Index Town Wall

Index Town Wall is a wonderful short early season snow free hike but it is every bit as strenuous as hikenwineguy described in his trip report. The trail is steep and narrow and getting overgrown on the lower levels. There are several blowdowns that are easily stepped over and my hiking partner and I cut and cleared a good many. There are 3 junctions. The first two are pretty clear as one fork is blocked off. Also look for the blue diamonds high up on the trees. The 3rd junction is right in the face of a rock cliff. Look for a pink ribbon high up to your left. That's the way to go.

This is a great time to climb this trail. The new growth is just budding, the little ferns are uncurling, and fresh green sprouts are poking up in all their healthy hopeful exhuberance. The flowers are tiny but very nice - starflower, bleeding heart, honeysuckle, and delicious miner's lettuce. This lettuce here is sweet and bursting with chorophyll, not bitter or acidic like some.

At the top of the ridge there is a wire fence across a rivulet. Turn left to follow an abandoned road through beautiful forest carpeted with fresh green mosses. Turn right and go up the rivulet to the viewpoints. On a clear day Mt. Baring, Mt. Index, Merchant Peak, and Perseus Mountain are all in their glory and today was special because they still had their snow.

After a knee punishing climb down, enjoy a delicious coffee at the Espresso Chalet just up highway 2 from the junction into Index.