Pratt River #1035

I kept hearing rumors that a way trail exists that connects the main Middle Fork Snoqualmie trailhead with the Pratt River Trail. However, after a futile search for the mystery trail last year, I concluded that the trail does not exist or is too overgrown to use. Then I read a recent report of some trail runners using the route recently (having no apparent difficulty), which piqued my interest greatly. So I went back to look for the mystery trail.

From the bridge over the Middle Fork I went right (west) onto a rough path paralleling the river. This path actually is a remnant of a once major trail heading toward North Bend. Some old cedar puncheon is still visible in places, a sad reminder that this once was an important and well maintained route, before being abandoned after logging roads were built up the valley. The good news is that the new version of the trail is being worked on by persons unknown, bringing it back to life.

The Forest Service actually wanted to rebuild the trail to Pratt River (survey ribbons can be seen up the slope) but the project seems to be on hold for now.

After a quarter mile, the path left the forest and ended at a beautiful gravel bar which would make a fine destination for a short walk or picnic. Great views of Mt Garfield from here. I followed the gravel bar until it came to an end at a riverside cliff. A obvious path climbed up the slope to the top of the cliff, then traversed over to the valley of Rainy Creek.

The trail crossed Rainy Creek at a log, then turned upstream--this is beginning of the Rainy Creek way trail. Here, I spent an hour crashing through the brush uselessly searching for the continuation of the elusive Middle Fork Trail. By a process of elimination, I eventually guessed that the trail must have branched off before Rainy Creek. I recrossed the creek and within a minute found the junction, which was cleverly disguised as a creek bed. Ribbons and blazes soon confirmed that I had found the continuation of the route.

The route headed west over the floodplain of Rainy Creek, sometimes on surviving bits of tread from the old Middle Fork trail, to a crossing of the creek (hard to do with dry feet). The next half mile or so of trail was rough, as the path was forced up onto a steep slope above the river. Most of the old trail's tread had collapsed. In one spot the path traversed a ledge that had been blasted out of a granite cliff; at another spot the trail passed over collapsing wooden structures that once reinforced the old trail. After reaching a mine in an impressive cliff, the terrain gentled, and for some distance beyond the walking was easy on well-preserved tread. The easy walking eventually ended at the edge of a rockslide that has swept down from the heights all the way to the river; for the next mile the way trail twisted and turned to avoid brush and logs, generally taking a course that climbed away from the river. Frequent flags and blazes kept me on course pretty well in this difficult stretch. There was little evidence of the old trail's tread.

Topping a high point, the trail dropped through some dense second growth trees and reached a the bed of an old, brushy logging road. The walking surface here became a bit easier, although the scratchy salmonberrys which had grown over every square inch of the road were annoying. The logging road and trail gradually descended to the river bank, where a bit of rough path led to a grassy clearing in the spacious flatlands of the Pratt River Valley. Ribbons to the south marked the start of the Pratt River Trail. From the Middle Fork Bridge to this point is about 3 rough and slow miles; allow plenty of time (about two hours) to get here.

Having some extra time, I could not resist exploring a bit of the Pratt River Trail. Ribbons led me into a dubious looking thicket of salmonberry, but sure enough there was an obvious tread underneath the brush. The path gradually climbed away from the river and improved a bit, although mud and brush were rampant. This trail is ""none too shiny"", as they say. In a long mile the trail reached a junction with a sign pointing the way to ""Big Trees"" (whatever that was--all the trees seemed big around here). The main trail stayed left and climbed the hill in a few switchbacks, before leveling out on the surface of an old logging railway. Here,the trail became relatively nice; cut logs indicated that some sporadic maintainence had been done. At a small waterfall I ran out of time and had to turn around. Exploring the upper reaches of the Pratt River will have to wait another day.

If you do want to explore the little used Pratt River Trail, you will save a lot of time if you park on the Middle Fork Road and wade the river, which should be easy to do later in summer. Most people will find this trail viewless and frustrating. It should be avoided by all except troglodytes, malcontents, and misanthropes.