really be corrected.

Going counterclockwise, the trail up to the falls is in excellent condition. Crossing the stream below the falls is a little tricky -- the rocks provide footing, but they get wet and slippery, particularly on a damp day like today. Heading down the other side, there are a number of rock slope crossings where you need good boots and careful footing.

Despite the damp day, the trail was basically dry, with no snow in sight.

I have had my eye on Scout Patrol Peak and the few that surround it since visting Gardner , Humpback and Abiel Peaks. The current point in the melt cycle is the ideal time to tackle this and other nearby summits, when the roads are clear enough to allow a decent approach by vehicle but there is still enough snow to ease the bush whacking.

Snow began on Road 5510 at about 3200 feet. Someone powered up to Hanson Creek Trailhead with a 4x4 before about 3 feet of snow melted leaving firm ridges where their tires compacted the snow. I used these ridges to avoid the slush as Auto and I followed the tracks from a few hikers and a dog that has also parked where the snow began.

We left the road just after crossing over to the West Side of the long Northern ridge leading to Scout Peak. Low clouds filled most of the I-90 corridor and light rain came and went all day, which made for some wet bushwacking. We ascended a steep talus field with intermittent snow up to an old logging road, where we returned the East side of the ridge and continued the climb. Staying close to the top of the ridge, we moved through thick forest filled with smaller trees before reaching a shoulder and getting the first glimpse of the summit.

We quickly made it up and were greeted by a short, but welcome break in the clouds. There was little to see through the clouds so I wasted no time before starting out towards Point 4582' to the NW, sometimes called "Little Saint Helens". I dropped down towards the road a little early, when I should have stayed to the top of the ridge to the West. As I began traversing and regaining a bit of elevation I could hear a dog on the road below, probably with the hikers who I parked by.

When we reached the 4-way junction I chose to follow the road marked with a new sign for Hansen Ridge Trail 1020.1. I quickly tired of the slow ascent rate, and Automahn begrudgingly followed me up the steep East face. At the summit we got a few more minutes of sunshine, and some brief views across I-90 of Granite Mountain.

We descended to the East and followed the third road down past Hansen Creek Trailhead, near a large borrow pit that was busy with people engaging in target practice last year when I climbed Mount Gardner. When we reached the road I noticed snowshoe tracks and a set of dog prints that had come from where we parked. These must have belonged to the group I heard earlier. I'm sure they would have been interested to know that a bear was following behind them. The bear tracks I found couldn't have been more than an hour or two old.

~7 miles Round Trip
~3000' Elevation Gain
Snowshoes not necessary, but maybe helpful

More Pictures and Route map @ http://www.jebsjourneys.com[…]-and-point-4582-little.html

Took a quick hike up Mt. Peak (as the locals call it) with the family. This short but mostly up hill hike will be exercise for most everybody. The trail was in good shape, just a little wet in the upper half, making for the need to use caution on the way down. A local favorite.

I almost don't want to tell you about this because we had such a great time having the trails to ourselves. This is a sweet little trail system, however.
Starting at the Cornet Bay Marina, you get some water views and views of the bridge before heading up into the forest. (Don't forget to bring a map-and the map legend as the map is numbered and the trails are named). We pretty much stuck to the perimeter trail and tried to do a big loop so we missed a lot of the inner trails and will be back to explore more.
The trails are very muddy in places and we had one small blowdown to climb over but other than that the trails are in fine shape. There is one steep, but short, hill to climb and descend which was a little slick in the mud but otherwise this is an easy hike.

This trail is no longer available. The road was blocked off completely.

Parking was a bit of a pain, and the road into the trailhead had a ton of potholes. That's all I have bad to say though.
The weather was perfect for hiking. Went with my two kids and our dog and everyone had a great time.

Got out of the Seattle rain and headed east for an early spring hike along the creek and up the canyon. Apparently this is the perfect time to hike this trail if you are a bird watcher. One Seattle man told me he had seen 50+ different types of birds this day. Not sure if I should believe him, but the sounds of many birds were in the air. The trail is relatively flat and has two creek crossings that aren't challenging, but do have risk of getting your boots wet. We had seen previous reports of rattlesnake sitings, but none to day (whew). We were disappointed in not seeing any of the big horn sheep that herd in the canyon. Overall, it was a nice day to be out on a easy desert trail in early spring.

Took the kids on a day hike and decided to stay close and try a new hike so up Baker Lake road we went.
The trail is in great shape, its got that verdant spring green with flowers just starting to bloom. Kids enjoyed all the creeks and bridges..especially the log bride. Stopped and ate lunch at Anderson point and came accross some boy scouts setting up camp for the night. Great company, good weather, and great trail for kids.

