Old Sauk River Trail

The trailhead for the Old Sauk River Trail is located just off the Mountain Loop Highway shortly after traveling south from Darrington. The parking area has been rearranged a bit since the last time I visited in that it is now just off the highway. The changes have reduced the number of cars that can park there and there is no longer a privy there. There were about 4 cars there at 10:30 in the morning, but several parked alongside the highway outside of the parking lot at 4:00 PM.

The trail itself is in great shape at this time. We only saw two areas of mud on the trail after a week of rain. This trail bears the brunt of winter storms and there are many areas along the trail where improvements have been made in the form of rocks along the trail or new bridges. The Forest Service currently appears to be in the process of moving a section of the trail further away from the river and this area is clearly marked.

This is a great hike for kids in that it is mainly flat with very moderate ups and downs with the river next to you nearly the entire way. There are several areas along the trail that provide great views of the river as well as spurs off the main trail that provide shoreline access to the river at this time of year.