Decided to do a quick sunset hike today, to change things up.

We arrived just after 6:30 pm. The road is smooth sailing, until you get on the bridge right before the trailhead. Lots of big pot holes, not much space to avoid them. Glad I had my jeep, but we have taken our low clearance car here many times, just going really slow.

We were the only hikers this evening, which was great! We made it to the top in less than 30 minutes. The clouds were just parting, and there was a cloud inversion! 

This is a fairly easy hike, being only 2 miles round trip and less than 1k ft of gain. It was nice to have the Ledge to ourselves. 

Road is paved and easy until reaching parking lot for this hike - large pot holes / rough road but easy to roll through slowly.

News to me, but it appears you can pay for day-of parking via QR code posted at trailhead if needed.

Nice gentle hike up, had some company but not busy. Saw some trillium and other signs of spring. Trail is a steady climb but not a slog and is a nice view at the top to recharge before heading back down.

This is the second hike I did yesterday. I completed the Teneriffe Falls trail earlier in the day and as I was on the way home, I was thinking how great it would be to finally check this hike off my list since the weather was looking fantastic. I feel like there has been significant rain in the past few weekends. I turned around and decided to head up to Garfield Ledges.

As other trip reports mentioned, the road isn't bad until the last 0.2 miles to the parking area for Garfield Ledges. Even so, there were a few large potholes that were easily avoidable. I would just go slow. I drive a Honda Civic and made it here with no problem - going 3-5 mph at times.

The entire trail was very maintained - and it was very nice to walk through a moss filled, green and lush forest. Not sure why, but I really did enjoy seeing the exceptionally green moss on this trail. The trail was easy to follow. I thought there were going to be more stairs but it was only a short section - maybe about 0.1 to 0.2 miles of stairs. The trail was very easy to navigate and had a small viewpoint overlooking the valley. 

I got to the top in 30 minutes after 1.1 miles and about 562 feet of elevation gain. I had the 'ledge' all to myself. Mist was rolling in and out and I could see the colors changing from afar. I sat here for a little while before heading back down to my car. The forest went from lush green to a rather spooky blue as the mist followed me into the lower elevations. 

I'm not a huge fan of hiking in the dark so I trotted and ran a bit before making it to my car. I think the downhill trek took me about 20 mins. All in all, a great day to explore the Middle Fork Snoqualmie area once again. This is my 2nd time here this year after doing Taylor River/Otter Falls and I think this might be one of my new favorite areas to explore.

Once in a while you need to call an audible (change in plans).  The plan was to hike the middle section of the CCC road starting with a side excursion to Pratt Balcony.  The balcony trip was fine, but upon returning to the CCC trail I found it blocked by the rushing waters of the West Bessemer Creek.  With plenty of time (and surprisingly nice weather) I decided to return to the car and drive to the end of the road to tackle the Garfield Ledges hike.  Sometimes my luck is good.  Both viewpoint hikes were beautiful.  I have included pictures of both views so that you can judge which one you like better.  Both trails are relatively short with similar gain so either one makes a good option.

The trail to the Pratt Balcony is mostly in good condition, although it gets a little muddy towards the top.  Partway up there is a small side trail to a nice view of the rushing West Bessemer Creek that made a good photo break.  As I reached the balcony area there was a trail branch to the left that continued to climb another tenth of a mile to a view to the west featuring Mt. Garfield.  There is a nice log bench there to enjoy the view, so it is definitely worth the added effort.  Returning to the Pratt Balcony I was taken by the views south across the valley to Russian Butte with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River running down the valley below.  It's a wide area that can accommodate a fairly large group and a great break for a lunch. 

The trail to the Garfield Ledges is a wider, tamer, nicely groomed trail, compared with the Pratt Balcony trail, that probably reflects its popularity in the summer.  The forest you pass through is lush green with nurse logs and giant old stumps from when it was originally logged.  There is one section of the trail that looks out across the Taylor River valley to the northwest and Quartz Mountain.  There are some big maple trees along the trail overlooking the valley and their moss covered limbs and branches are always fun.  The Garfield Ledges themselves look to the west all the way down the Middle Fork river, but also a bit to the southwest to Preacher Mountain.  