We arrived at the trailhead around 8:30am, there were about 10 other cars in the parking area. It was cloudy with a light, intermittent rain and around 58 degrees (f).
This hike is no joke. It is the first hike I've ever done that the hike back took longer than the hike in. It took us 3.5 hours to reach the peak and 3.75 hours to hike back. We were slower than just about everyone else, though. We took our time. On the way back I couldn't help but think to myself "wow, maybe this hike was beyond my limits." During the previous week, we did research and decided to bring trekking poles, which was a great idea. I highly recommend them. Costco currently has some carbon fiber ones for like $30, which is relatively inexpensive, so we picked up a couple pair. So, previous to the hike, I just considered the distance, 3 miles each way, and thought "well, no matter how bad it is, it's only 3 miles each way, I can do that" and we did do that, but, yeah, it was indeed challenging for both of us.
Contrary to recent reports, there is some snow on the trail just below the crown, but it isn't difficult to cross. The clouds stayed close most of the time and the sky was grey, but occasionally opened up to reveal beautiful views. It was chilly at the top and snowing.
It was beautiful. Wildflowers blooming the full length of the hike. The rain was never heavy, but light and somewhat cooling.
We saw several people hiking with full packs; they were training for Rainier. One guy was heading down to Mt. Shasta in California next week. One guy passed us twice. He did Mailbox two times in one day, training for big mountains. It was stunning to consider the stamina these people have developed. I consider myself to be in shape. I stand all day at work, do two miles after work every day, and hike between 6 and 12 miles every weekend and I was at my limit. I will probably be limping for a few days.
This is a beautiful hike, I recommend it to anyone looking for a physical challenge, but please consider your limitations, bring plenty of water and if you can afford them bring trekking poles. I'd love to do this hike again on a clear day as I imagine the views to be amazing.
We got back to the car at 4:15pm and the parking lot was packed and the adjacent street lined with cars. Lots of people. Lots of sore legs this morning. We headed to the Mt. Si Tavern for a much-deserved tasty beverage.

Enough elevation gain to get you breathing mountain air, then views at the top to take your breath away. The payoff is a walk along Icicle Ridge at 3,000 feet, providing panoramic views of Tumwater Canyon to the West and Leavenworth Valley to the East. All manner of wildflowers accompany you all the way up the trail. Spring hikes don't get any better than this.

Length / Hike time: 2-2.5 miles up depending on how far you go on the ridge. 4-5 mile round trip. Took us 90 minutes to get up the trail, with multiple photo stops, and then an hour to get back down.

Elevation gain: 1,800 feet over 2 miles. Generous switchbacks, so it's only moderately steep.

Trail Conditions: The trail is well-maintained and in excellent shape. No mud or snow. Only two blown down trees. The switchbacks take you in and out of the forest at places but overall the trail is mostly shaded with minimal exposure. Trail was fairly busy today with hikers of all ages and paces and dogs of all shapes and sizes, but the switchback knuckles provide for easy passing, and the ridge top walk allows everybody to spread out and take in the payoff scenery at once.

Rocky ledges through forests of huge sage thickets lead up the canyon. Increasing views over the Okanogan valley and down
 to the river ( running at flood stage when we were there)
The trail climbs, and winds above, and below rock cliffs.
Eagles soaring overhead riding the wind, and the sound of aspen leaves whispering, sighing along the creek, and sage accompany the walk.
The trail head is new, and has an official Pacific Northwest
 trail sign. the first large official sign

A short section of trail along the old rail road grade runs from Oroville to the Enlo dam. 3.5 miles aprox. (there is no bridge across the Silmilkameen river at the Enlo dam, so continuing on to Nighthawk, and Loomis along this path is not currently
 possible.
   The lightly traveled Loomis Oroville road is the route of
the Pacific Northwest trail to the highlands. The road meanders along the river, through sage hills. Cattle wander freely,
 and the only traffic we met were border patrol vehicles. The road is a slow sage scented walk, or a peaceful bike ride,
 before heading into the hills at Chopaka Lake cutoff. Someday
there are hopeful plans of continuing the trail along the old railroad grade across the river.

About a year ago, I had read about the Index Town Wall - Lookout Point trail while researching the area, but never attempted it. Then I came across a recent trail report by geezerhiker which re-sparked my interest. Thanks! ^_^

**Please note: Walking to the trailhead requires you to trespass onto BNSF railroad property. So choose to do this hike/climb at your own risk!**

This trail is clearly used by locals and it seems there are many paths to the final scramble to reach the flagpole. The trail was snow free to the top and the route I took had some random cairns when the trail became faint. I tried finding geezerhiker's "pink w/ black dot ribbons" but never found any. The route I followed was short and steep... You follow the trail through the woods and when it comes to a fork towards the cliff face you will want to go left and follow a dry creek bed up. If you go right, you will find a secluded area for rock climbing.

