No epic outing to report about. Just information for those who are planning epic trips for themselves. Hiking buddy Gary and I scouted the conditions from the highway near Big Creek campground to the trailhead at the upper Ellinor parking lot. Here's what we found.

In early December, this area received a big dump of snow down to the shore of Lake Cushman. On the trail, that snowfall has receded up to the 3000-foot elevation which is just above the lower trailhead (on the road, it's much lower). Snow covering starts with chunky ice pellets which then becomes a thin layer of crusty snow and, further up, deep consolidated snow where microspikes would work well. At the lower trailhead, we detoured down to the road to assess conditions. There we met one party that had parked a mile down the road and were geared up and going for the summit.

Out in the open, the snow on the road was deep and crusty. No vehicles in the parking area, but a single tire track was evident. The track continued up the hill past the parking area. We decided to walk up the road to see how far it went. Though a good 18 inches deep, the snow on the road was generally supportive. The same was true whether walking in the tire track or out. The track disappeared after 3/10 mile, but we continued walking uphill until we reached the spur trail that shortcuts to the upper parking lot. By this point, snowshoes would have been helpful, but we had decided to leave them in our vehicle, so we soldiered on, breaking trail wearing just microspikes.

The upper parking lot was bathed in sunshine and we took a break to enjoy it. The outline of the picnic table was visible but completely buried providing a good gauge to estimate snow depth at 3 feet. After our rest, we continued on, breaking trail and following the elevation contour until we converged with the main trail. There was a nicely compacted boot path to follow down, thanks in part to the party we met below. Gary and I resolved to return next week armed with tire chains so we could attempt to drive to the lower trailhead. Even if we fail, we should be close enough to see how the winter chute looks and eventually push to the summit.  

We arrived at the TH at 9, with only 1 car in the lot.  Hiked clockwise to the overlook.  Virtually snow free to the top of the loop. Some snow at the upper section toward the overlook.  We chose to wear microspikes, but you will probably be fine without.  Ended up going back down the way we came to retrieve a lost glove.

Best way to ring in the new year, by hiking an old favorite. It has just enough of a climb to remind you you're alive, but not enough to make you wonder why you chose this trail. With the campground closed you have to park along the road or try to squeeze into the tiny parking area in front of the gate. The campground bathrooms are also closed so plan accordingly. And please don't be like the people that thought it was ok to just leave their TP three feet off the trail on top of the ground. Come on! Pack it in, pack it out, dig a hole or get a Kula cloth, don't be a jerk. End rant. We chose a counter clockwise route and the snow started about two miles in, just before the Troll Bridge. It was packed down but soft enough that we were ok with just boots and poles, didn't need to use our microspikes. The snow was intermittently along the trail until we got closer to the confluence area, then it was solid snow, but easy to hike on. Some of the bridges required balancing on a ridge of snow to cross, or try to straddle it but all quite manageable. The hike down from the junction to the viewpoint/Ellinor connector was easy going with the snow ending a quarter mile down, or less. The trail was in great condition thanks to the hard work of trail crews.

Great way to start the new year! We started at 2pm & despite a lot of cars, trails were not packed & had a peaceful hike most of the way. Snow as you get close to top of loop & best to have good hiking boots& poles but very doable

Hiked the loop and took the two-mile detour to the viewpoint. Can be achieved without spikes or snowshoes but spikes were helpful. Upper trail has packed snow and lower trail minimal snow.