A quick note here about road and trailhead facilities.  The Middle Fork road is in fine shape up to small pulloff for the CCC Road/Pratt Balcony trailhead just before the 10 mile marker.  There are no facilities there, so I used the ones at the Oxbow Lake trailhead.  Continuing on to the road end is fine until you reach the bridge over the Taylor River.  Big potholes there, so drive slowly, but the facilities there are fine.  

One last note, someone in another group I met at the Garfield Ledges found a tick on their neck when they returned to the car.  Be vigilant.

Started with the Middle Fork Trail out to the Dutch Miller Gap Trailhead, then back to the Middle Fork and up Stegosaurus Butte. Still felt good, so took the Connector Trail up and did Garfield Ledges. Middle Fork road and trailhead are in great condition.

TL;DR: Great hikes, Middle Fork is wet, Stegosaurues Butte is steep, Garfield Ledges are nice and wide and even.

Middle Fork: First car in the parking lot at 7:45. Some very nice fog this morning covered the valley, visibility was pretty low. Set out hoping to be able to make it to Dutch Miller Gap TH. Ended up with everything one could want from a forest walk. Rolling trail, sunlight through big trees (picture 2), mossy knolls, waterfalls, stream crossings, campgrounds, you name it! There was one stream crossing at 2.75 miles (picture 3) that was only really doable by going up or downstream and jumping across slippery rocks or logs. Lots of snowmelt right now, so the water levels are high everywhere. Lots of people turned around here, smart decision. I crossed downstream on the way out and upstream on the way back. Besides that stream crossing, there was water on the trail in many places, sometimes up to six inches deep for sections up to 20 feet long. Thanks to conveniently placed rocks and logs, agile feet, waterproof boots, and the added stability of a hiking pole, my feet stayed dry the entire time. There are several logs down across the trail, but all should be pretty easy to step over. Took the river access on the way out and discovered much the same thing. Doable, at least a dozen logs across the trail, and a large swampy section that required some creative pathfinding. Probably stay on the main trail for now if you don't want that much adventuring. Made it to Dutch Miller Gap for a little snack and turned around. Restroom was closed, but two high-clearance cars in the lot suggest that the road is doable. Same story on the way back, skipped the river access as I did not want to navigate the swamp again. No snow at all, saw some bugs but they did not bother me at all. Saw no one else on the way out, and maybe 20 people on the way back. (13 miles, 1800 elevation gain)

Stegosaurus Butte: Turned around the corner on the Pratt Connector and started up the butte trail. After the rolling Middle Fork, the butte is a shock of elevation. Certainly not a highway, a narrow winding trail immediately becomes quite steep, making me thankful for my hiking pole once again. Ate lunch at the top, which was nice and sunny with great views over Rainy Creek, out the Middle Fork Road, and across to Garfield Mountain (picture 4). Down was faster than up, but not by much. Still need to watch for rocks and roots, hiking pole was even more helpful. Snow free, didn't see anyone else while I was up here. (2 miles, 1200 elevation gain)

Garfield Ledges: Walked the Connector Trail over the Garfield Ledges Trailhead. After Stegosaurus Butte, both of these trails felt wide, easy, and relaxing. Saw and heard some chainsaw felling happening over on the CCC Trail just before walking across the car bridge. Pleasantly surprised by the Garfield Ledges Trail, due to had excellent, wide grading and good footing everywhere, pretty much the opposite of the Butte (and stairs!). The view was great (picture 1), especially given the effort required. Could see down the Middle Fork road, out the river, and across to Stegosaurus Butte. Maybe a dozen people or so on the trail, more people coming down than up as it was close to 1:00 by then. No snow or bugs. Walked down and back the same way to the Middle Fork Trailhead, and just barely reached 18 miles of distance. (3 miles, 800 elevation gain)

In total: 18 miles, 6 hours, 3800 elevation gain