After climbing the creek bed and continuing towards the right back onto the trail, you will come across a couple ropes that go up another trail and then up the cliff wall. Don't bother climbing this, it's not the trail you want. You will continue past this and eventually see a fire pit and another cairn next to another steep rock wall. A few hundred feet past that and you will spot another cairn that is the start of the gully to the top. As geezerhiker stated "you will be using your hands and feet" the rest of the way. THIS IS STEEP! STEEP!

...and the only path to and from the lookout point. Yes, I did reach the top. Even though it was a gloomy day, the views of all the mountains shrouded in clouds was worth it. I watched the rain move across Mt Persis & Mt. Index like a sheet, which was impressive. But as the rain encroached towards my perch, I decided to creep my way back down the steep gully. Halfway down the gully I was startled by a warning siren, but still continued my decent... Does anyone know the siren's purpose in such a small, remote town?

Road to TH well graded and clear. First truck in the lot at 7:30 am.
Trail is in excellent condition, crossing rushing water at 1/2 mile in is fairly smooth as quite a few downed logs have been placed across. Awesome views socked in with clouds. A bit of snow begins around 3000' on switchbacks, should be melting out soon. Continued into the wet clouds past the Alpine Lakes sign beginning the descent to Mason Lake when the snow kicks in completely. Unable to reach the lakeshore as deep snow and complete coverage made it too dangerous. Other than missing the last .3 a great hike. Passed only a few others on the way back.

There is still snow on portions of the trail but it is not a hindrance to finishing the hike. Trail is a little bit muddy due to recent rain/snow melt. Suggest waiting a little later in the season to hike.

We arrived at 9 AM and hiked the trail with 70 oz waterpacks. The trail was in good shape except that it was overgrown in places and there were some dangerous branches hiding in the thinner cover in the trees. We saw 3 or 4 snakes that were likely rattlers based on the colors, but they weren't hanging around to be a problem. The area requires a NATIONAL PARK PASS not a Discover Pass as the trail description says and a $5 parking fee. I would recommend the hike to anyone looking for a quick stretch. We were done in just over 2 hours including stops.

Great hike, was really foggy and rainy but staying overnight at the Hut with friends made it worth it. We opted out of carrying our snowshoes, knowing the snow wouldn't be bad until near the top. We had to walk on snow for the last 0.7 miles, wasn't impossible without snowshoes but definitely more of a trek. We were glad we didn't carry snowshoes on our packs for the first 3.5 miles though.

Also keep in mind the 1 Road has been washed out so do not follow the directions on WTA as of May 2013. Follow directions here: http://www.visitrainier.com/[…]/

This was my first backpack and it was part of the Mountaineers' Backpacking Building Basics course. There was seven of us including the leader, Steve B. Steve did a great job scouting out the site for us earlier in the weekend and a great job of leading the backpack.

There are many water crossing and beautiful waterfalls on the way to Snoqualmie Lake. The trail is mostly flat until you get to the last two miles after the fork to the lake. We encounter snow below the waterfall that comes out of the lake so we weren't able to make it all the way.

I counted over 20 water crossings from the trailhead. Most are easily passable with treking poles. However, there is one crossing that is pretty challenging. If I hadn't been with a group, I may have turned around which would have been disappointing.

There are Trillum blooming along the trail especially on the last 2 mile section before the snow starts.

There were seven of us so finding a campsite was challenging. However, we did find one past fork to head up to Snoqualmie Pass. It is on the trail to Nordrum Lake. We were able to put in seven 1- and 2-person tents with room for a couple more. There is campfire pit that we didn't use and a fast moving stream where we got water for filtering.

Although it rained most of the weekend, it was still an enjoyable time for my first backpack.

Headed to Ingalls Creek on Saturday, with our Venturing Crew (co-ed arm of the BSA, for older teens). We hit the trail at 10:00, with packs full of training weight, in preparation for summer adventures.

Trail: In lovely shape...only a little bit of mud here and there, and the streams are easy to hop across. No snow whatsoever.

Blowdowns: A few. The first large one is best negotiated by sliding your pack under, and then crawling under after it. The top of that blowdown has a lot of sap.

Campsites: If you're looking for a short backpack, there are many campsites along the way, from singles to larger sites at about 4 miles and at 5.5 miles.

Wildflowers: Lots, and in full bloom. Definitely spend a few moments indulging your inner nature photographer :-)

For a side diversion, spend a little while at the enormous boulder fall on the north side of the trail. Lots of good scrambling to be done.

I just did this trail for the first time with a couple friends. The first couple miles was a leisurely stroll along a dirt road and was pretty flat. Once we reached the Teneriffe Falls sign, the trail became narrow and rugged and a majority of it was rock. I recommend sturdy shoes and poles. It was raining the whole time we were up there so it was slippery in places as well. Ends at the waterfall and was beautiful even though we were wet and cold. I slipped on the way down a couple times so this is where poles would have come in real handy. Over all, really easy and mellow hike. Enjoy :)

Climbed Mount Ellinor today; first off the total length of the trip was 7.6 miles round trip from the lower trail head not 6.2 like the page reads. There is still plenty of snow up towards the top. I read the last report and based off what they had to say about the snow I thought I'd be fine without an ice axe or gators...kinda wish I had them, but still do able. I was extremely disappointed at the summit as visibility was maybe 500 feet at best. All fog and no views, guess I'll just have to hike it again in a few more weeks.

