Wandered around Taylor Mountain, Holder Ridge and Holder Knob Sunday morning before the dusting of snow had melted. The route was over Holder Ridge to the top of Holder Knob, down the back side on Road D, east, then north following Road A, couldn't do the Carey Creek crossing on Road I so turned around and came back down A, short cutting on Sherwood Trail, down Road F, back north on Whiskey Still then returning to the parking lot along Road A. Total mileage is about 8.0 for this route, net vertical is only about 600 but gross is quite a bit more with the ups and downs. King County has made the trailhead parking super nice with a privy and much more room for horse trailer rigs in a separate area. The logging road trails are fine but the rest are pretty muddy. The horses just tear things up - just the nature of the beast - but they should be fine once things dry out. You can really see all the work WTA volunteers have been putting in along the section from Holder Ridge to the top of the Knob - super kudos. There are a half dozen medium sized blow down along the north/south section of Road A - no problems for hikers but horses might have some difficulty with them. I chickened out and skipped the Carey Creek crossing on the north end of Road I - didn't want to dunk my tootsies today but it would be doable with some taller waterproof boots. The views off Holder Knob are now completely grown over but before everything leafs out you can still catch some nice glimpses of Rainier on a clear day. On a more positive note - the forest along the less used section of Road A that runs north to the junction with road I along Beaver-Pond is absolutely beautiful. It appears to be older second gen forest that never was replanted by humans so it grew up naturally. A nice walk in a lesser used bit of beautiful forest. http://www.kingcounty.gov/services/parks-recreation/parks/trails/backcountry-trails/taylor-mtn.aspx

I decided to try out Taylor Mountain this morning for something new-to-me and not too far away. Arrived at the parking lot around 7:15am, and there were only two other vehicles in the lot. We headed up toward Holder Knob, took the Whiskey Still trail to the Boot Trail to the Mt. Beaver Trail until we reached the bridge over Carey Creek. We turned around there to meander back, following our path until we reached Road A, then took the road back to the parking lot. Overall the trail is in great shape, with some portions a bit muddier than others. The gain isn't too bad at all - I would rate this as quite family friendly. The trail is used by horses, with a large portion of the parking lot dedicated to trailer parking, and there is definitely evidence of horses on the trail. ;-) We didn't see anyone on the trail today, though, and the rain was a mere drizzle. I think the forecast kept other hikers away, and I could see how this would be a very popular trail in the summer. Explore it now while it's quiet! Stats: 7.2 miles RT, 1400' cumulative gain