- Pothole just before and after the bridge near parking. Had read and knew about it and yet missed this. Just requires going slow that I forgot to do. Luckily its a very small section.

Hiked this short but wonderful trail with three kids between the ages of 8 and 11. For such a short distance, the view is really stunning! The Middle Fork road in in great condition, the only difficulty is the final, small stretch between the end of the road and the trailhead parking lot. Pot holes were enourmous, so higher clearance is helpful but any vehicle going slow enough should be able to manage it. 

nice short trail with family. moderate traffic with lots of kids and dogs

We chose Garfield Ledges for a short afternoon hike on a beautifully sunny Saturday. The drive near the Mailbox Peak parking lot had been rather slow, having to squeeze past an almost unbroken chain of parked cars about half a mile long, starting at the Valley Camp junction (where the one-way road ends). However, once past that traffic jam the road to Garfield Ledges was clear and quiet.

The road is paved almost the entire way. It turns to gravel just after the Middle Fork Campground. There are some hefty potholes right where the paving ends, and again on either side of the bridge, but once you've made it to the gravel parking lot the worst is over. A Prius and Tesla had made it seemingly in one piece, but most cars had higher clearance.

At the trailhead there is a double pit toilet in excellent condition (by pit toilet standards). It appears clean, does not particularly smell, is reasonably well stocked, and the lock functions. What more could you ask for?

The trail begins behind the pit toilet. The actual wooden trailhead sign (with the informational posters) is a stone's throw away up a little slope, and is clearly visible from the parking lot.

We began the hike at 2:30pm. It took us 45 minutes to reach the top, but we stopped a lot. The trail is mostly in the shade, under the cover of tall trees, though the sun bursts through in some gaps and there are a couple of sneak peek view points on the way up.

The view from the top was better than I expected, though the price you pay is a lack of shade. There is absolutely zero vegetation obscuring the view, so you get a wide panorama of the Middle Fork valley. There's also a small board with some information about the area.

After spending about 15 minutes at the top baking in the sun, we retreated back into the trees and headed back down, which took about 30 minutes (still with several stops).

As a bonus, after reaching the parking lot, walk over the bridge and take a right through a gap in the fence. There is a seemingly maintained trail that leads to a small rocky "beach" on the river.

This is a good "I can cut out of work a little early this afternoon and get outside to enjoy the weather" hike; also it would seem to be a good hike for young kids or those not in tiptop shape who are open to a small challenge yielding a wonderful view at the top as a reward.

The trail is quite nice and well-maintained; most of it is soft tread, not rocky or rooty.  Stairsteps in a few especially steep sections.  The route is clear as can be.  It is almost entirely shaded; no need for sunscreen or a hat unless you plan to linger a long time at the "ledges" at the top, where there is full sun exposure.

The only 'watch out' is that while Middle Fork Road is a smooth, paved road in excellent condition (and you have to travel quite a ways on it), the pavement ends about 200 yards before the trailhead parking, and there are some very severe potholes from that point onward.  It would be a very unpleasant and challenging drive if these conditions were present for a longer length.  It's probably navigable for a conventional vehicle (though do your best to steer around the holes), but an SUV is preferred, and definitely not a vehicle with especially low clearance.

My hiking companion and my dog and I arrived at the trailhead at about 3:00 PM on a Thursday afternoon, only 4 vehicles there.  We encountered only one other hiker (a solo hiker) on the entire hike.  50 minutes from trailhead to the top (my hiking companion is an avid photo taker, without her in tow it probably would have been more like 35-40 minutes), about 25 minutes down.  My Fitbit recorded 5321 steps.

There are two pit toilets at the trailhead.  There are also a couple of picnic tables (in good condition) by the river across the parking lot from the trailhead; that'd be a most pleasant place for a pre- or post-hike snack or picnic.

Anyway, bottom line is a good, short hike that is not "jaw dropping" with respect to beauty (by Washington state standards) or overly physically demanding, but is most pleasant and enjoyable, and the natural beauty is certainly nice enough.  If it were in Ohio, it'd be the most beautiful place in the state :).