Road 9703 was rough, but drivable without high clearance. Gated just short of the trailhead.

Some simple stream crossings but otherwise dry trail up to about 5,000ft, then quite wet, and mostly covered with soft, consolidated snow above 5,500ft. The pass however was mostly free of snow.

Didn't have time to continue all the way up to Navaho Peak, so had lunch and turned back.

Met 3-4 parties on the trail, several of which were planning to camp.

Wildflowers: Trillium, Calypso Orchids, Paintbrush.

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/eric.jain/NavahoPassMay2013
Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/314669889

The husband remembered and found the PI article about this trail written up by Karen Sykes in 2008. It was the perfect choice for fantastic wildflowers on the dry east side near Ellensburg when it was all rain squalls and gloom in Bellevue.

We began the hike about 1:15, glad for the clouds as this hike is a steep uphill climb for 2 miles. But the flowers were so abundant on every side that there was no need to rush. Balsamroot, bitterroot, desert parsley, phlox, penstamen, iris, paintbrush, and many more we did not know. Pretty nice views of the Stuart Range as well, along with lush ranch lands in the valley below. Fairly busy trail with all ages and friendly dogs. Every one with a happy hello. We enjoyed our lunch on the boy scout bench beneath a doug fir about 1 mile up the trail.

The ridge top was glorious, but all of the memorials seemed a little tacky, why make a whole cemetary for one person. We went just a little ways beyond the plaques, hooking up with jeep trails where we could have wandered for miles, but instead were distracted by more slopes of flowers. Back down the car much faster than we went up. We'll be back next year.

Directions:I-90 to exit 101 (Thorpe), turn right(south); go 2 miles, turn right onto Cove Rosd. After 2 stop signs, trail head parking is on the right. Hiking poles and lots of water recommended.

Upon arriving to the road approaching the trailhead there was signs of a recent downed tree that had been recently cut away from the road. No blockages as of this time, however, once arriving at the trailhead there was quite a bit of snow.

My wife and 5 year old son joined me on this trip.

There was snow covering the majority of the trail, with short dry paths occasionally. Snow was between 1 and 2 feet deep on most areas, but was well packed, and thus easily walkable, only occasionally falling through. It was very slippery, however, so we were sure to be extra careful and hold our son's hand, and take the path slowly so as to prevent a disaster.

Scenery was beautiful and well-kept, although, we did find a few small signs of litter.

Great hike, today, and I can't wait to go back.

A short hike to a beautiful big sky roaming country area,
with trails leading off in many directions. From Twisp drive
 about 3 miles out Twisp river road, to Frost road, follow the
 road to the first green gate on the right, and park near by.
this short hike is perfect for families with small children,
or anyone wanting an easy highland wander. Up the road is the trail to Aspen Lake. Balsam root in golden bloom, and
a white shrubby bush with a fragrant scent, plus horses
roaming,plus large sage, and meadow larks singing ...
 

Lots of snow on the trail which was starting to melt. Had to be careful on areas where the streams had eroded the snow from below. I could recommend either coming with snow hiking gear, or holding off on this hike until conditions improve.

I had a good time despite some issues. First, there was a large tree blocking the road about 1km from the trailhead but the road up to that point was pretty good. The potholes which were present were not large and those that were were fairly easy to avoid. The beginning of the trail was in good condition but maybe 30 minutes from the trail head, the river broke through and I had to cross over a large, fallen tree.

After crossing the wooden bridge further on (which was a little worse for wear, but still sturdy), I found snow over large parts of the trail and actually lost the trail for about 50 meters or so before finding it again. No problems finding the trail again after that, though I did encounter increasing swathes of snow up the mountain. In fact, that lead me to end the hike prematurely because I concluded the higher I went the easier it would be to lose the path.

Coming back down, I lost the trail (again at the 50 meter gap) and after not finding it for 5 minutes or so, decided to follow the river until I found the bridge. It was smooth sailing from there.


Flowers and shoots were just appearing and despite the fog/rain/being inside a cloud, the view from the side of the mountain was really great. One of the draws of this hike for sure.

My girlfriend, the dogs, and I looking for a change of scenery and some sun drove east of the mountains to Ancient Lakes. When we arrived at 5 o'clock at the trailhead there were about 30 cars in the parking lot. A heavily hiked trail by every type of person. Tall, short, old, young, four legs, or two legs. The trail sees everyone.

