The trail was in good condition, practically no mud and is well maintained. Good creek and forest views. Parking lot is small although was relatively unbusy on a rainy Monday morning. Took 2.5 hours including a few stopping points.

There were a number of cars parked along the road and a few in the small lot before the locked gate just before 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Since this is a loop, people end up spread out and you get time with just you and forest. I went clockwise. That means you start out with the big bridge and then the gloriously mossy giants. I love that section. You hit elevation gain in two medium burns with a section in the middle that allows you to catch your breath and enjoy the forest and some glimpses of sky. As always, the water is flowing in all the places the wonderful trail engineers designed it to, which means the trail is nice and dry. The wildflowers are sprouting here and there. I saw one skunk cabbage, a bit of white trilium, and a bunch of delicate yellow violets. The bathrooms are still locked. The sign in the small lot that says the dates when the campground is open so the lot is meant for short term parking is broken. I think May...

It's been a while since we've hiked here, and it was just as lovely as we remembered.  This time our group hiked counterclockwise, which seems a bit longer, but has a few flatter sections to make the climb a bit easier.  Per my watch we hiked 4.88 miles with 1,057 feet of elevation.  It took us 2 hours and 42 minutes, but that was with lots of stops to rest & enjoy the bridges. The trail was in good condition with only a little bit of mud in places and completely snow free. The only negative was that the bathroom had no toilet paper or sanitizer, which was surprising as there appeared to be a group of folks there to do some trail maintenance.  Only a bit of rain there, but more in Hoodsport where we stopped on our way home for some Olympic Mountain ice cream--so good! 

This report covers the Big Creek loop and an exploratory trip up the Mount Ellinor trail to assess the snowpack. Big Creek loop is a jewel of a hike that meanders beside multiple tributaries flowing down the Big Creek Basin into Lake Cushman. It’s popular for many good reasons which become apparent when hiking it. With my canine hiking buddy for company, I went counter-clockwise so I could first check the Ellinor/Washington viewpoint. Today the summits were obscured by clouds even though there was sunshine beaming into the lower valley. I could see snow up high on partially melted slopes, but not a trace on any part of the Big Creek trail. As I approached the bridges at the head of the valley, I expected to see higher volumes of water in the creeks and was surprised by the mild flow. I suppose the lack of rain this week and the lower temperatures played a role. Acknowledging the dedicated volunteers on the Mt. Rose Trail crew, there are numerous well-crafted and thoughtfully placed benches that line the entire loop.

After passing all the bridges, I continued uphill on the Mount Ellinor connector trail and stopped to enjoy the viewpoint at 2630 feet. No snow on the trail in this section either, but I did encounter three places with minor tree blockage. I arrived at the lower Ellinor trailhead and noted that the road and parking area was covered with a foot of snow. There were no signs of tire tracks, though I did see some footprints. Looking up and down the road, I couldn’t see any bare road.

I continued hiking up the trail towards the upper Ellinor trailhead. One 10-inch diameter tree blocked the trail in this section, requiring a short jog to get around it. Snow began covering the trail at around 3000 feet and became solid snow between 3100-3200 feet. The snow was well compacted, making travel easy. I hiked to 3400 feet and stopped to enjoy a nice viewpoint with a well-made bench, located just 75 steps past the 12-foot boulder. I made this my turnaround point, satisfied that the snow beyond was more of the same.  I returned to the upper Big Creek trail and completed the loop, logging 9.5 miles, 2600 feet of elevation gain.

The campground is still closed but we were able to park no problem on the road around 1 pm on a Sunday. Took the loop clockwise. There is no snow on the main trail but were some patches of soft snow on the confluence access trail. The cascades from the confluence access trail were stunning, don’t miss it by staying on the main trail the whole time. Take the detour, you won’t regret it.

Wildflowers are just starting- we saw blooming violets, salmonberries, and osoberries. Bleeding hearts are popping up everywhere, no blooms yet but we await them anxiously.