Beautiful morning in Garfield Ledges. The road was totally fine until the last bridge, then it was large potholes (slightly larger than this past summer). Trail had been maintained recently so it was totally clear. The view from the top was stunning with such a clear morning! 

My wife wanted to get out and see the snow, so we headed down the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. Most noteworthy trail report item today was the road in.

The Middle Fork Road was hit pretty hard from the storms. There are several places where there's still storm debris or road damage that reduces the road to one lane - especially beyond the Oxbow Lake parking lot. (And of course the road between the Taylor River and the Garfield Ledges parking lot is full of deep craters as usual.) The good news is that entire road is still accessible.

We first hiked Garfield Ledges. There were several large blowdowns, but nothing too hard to pass. Second pic gives you an idea of the size.

There was intermittent snow starting from the parking lot today. Halfway up, the trail was snow covered, but packed down enough that we didn't need any traction. The view from the top with the blue sky, clouds and snow was epic.

We also hiked a small way down the Middle Fork Trail. The bridge was slick, but the trail on the other side was fine. We didn't go too far since it was getting close to dark. The best view (in my opinion) is near the trailhead.

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.