DOWN SIDE: Given how easy the hike is and how many people visit there is an agglomeration of trash. Consistent sounds of someone above shooting their gun(s). You can see the farmers driving their cars through the fields at night with their headlights coming in and out of our vision. About 18 different tents and maybe as many as 10 groups of people were out there, so not much solitude. Bring a lot of water if your staying the night, its hot out there and the lake is very sketchy even with a filter.

UP SIDE: Beautiful change of scenery and easy to get to for an early season backpack/hike. Gorgeous basin with five lakes and a lot of wild life. Birds of prey, snakes, and some other small mammals I was not able to identify. If you have bad weather west of the cascades you can escape it here. There is some additional exploring you can do up above the basin once you get there as well. A nice rock to jump off of in the largest of the lakes for a cool swim.

I would recommend the hike but just be ware that you will see a lot of people and run into some trash.

Due to the closure of Dirty Harry's Balcony, decided to go to Talapus Lake instead. It's a very easy hike and there was snow (it's melting fast though)! Trail was not as muddy as you would think.

By the way, there were a lot of pot holes on the gravel road up to the trailhead.

Nothing better than to wake your home from college son up at 6AM to go hiking...in the rain...

Our group ended up hiking this versus the traditional Mt Si trail to the haystack. This was my first time on this trail which is really a logging road (old one???). The trail starts out with only a mild elevation gain and our pace was pretty fast ~15 minute mile. Once the road took a major turn up in elevation, I slowed way down to ~35/40 minute mile with breaks along the way. I cannot imagine a logging truck making those steep climbs. The rode is in great shape with only a few spots where there is water running across it (nothing major) and a few blow downs.

Just prior to top (think about 3/4 of the way) we ran into snow and from folks coming down there was a bunch more to get through. We decided to take the saddle pass to the back side of the haystack which was covered in hard pack, slushy snow with lots of blow downs

Had lunch at the top and headed down. Total of 10.2 miles and my son/I are still feeling the pain :-(

This is only the 2nd hike I've ever been on and it was QUITE a hike! I'm just working on getting into good physical shape and this hike was very challenging for me!

I took my two 7 year old girls up to the falls (we did not continue to the lake) and they had no problem on the way up (though the elevation gain is very steady) but they were very tired on the way down! We stopped very little and this is something I would do differently next time! Resting in occasional increments of 15 minutes or so would've made this a MUCH more enjoyable hike for me. The total trip took us 3.5 hours round trip.

The trail was clear of snow but was very muddy in some spots and the bugs get really heavy the closer you get to the falls so bring some repellant!

Great rainy day hike! Probably even better on a nice clear spring or summer day. There was a light rain starting when we headed out on the trail but with the tree cover offered along the trail it wasn't too bad. About 1/4 of the way up the trail the rain stopped. Still socked in by fog but the old growth and beginning of blooming flowers gave us a nice quiet hike. Only ran into 2 other groups of two all day, one couple hiking and one couple biking. Saw some fresh signs of someone on horses, which my dog just had to roll in lol Loved the fact that there were so many tail signs marking the different areas. There were a few blowdowns and some snow along the back half that covered the trail. Nothing to serious, we easily maneuvered around them. Some parts of the trail are beginning to get a little over grown but again nothing too serious. Along the first part of the trail there seems to be an issue with sink holes which I could see being a problem for anyone on a horse. Will definitely need to try this trail again when the weather is clear so we can take in some of the views that I'm sure it offers.

Despite the clouds and rainy forecast today was a great day for a climb up Granite Mountain. The trail toward the summit route is in fine shape, no blowdowns or other obstructions. There are a pair of avalanche gullies that require short snow crossings, but are hardly of note. Further up however the snow starts to take up the trail and the beaten path abrptly ends at one last island of bear grass and trees. This is the point that you have to start heading up the snow covered mountainside, you're going to wish you brought boots and gaiters at the least. Heading off in a westerly and up sort of direction the fire lookout eventually came into view between the clouds. The path to the summit is still on decent snow, though there were a couple of deep postholing incidents. Towards the summit we were greeted with a light snowfall, which was unexpected, but welcome, like Christmas in May! Lots of great glissading opportunities on the way down, so much so by the time we got back on the trail my rear end felt like it'd been dragged across cold, wet sandpaper. In summary, be prepared for lots of snow travel, some of it fairly steep.

Was rainy, but not too bad. First time doing this hike and am very glad we did.

From the TH to the Big Beaver Camps the trail has been cleared and is in great shape. There are several creeks along the way and all can be stepped across without issue.

From the Big B Camps to the 39 Mile Camps there are ~ 30 downed trees. Most of these are small and pose no real issue, but a couple will be annoying. Nettles are just starting to pop up along this stretch, so as Ranger David says, "Watch those hands!" There will be 1 ford to 39 Mile (although there is a way to stay dry upstream) and as long as you are comfortable crossing on rocks and logs, then there are no other fords on this stretch. 39 Mile Camps are mostly clear of debris and in good shape.

