The Stegosaurus trail is a Mailbox-steep forest scramble, but short. There are two amazing viewpoints on top, one looking at Garfield Mountain and the other (I would argue the better of the two) looking towards Preacher and Rainy Lake. The second viewpoint also has some nice rocks and logs to sit on for a lunch break.

The part at the bottom that's usually muddy was dry today, so it was a great day to be up here. There were not too many other hikers. I only saw around 6 or 7 people (and two adorable dogs).

If you like wildflowers, keep an eye out for calypso orchids (third picture). They're only the size of your thumb, but one of my favorite wildflowers this time of year.

I extended my hike down the Pratt River Trail a ways. It's peaceful and there are some nice views of the river. Seems like all the people go up the other way on the Middle Fork Trail.

This trail is short and steep! However, most parts of the trail are clearly defined and the steepest parts go quickly. Be careful of loose and slippery rocks this time of year. The small and gradual part after the false summit is more grown over. We completed this trail in an hour and a half, so it is a perfect hike for when you don’t have the whole day to hike. We finished the hike around 7:30 pm and the bugs by the river were starting to become annoying, but before that they weren’t a problem.
IMPORTANT: on the road driving in (that you have to drive on for all of the trails in this area), there is a dip that is pretty substantial. The sign for that dip is halfway fallen over on the way in and so it is easy to miss. Be wary so that you don’t damage your car!

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

Hiked this trail as our first day of 2025 hike. Despite this being a climbers trail, it was easy to follow the entire route. The turnoff from Pratt River trail was pretty obvious but I recommend double checking you’re on the right turnoff using some type of gps device (I used the WTA app and it was incredibly accurate).

As previous reports mentioned, there was a lot of deep mud in the first 10 minutes or so once you start going up. It was *very* slippery on the way down. There was a little bit of snow near the top (~1,800 feet elevation). The views from the top were great - all the surrounding mountains were covered in snow and gorgeous.

We hiked this trail with a 6 and an 8 year old who loved this obstacle-course-like trail.

Started from middle fork trailhead, in the rain the entire time. After the iron bridge you go right. The turnoff to go uphill is easy to miss, it’s about 200yds after the bridge. The trail starts very muddy, but gets much better after a short time (10 minutes of muddiness max). The trail continues uphill steeply and is quite rooty, which is slippery when wet. We took about 1hr going up and down. Very little view in the rain and mist but seemed like it’d be very pretty in the clear. This is a pretty steep trail so be aware and be careful. The trail is pretty easy to follow for being unmaintained. Fitbit gave ~3 miles and 2hrs.