The weather was pleasant here while raining in Western Washington. The vegetation is drying out. Fireweed, yarrow, oceanspray, and several flowering shrubs are in bloom. My 4-year old Ben joined me on this hike, so it was long on breaks and we didn't get much past the ALW boundary. We spent most of our time here tossing rocks into Ingalls Creek, then left to see the old townsite of Blewett.

With snow-free, high country trails and a beautiful Northwest weekend, I wasn’t surprised to find a full parking lot (20-25 cars) at the end of the North Fork Teanaway River Road, which serves as the trailhead for most anywhere you can go in the Mt. Stuart area. Don’t let the parking lot discourage you, though – there’s enough trail systems in this area that one parking lot cannot possibly suffice to crowd them all, as I soon learned. Follow along on my little two-day venture and I’ll report on trail conditions as I go. Iron Peak Trail from Rd 9737 to Beverly Turnpike I started out by backtracking down the road for a mile to the Iron Peak trailhead, which climbs east up to a pass on the northern ridge of Iron Peak. If views are a priority for you, be patient here. Once you get above the tree line, things get a lot more scenic. Mt. Rainier becomes visible in the distance, and soon the Wenatchee Mountains will give way to views of the rugged Stuart Range to the north. At about 3 miles you’ll reach your first high pass – be sure to scamper on up the ridge to your right for a good view of Mt. Stuart. From here the trail drops down to the junction with the Beverly Turnpike trail. Beverly Turnpike and Fourth Creek trails, connecting Iron Peak and the County Line trails Following the Beverly Turnpike down to the southeast, I quickly came upon a camp and the junction with the Fourth Creek trail. Then it was a calf-burning half-mile up to the junction with the County Line trail. There is no sign for this trail, but keep your eyes open as you head up the Fourth Creek trail and you can’t miss it turning off to the right in half a mile. County Line trail from Fourth Creek to Cascade Creek No doubt the County Line trail is one of the less popular trails in the area (though not for lack of value!), and consequently not as well maintained. A number of high passes provide excellent views and will make you wish you ate your Wheaties. I chose to go as far as Cascade Creek before cutting down to the Ingalls Creek trail to form my loop. Be advised that the section on the County Line trail between Hardscrabble and Cascade Creek is not a dotted line on your map for no reason! It can be tricky to follow and should not be attempted unless experienced. A compass, some common sense, and the occasional rock pile should help with the navigation. After crossing over the ridge a couple miles beyond Hardscrabble Creek, the trail is easy to lose. To find the junction with Cascade Creek and Stafford Creek trails, hug the ridgeline on your left closely, and eventually you’ll find the trail again and come upon the junction shortly thereafter. This is where I came into my only human contact all day, meeting a party of day hikers who had come up the Stafford Creek trail. There is no sign for the Cascade Creek trail (as I was soon to find out why!), but you can see the faint remnants of this trail heading downhill to the north from the same location the Stafford Creek trail heads down to the south.