If continuing on towards Luna Camp, there will be numerous fords and Beaver Pass still has ~ 5 ft of snow.

There is a lot of solitude to be had up the ol' Big B.

Cheers!

The trail was wet from the get go. you hit snow quick and the snow doesnt go away. Heather lake is all unfrozen the the snow is still there. dont bring a fishing pole

Trail is in good condition. It hasn't been maintained yet this year and there are about 10 downed trees along the path - all easy to climb over. The stream crossings make for some adventure and stop and look around at the trees - there is so much going on in this area!

In the beginning, the signs can be hard to understand, but stay to the left and you'll be on your way. A couple of miles up there's a great stopping point for a break and to take in the amazing mountain views.

From the ranger station we were told that the campsite would be snow covered, but rest assured, there was no snow. We found the toilet just fine. I'm sure this worked out for us, because we were the only campers all weekend!

We set up camp and trekked the last .5 miles to the peak. On the way you'll catch some views of the Panther Potholes below - stop and have a look, they're probably your last good view. We're never quite sure if we did make it to the top - the peak is pretty snow covered and we soon lost the trail. Our GPS said we were there, but there were no views and we're pretty sure we were soon headed down Panther Creek, so we turned around and went back.

The campsite was awesome - good weather, some mosquitos but pretty much too cloudy for any amazing views. It also says there's water at the campsite, but we weren't about to climb down for it - good luck!

Cheers!

Be careful crossing Sunday Creek, it is running high. I tried to find an easier way by heading upstream ~1/2 mile, but no such luck. Eventually ended up going downstream to the sand bars, but I still got quite wet.

Still some snow patches near the lake.

Overall, the trail was in decent shape until about 1/8 of a mile before you reach Gray Wolf Camp. At that point, there was a large amount of new blow down debris that completely blocked the trail. We tried to find routes around or through it for about an hour, but wound up turning back. I filed a report with NPS, so hopefully they will get out and clear it soon. Also, the ranger station is reporting that the privy at Gray Wolf has been destroyed by a falling tree. Camp Tony and Slide Creek Camps are in good shape.

A little early for this hike. Was heading to the cabin for the weekend from the Kettle Crest Trail head on Sherman Pass and aborted due to conditions. The trail has not yet been maintained so there were many blow downs and large snow drifts. This being my first time there and not having any tracks to follow I kept losing the trail in the snow making progress extremely slow. This needs a couple more weeks of warm temperatures. The trail register had reports of people going in during the winter with snowshoes, but this being what I call "mud season" (time during snow melt where the trail is either mud or snow banks) made it very difficult. Will try again when I can get the cabin reserved.

Brenda, Jonah, & I walked out the North Jeep Road to Box Spring Canyon on the WDFW land just west of Snow Mtn Ranch today. The Desert Buckwheat was very nice & there was lots & lots of beautiful Thompson's Paintbrush as well as some Bitterroot in bloom. Just as we sat down for lunch above the canyon, a heavy shower moved in and we had to put on our rain gear. After lunch we went down the west side of the canyon to my truck which we had placed on Cowiche Mill Road at the canyon mouth. I had never gone down this way and decided that the east side of the canyon is a much nicer way to go down. Though it was cloudy & cool, it was a very nice day for walking.

The trail was pretty muddy today, after breaking out of the trees though, the mud ebbs a bit. Snowfree to the summit, today was pretty well hemmed in by clouds, but the occasional breaks yielded fine vistas. Also the minor blowdowns early in the hike have been cleared and the trail is essentially clear of any such obstacles.

Flowers! The hills of Robinson Canyon are bursting with flowers right now. Lupine, Balsamroot, Paintbrush, and many more. The air was so thick with heady scents that it was difficult to keep hiking! The large meadow is lush and green and makes one envy those who occupied the little cabin there in bygone days.

The trailhead is simply a parking lot in front of an elk gate. Today must have been a horse jamborie because many camper trucks and horse trailers were parked in the meadow just beyond the gate. The trail starts on an abandoned road which is blocked from vehicles by a boulder barrier. It rembles westward about a mile then turns to cross the small creek shaded by trees. A few feet further is a junction; left goes back and up somewhere, right continues up the canyon.

A little under a half mile further is another junction; left goes steeply up into the woods but rejoins the main trail later, right continues up the canyon to a third junction with a small cairn in the middle of the road. Left goes up Ainsley Canyon, a narrow, wooded cleft that circles around and eventually arrives at Ainsley meadow. Right continues up through woods and abundant flowers flanked by basalt cliffs to the north on the other side of the creek.

The trail arrives at another junction; left climbs the ridge and joins a road, right evenually meets the same road further on. Following this road south also arrives at Ainsley meadow. There is no road through the meadow but it is pretty easy to see where to pick it up again. This makes a nice little loop hike with lots of flowers and not too much altitude. The trail I followed and described here is in fine shape. I never found the washout mentioned in the May 4 trip report.

