Bottom Line:
Accessible! BEAUTIFUL views of the snowy Enchantments from the Iron Bear summit, especially Mount Stuart. Rainier was also out to the south. The trail is mostly snow free (dry in fact) until the final 1/2 mile, where the trail becomes increasingly snowed in. There are large cornices at the top (see video) - exercise caution. Postholing was minimal as a hard freeze overnight set the trail up nicely. There are some flowers - mainly the early bloomers like glacier lily (and lots of balsamroot clumps, most waiting to bloom). The trail is covered in deer tracks, as well as some bear prints. There are some significant obstacles (down trees, snowfields and cornices) near the top. CAUTION: Cougar territory (I dunno - always on my mind when I do this trail!)
Stats:
- Distance: 8 miles
- Vertical: 2020 ft
- Duration: ~4 hours
- Road/Parking: SR-97 is beautiful now with rushing streams and fresh leafy trees! NF-9714 is passable to within 1/2-mile of the trailhead, with most down trees cut and cleared, except a tree blocking the parking area on the other side of the (shallow) Iron Creek crossing. The road is mostly bare and dry (with fairly shallow potholes early on), but there are patches of snow within 1-1/2 miles of the trailhead; pushed through the first full-road covered area, only to encounter a longer and deeper field of snow within 1/2-mile of the trailhead, so decided to park there. No toilet at trailhead. CAUTION: Deer migration on SR-97; keep your eyes peeled!
- Weather: Sunny with passing cloud, 50-60Fs, light wind with occasional gusts; controlled burn near SR97 contributing to hazy skies to the south - Rainier was quite obscured.
- Water: The first quarter of the trail crosses Iron Creek and its tributaries a number of times for filter opportunities, but the rest of the trail is dry; carry water
- Flowers: This is not a trail that will get dense flowers (like say, Sauer's Mountain current conditions) as the trail is dry and rocky. But the early bloomers are out, mainly glacier lily, giant clover, yellow bells (which start orange), balsamroot (just a few blooming near Teanaway Ridge) and pioneer violets. Lots more to come of course (see link for area flowers), but I was here for the snowy views to the west!
- Trail: Did not see another hiker all day (or really any other tracks for that matter). The trail is 95% snow free up to Teanaway Ridge, and then 50% up to Iron Bear ridge, and then nearly 100% covered for the last 1/4-mile or so. There are cornices and deep snow near the top - I lost concentration and postholed to my thighs near some buried tree even though I knew better. The snow was mostly firm, but there were sections where postholing was an issue. There is cell service at Iron Bear itself, but only emergency service on the ascent. Evidence of animals - lots of deer tracks from Teanaway Ridge upward, and some muddy bear tracks that appeared on my descent (they were not there on the way up!) in the flat, swampy meadow area below the summit. The views of course are amazing, especially from the Teanaway Ridge junction upward. The larches have not needled out - a bit more time to see that sublime, vibrant lime green, only rivaled by the yellow/orange at the end of their life in the fall. The trail is signed and easy to follow. Lots of debris from lack of use. There are some large down trees near the top - at least two of which were tricky to get past.
- Takeaway: For me, an ideal time to visit with the snowy Cascades and Enchantments providing great contrast to the namesake red, iron-filled rocks and soil. Beautiful! With the additional ~1 miles RT to the trailhead due to snow on the road, I suppose the trail is comfortably "open", but with pretty limited parking as the main lots remain inaccessible. Would be easy for someone with a saw to clear the tree near the trailhead (next time).
The attached video shows the hike pretty much end-to-end, including current snow conditions.
Comments
Onblarney on Iron Bear - Teanaway Ridge
Great report and beautiful pictures, absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by:
Onblarney on May 06, 2025 10:32 PM
Alpine Wanderer on Iron Bear - Teanaway Ridge
Thanks! I hope you get a chance to check out this hike... it's a keeper, and should be more fully in bloom by now :)
Posted by:
Alpine Wanderer on May 07, 2025 06:03 AM