Cascade Creek trail from County Line to Ingalls Creek I quickly learned why there was no sign pointing to this trail. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. It was faint, very difficult to follow, and extremely overgrown. Bottom line is that I wouldn’t recommend taking this trail that, in my judgment, had no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. Fortunately, if you follow any water downhill from here, you’ll eventually end up in Ingalls Creek, so there’s not much concern over getting lost. Twisting your ankle on the unseen terrain beneath the knee-high brush, however, is another concern entirely. Only in answer to prayer was I able to stumble upon the remnants of some old switchbacks to take me down the steepest section of this trail. Once I reached Ingalls “why the heck isn’t it called a river” Creek, finding a suitable water crossing was the salt in my wounds. Eventually I did, and found a nice spot to camp for the night here. Ingalls Creek trail from Cascade Creek to Longs Pass trail The Ingalls Creek trail was a welcome break for my weary body from the steep ups and downs of the County Line. Like any valley floor walk, the climb is gradual (only average 250 ft. elevation gain per mile), and the canopy of trees limits the scenery. Exceptions were this were a couple of clearings on the south slopes of the Stuart Range caused by avalanche or rockslide years ago, which afforded excellent views of those mountains, especially the aptly named Dragontail Peak. Take this one for the pleasant stroll that it is, and conserve your energy for Longs Pass. There were some overgrown parts to this trail as well, but nothing compared to my adventures the night before. Keep your head up and your eyes open for wildlife on this trail and you will not be disappointed. I saw lots of elk, rabbits, and various birds – and that was in my first mile. At one point I was startled by a pheasant or some other large bird (I’m embarrassed to say I don’t actually know the name of whatever bird it was) that jumped out at me with its feathers fanned and started hissing at me. I made my way quietly around on the other side of the trail and it followed me another 50 ft. up the trail, hissing all the way. Kind of inspiring how a little bird would stand up to an animal so big for what I presume could only be the protection of its young. Once I got near the top of the valley, I started to see some tents occupying camp sites. A half mile beyond the junction with the Beverly Turnpike, keep your eyes open for the fork in the road. Be sure to follow the sign to the left to take the Longs Pass trail, cross Ingalls Creek, and psych yourself up for what’s coming next. Longs Pass trail from Ingalls Creek to Ingalls Way/Esmerelda Basin trails This trail can be a little tricky to follow, but whip out your compass and map, and soon you’ll be able to look up with horror directly at the pass you’re aiming for. This was the moment I’d been dreading all day. 1,500 ft. gain in one mile is pushing the threshold of my idea of fun, but rest assured the payoff is well worth it. Views from Longs Pass are stunning in every direction. It looks like you could reach out and touch Mt. Stuart, visible from top to bottom in all its rugged glory. Follow the view east along the entire Stuart range, looming over the Ingalls Creek valley you just walked up. Turn around to see the Wenatchee Mountains, the ridge of which the County Line trail follows. To the southwest, gaze upon the Esmerelda Peaks. Admire Mt. Rainier looming on the horizon, and the top half of Mt. Adams visible in the distant south. Pat yourself on the back and enjoy a hearty lunch here – after all, it’s bad for your knees to lug all that weight back downhill. Ingalls Way/Esmerelda Basin trails, from Longs Pass back down to the parking lot It’s a straightforward hike back down to the parking lot from here. You’ll undoubtedly encounter numerous day-hikers on their way up to the popular Ingalls Lake, and you’ll finally understand why that parking lot is so crowded. If you’ve got the energy left over, ditch your pack behind a rock somewhere and take the detour up to the lake to check out what all the fuss is about before heading back to the car. I was satisfied enough with my loop trip as it was, and decided to make it a higher priority to get a burger and mocha shake from the Dairy Freeze in North Bend into my stomach as soon as possible.

Rattlesnakes, Solitude, and Cold Water. These words describe the impression that Ingalls Creek left upon seven Scouters who backpacked to Falls Creek Camp (5 miles from the trailhead). We overnighted all by ourselves. We saw a few others on the trail, but they went further up the valley or were heading out. On the way in, we saw one rattler and one garden variety snake. On the way out on Sunday, we saw two more rattlers. Watch your step! The trail was in great shape up to about 3.5 miles, where there is some kind of unmapped camp. As we went on to Falls Creek, the brush closed in at several sections of trail, but the trail is still clear. We didn't cross the river to the Falls Creek trail because Ingalls was still about 2' deep at the crossing. We didn't want to risk it, but a few of us decided to take a dip. The water was co-o-o-ld! The day was hot, but the river felt like ice-cream freeze on the brain. In the morning, a momma (or dadda) squirrel chased the youngsters back up the tree, and a large mule deer sauntered through camp. It's nice to go to a place where there aren't any crows to disturb you at 5:00 a.m. The birds that woke us in the morning were the smaller meadow birds that awaken you more slowly. Our troop has scheduled this trip for four years, but this is the first time we made it. We'll be back to explore more of this area.

I hiked up about a mile beyond the Falls Creek trail crossing - worth the extra distance to see more views of the Stuart range - including a pretty waterfall to the north. I just have a few things to add to the excellent trail report of robert michelson (Jun 02,2001). In addition to all the flowers he described, I saw queen's cup and larkspur. The lupine were just about done - but there were still many other flowers yet to bloom. I also did see a rattlesnake sunning itself on the trail. It scooted off to the side and let me pass. I caught a glimpse of a western tanager about half way up the trail. All in all, an excellent place to visit.

Great carpets of lupine along the earlier parts of this trail, along with orange and yellow paintbrush, balsamroot, wildrose, yarrow, and much else. A bit later on, tiger lily, red columbine, calypso orchid, mertensia, and penstemons. Trillium still blooming near Falls Creek, but going fast. A fine flower hike. The trail is in excellent shape to Falls Creek; the only problems are a few minor muddy spots, although it could use a little trimming here and there. Ingalls Creek still running fairly high (it would be a rough ford for hikers at Fall Creek).