Finished clearing trees between old trailhead to first Skokomish crossing on big cedar. Part of handrail is missing on Rule Creek bridge.

The downside: The weather forecast deteriorated. We got wet.

The upside: Booming grouse. Best wildflowers I've seen, so many species, all at their peaks. Swaths of balsamroot and lupine, and the lupine was so fragrant. Different species at each elevation: orange paintbrush, penstemon, Lewisia, Jacob's ladder, mahonia, phlox, desert parsley, columbine, avalanche lily, and more. The low light really set off the blooms.

We saw only one other party. If you're reading this: (1) Yep, despite our ambitions, should have trusted the evidence from your wet pants and the look on your face, because you were right, the rain did not relent. (2) I was delighted to find the lovely gift of my lost sunglasses and the paintbrush sprig on my windshield. The paintbrush gave me a good idea of where they had fallen. Thank you!

Trail is open and clear. Snow/slush above 3500/3mile mark just passed the Talapus trail connection.

If it is raining when you are going hiking, go to a waterfall. Even better, go to two waterfalls!

There are many falls near the Suiattle River Road. Today I found Lower Suiattle River Falls and Petticoat Falls. Both were flowing well.

To reach Lower Suiattle River Falls, drive 2.7 miles on Suiattle River Road and park on the right just after you pass a creek on the left at at sharp right turn. The falls are a quarter mile upstream. Bushwhack up the hill on the right side of the creek and you will be at the right height when you reach the falls.

The starting point for Petticoat Falls is a pullout at a low water crossing at mile 3.7. Walk back (West) on the road 100 paces and look for a bootpath heading uphill. Climb up the ridge and follow it around to the right until you see the waterfall. It is easy to find. There are faint bootpaths all over the ridge. The roundtrip bushwhack is 0.75 mile with 250' of elevation gain.

I found a couple of other waterfalls, but they were not as impressive. But be sure to explore Teepee Falls, which I found last year. It's below the bridge at mile 10 on Suiattle River Road.

The weather was improving so we decided to go up to the lookout to put the shutters up, work on the door and check for any damage Winter might have wrought. We drove up road 42 until reaching snow at 5.3 miles; hiking the remaining 1.7 miles to the trailhead. There is still about 3 feet of snow covering the parking area.
We continued up, taking the Winter-route as the trail is totally snow covered. It's quite steep in places, especially above the saddle (4750') going around to the south side. Using a mountain axe and knowing how to self-arrest is recommended. It took about 4 hours to get to the lookout. We put in 3 hours of work then headed down the same route; taking 1.5 hours.
Only wildflowers seen were skunk cabbage and coltsfoot, along the road.
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There are so many wildflowers on this hike, you might get tired of them by the end of the hike! (not really) Beautiul hike with lots of fragrant flowers - primarily balsamroom and lupine right now, but also some bitterroot and other flowers I can't identify. Great views along the way and the side trip to the top of the mountain provides 360 views.

Officially a 5 mile loop, my hiking watch indicated under 4.

A loop trail that starts at Sun Mountain Lodge. Start on either Sunnyside or Kraule and then create a loop using the two trails. Beautiful scenery along the way and peak wildflower season right now. Only around 300 ft gain and a total of 6 miles.

Easy, pleasant, and well worth the trip.

This was the gnarliest hike I've done in a while. I strongly recommend taking 2 poles, good boots, and a companion, as the terrain is extremely steep and loose in spots, the route is easy to lose, and you may not encounter any other hikers to help you if you get hurt.

The hike can be divided into 4 sections:

1) The first .1 or .2 mile parallels I-90 (from approx. 2200' to 2400' elevation). Even though we knew to go straight instead of following the first switchback to the right, we almost absent-mindedly missed it.

2) The next section is moderately steep switchbacks (2400-3600' elevation). The trail is soft and damp; watch out for slippery roots on the way down. You'll cross a pretty stream 4 times.

3) Just after you cross the first rock field, it's easy to get lost. It looks like the trail goes straight and then a bit downhill before petering out, but actually that's from hikers like me going back and forth trying to find the trail. The real trail goes left, uphill. At many points this section is hard to find, though it goes pretty much straight up.

4) Once you emerge from the trees, continue straight up, keeping the gully on your right. For some stretches there didn't appear to be a single trail. There are at least 4 pink ribbons in trees to mark the trail, though we saw just 1 of them on the way up. The snow is entirely avoidable, though we walked across some easy snow for a few feet.

Trail a little muddy in spots from rain we still get in May. With loaded multi-day packs, it took us a solid 3 hours to get to the ranger station campground - the trail is mostly uphill and part of that is steady steep while ascending. A big tree down which you can climb around near the falls.

Camped overnight and went further in the next day to the fork. This part of the trail (past the initial ranger station campground) has quite a few more down trees and obstacles to climb over/under/around, but absolutely worth it.

