I wanted to do a short hike to match the short day. 99% of the road to the trailhead is paved (with a lot of branches and the remains of chainsawed trees strewn all over the road, so go slow)! But as soon as you cross the Taylor River, the road turns to gravel and has some massive potholes. Any car can handle the deep pits as long as you go slow. Throughout the hike, maybe five or six fallen trees lay across the path. But it was relatively easy to go under, over, and around. It was raining when I started on the hike. Then halfway there, it was lightly snowing. At the top was heavy flurries and heavy clouds. No views. But it was lovely eating lunch and listening to the snow fall. I mostly had the entire hike to myself. On the way back down, I passed a trail maintenance worker who wanted to see if there were any massive trees blocking the path. You could hear a chorus of buzz saws clearing downed trees at the Middle Fork Campground. The atmospheric river has not been kind to the Middle Fork Natural Area!

We were the first ones at the trailhead this morning around 0730. The road seems to get worse everytime we come out here. I would be very hesitant to take a low clearance car past the bridge because the pot holes are so big. You really cant avoid them. We tried to move most of the bigger branches on the road to the shoulder.

We were short on time and wanted a quick hike, so this fit the bill. The rain just started and it was very windy. There were a few downed trees and large branches that we moved off trail. We made it to the summit and watched as the moody clouds rolled in through the valley.

It took us about 45 minutes and two miles round trip. 

With both of us having the day off, my boyfriend and I embarked on a Thanksgiving-day hike. Just the drive into the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Forest is beautiful, with river views and tall peaks around each turn in the road. Based upon previous reviews, we decided to park at the Middle Fork Trailhead Lot and took the connector trail to Garfield Ledges. This proved to be a wise decision--the potholes at the Garfield lot were ridiculous. I'd only recommend driving up there if you have 4 wheel drive and/or a car you like to take off-roading. Plus, the outhouse at Middle Fork is still open for the winter, unlike the Garfield Ledges trailhead. While we had planned to purchase a Northwest Forest Pass at Middle Fork, lack of cell service sabotaged our good intentions. Come prepared, either with a physical pass or by purchasing in advance online.

The Middle Fork Connector Trail is slightly concealed by trees, but it is directly opposite the bathrooms, as written, and was easy to find once we knew which direction to look. Besides being much more convenient for parking, the connector enhanced the hike itself. The almost entirely flat trail meanders along a branch of the Snoqualmie River, with tall evergreens and moss carpets that look like something out of a Studio Ghibli Movie. Garfield Ledges starts above river-level, so we really enjoyed the bonus river sights and sounds from the connector. The connector joined back with the main road at a bridge, which lead us to the Garfield Ledges parking lot.

The Garfield trailhead is located slightly behind and above the outhouse building. The hill starts almost immediately, but it is never overwhelming. Out of the whole trail, the 30+ stairs were the most challenging portion. The trek brought us through quiet, mossy forest with only a handful of other hikers. We saw no wildlife but did encounter a variety of interesting mushrooms, fungi, and nurse stumps. There were maybe two or three downed trees along the path, but all were fairly easy to step over.

The view at the top was just as stunning as promised. While we caught glimpses of the valley during our climb, they did not compare to the open view at the trail's end. A interpretive sign gave historical and geological context to the valley, which is always appreciated by a nerd such as myself.

With the connector trail and Garfield Ledges combined, round trip logged in at about 3.5 miles. I'd give the trip 4.5 stars (bumped up by the inclusion of the connector trail.) This is a great hike for kids or a more low-key excursion.

ROAD: The Garfield Ledges parking area is in horrendous condition, full of water and difficult to tell how deep the puddles are in places. This is my first time all year worrying about whether my Mazda CX-5 would scrape going in or out. If you have low clearance, consider parking just over the bridge (south end) and hoofing it past Garfield Ledges OR take your time (5-10 mph) so you don't harm your car. Carpooling is highly recommended so fewer cars go through here. The bridge is pretty much one-way at a time so be patient if you go on a weekend. We were fortunate this Friday morning, only a few cars coming in as I left.

I did this trip as a third in a series, starting with Oxbow Lake Loop, then meeting a friend to do Otter and Big Creek Falls, and topped off with some elevation gain. Two other gentlemen were leaving the cars about the same time (12:50) but with climbing helmets strapped to their packs I'm not entirely sure where they went. The trail is in great shape, with only a few downed logs or branches to navigate easily. I considered doing some laps on the 78 stairs built into a particularly steep portion of the trail but decided to try a little scrambling above the Ledges, instead.

The trail was completely empty as I headed up at about a 2.5 mph. I only heard Pacific Wrens and Golden-crowned kinglets for my just-over-an-hour jaunt up to the view point.

Feeling like I still had more in the tank, and thrilled with the dry weather, I took the "climber's trail" (a scramble) straight up, which slowed my pace considerably, followed a few pink ribbons on trees until the "trail" disappeared. Figuring it was best to be safe, I turned around and made my way back down, snapped some photos, then scouted out the Garfield Ledges picnic area and potholed road for inclusion in this trip report.

LATRINES: Garfield Ledges bathrooms are closed for the winter, but Otter/Big Creek/Snoqualmie Lake latrine just beyond is still open and well-stocked. A Discover Pass is required here. 

On my drive out, I pulled over so two slowly moving cars could pass on the bridge. The rest of the drive was smooth sailing, though I could see where workers have removed more downed trees. Nothing like the bomb cyclone of last November, knock on wood.

This beautifully maintained trail passes through the forest before emerging onto a wonderful view of the middle Snoqualmie Valley. Although the temperature was in the 50s, I enjoyed my lunch in short sleeves in the sun. Given the holiday, there were many families with young kids, enjoying the trail. There are a couple of downed trees, which are easy to climb over.