Saw some remains of deer on the trail (cougar?) and had some whiffs of non-human but no other big animal activity while we were there. Set of three deer came very close - fawns especially - within 5' of us talking. My guess is they've never been chased/spooked by humans and had no reason to run on sighting us - that was beautiful.

We were there 2 nights and 3 days and only saw one other group of backpackers. Ranger station campground has bear boxes, pit toilet. The next campground has a bear wire. Took us 2:10 to get back down from the ranger station.

Water from river totally drinkable (with proper filter). I didn't see many other people, but can imagine that it would be difficult with small children or older dogs.

There is a canyon trail which goes through the canyon and a lesser known rim trail. The rim trail has spectacular views and apparently can be combined with the canyon trail to form a 9 mile loop. I ran out of time so did just part of the rim trail.

The canyon rim trail is about 5 miles roundtrip.

Directions:
From Winthrop, take East Side County Rd for 2 miles and turn LEFT onto Bear Creek Rd (at golf course sign).
After 2.3 miles, turn RIGHT on Lester immediately after paved road has become dirt road. Floow road to flat, open area where there is a fork. If you continue the road you came on, this will lead to the canyon trail. If you want to take the rim trail, park near this forked open area and start walking down the other road to the left of the main road. The rim trail veers off as single track in a couple hundred feet to the right.

There isn't much snow left, only a few patches here and there. This trail is now accessible with tennis shoes. The lake if fully melted, and looked beautiful with the sunshine!we had a nice day sunning ourselves on the rocks and logs. Great for the family, or someone new to hiking. Or, if you want a challenge, try scrambling partway up Baring. That was fun, too!

Walking this sage brush, and balsamroot trail just across the road from the free Lighting creek campground (discover pass required);is a nice bonus. very fragrant white shrubs in bloom....A hidden valley with aspen just around the bend. Mountain bikers make a 17 mile loop via connecting roads. The campground is heavily used by horse people, probably many other possibilities for hiking nearby, waiting to be explored. There are also are faint deer, cattle trails winding up the butte behind the campground.
from Twisp highway 20 south... approx. 6 miles out of town take a left onto Upper Beaver Creek road.....the trail starts just across from the free campground just across a bridge....

First time up this trail, and man was it a beast! The trail is in pretty good condition, but you'll encounter many roots through the forested portion. There are a few snow patches around 4000', nothing you'll need traction devices/ice axe for; leave that stuff at the house! Make sure you bring enough water-I took 3L and was fine. I'm not in the greatest of shape, so the entire trip took me just under 6 hours. 4 up and a little less than 2 down. My legs are still killing me...enjoy!

This was my first time on this trail, so i didn't know what to expect. I LOVE it. There are enough blowdowns, washouts and landslides to make it interesting and fun for me and my 35lbs Aussie. I wouldn't take this trial if you're not physically 100% or have unruly/very small pets as some of the spots in the trail require a bit of climbing over or up.

We made it to the end of tunnel 2 and stopped at the previously mentioned landslide.

It is beautiful, interesting trail that might be fun for older kids to try out.

Our leader couldn't have picked a better day to hit the hillsides of Dog Mountain! We were definitely barking up the right tree on this 70 degree day! The skies were clear and the trail wasn't too muddled with trekkers. And the flowers!!!! Breathtaking! Balsamroot was absolutely stunning! "I've never seen anything like it!" was the repeated refrain.

Everyone with a camera in hand was almost embarrassed to hold it out in front of them, knowing there was NO WAY humanly possible to grasp the wide angle reality of the hillsides entirely covered with blooms. With the mightly Columbia stretching far to the east and far to the west, an impressive backdrop to the massive stretches of yellow sunfloweresque heads looking into the sun, it's an extraordinary picture which a camera cannot do justice. Now is the time, folks! Go see Dog Mountain in all its glory.

I've posted just a few pictures... they are only a glimpse of what you'll see first-hand.

We did this as an evening conditioning hike with a 30 pound backpack. The new trail is under construction, so keep going further until you see the old trail and take that. The trail is well marked with white trail markers and is in good condition, but I did not see any of them having distance markers. Couple of them did have altitude markers though. It's a continuous ascent all the way till top. Good boots and poles are required. We did not wear gaiters and they were not required. The trail is damp in most places, but not wet. There was water in just couple spots. Beyond 4200', we started seeing patches of snow but they were easily manageable. The boulders had lot of snow, so instead of scrambling through them, we kept left and followed the trail. The last section to actually reach the mailbox is through rocks. No snow here, but it is rocky so exercise caution. Sweeping views of the valley, nearby peaks and Mount Rainier. We left a water bottle in the mailbox, took pictures, had a quick bite and headed down. Next time, I'd carry a pair of light gloves and wear it before reaching the summit. Take it easy while coming down. If you're hiking in the evening, check your headlamps, carry extra batteries and warm layers.