Had to get out and enjoy the gap in the rain, but was still recovering from my covid booster and didn't want a ton of elevation gain. I've been wanting to do this trail forever and it seemed like a perfect choice. I walked from the Middlefork Trailhead all the way to Dingford Creek and went up to Tin Cup Joe Falls, too, since I was all the way out there. 

They did an excellent job fixing up the Middlefork Trail.. It's really in excellent condition right now, pretty much smooth sailing all the way to Dingford. A bit of mud and a few very minor creek crossings... that one boulder that fell in the trail (but it's not a problem to go around). Mostly pretty flat, other than one little uphill (equivalent to the one uphill on the Pratt River Connector side). A really lovely trail with beautiful forests and occasional good views of the river and Garfield Mountain. The forest is especially nice close to Dingford, really mossy with some large old growth trees. 

The "trail" up to Tin Cup Joe Falls is a lot more spicy, especially when wet... It's mostly fairly clear to follow (there are tags) but lots of downed trees and other obstacles that were incredibly slippery and sketchy to deal with. Probably wouldn't be as bad if it was dry, but this isn't a trail that the average casual hiker is going to want to deal with. I'm honestly amazed that Maddy & co. made it all the way to Derrick Lake this year. The falls were good enough for me, at least for this day!

Officially: The Middle Fork Trail 1003 is 100% closed from February 2021- February 2022. Getting to Cripple Creek requires use of trail 1003. 

22 of us braved this trail in April 2021. It is very very difficult to go through the blowdowns which are covered in snow.  As a solo hiker, this is one trail I don't recommend doing alone. The opportunity for breaking a foot is high.  

I just heard about Tin Cup Joe Falls a couple weeks ago, and thought I'd check it out.  I parked at the Dingford Creek Trailhead, which requires a forty-minute drive along a very rough road complete with washouts, creek crossings and countless deep potholes.  With the rain and snow, the potholes were full of water.  No truck-eaters, but some were deep enough to be a problem for sedans.  When I reached the TH, it was all pickups, jeeps and 4WD SUV's.  Alternatively, you can park at the Middle Fork TH, easily reachable by all vehicles, and hike from there.  The upside is a longer hike, more scenery, and less driving.  I would have parked at MF myself if not for the heavy rain making a long hike seem... less desirable.

There were a few other diehards out in the rain at Dingford, but they were destined for other trails as I didn't see anyone while hiking.  The Middlefork Connector path is on the south side of the parking lot.  Walk past the info sign to the left of the bathrooms and you'll see it.  The trail winds downhill and across a sturdy bridge to meet the Middlefork Trail.  Hang a right (WNW) and follow the MFT a short way to where it crosses Cripple Creek on yet another fine bridge.  Just a few feet past the bridge, you will see the path leading to Tin Cup Joe Falls on your left.  There is no sign, cairn or marker of any kind besides the disturbed Earth, so keep your eyes peeled.

The Tin Cup Trail is short but quite the adventure.  It's an unofficial, user-built trail, and has none of the nice manicuring that the MFT receives.  Tread is often sketchy and there are a lot of exposed roots to watch out for.  Be ready to scramble over and crawl under a multitude of blowdowns, some very large.  The rain/snow combined with the slush and ice on the logs and rocks made some of the blowdowns rather difficult to get past.  I felt like an ant trapped in a drawer full of magic markers.  Cairns and occasional flagging help guide the way in confusing areas.  Still, the trail can be hard to follow at times as it disappears under fallen logs or overgrowth.  Thankfully, with Cripple Creek nearby and steep valley walls containing your wanderings, it's difficult to actually get lost.  Losing the trail though?  Oh yeah.  As ShaneCO recommended in their trip report, take some time to get familiar with the trail or you will lose it on the way back.  I reached the falls 2-hours out from the car and explored a good while before going back.  The upper falls are tough to get to but absolutely worth the extra effort.  In order to get close to the falls and even scramble around on them a bit, it is necessary to push through a nearly impenetrable thicket of vine maples.  For those not wanting to deal with the thicket, an excellent view of the upper falls can still be had from a distance.

This is a great hike for a rainy day since it gets you out'n about, but it's short enough that you get home before hypothermia sets in.  :)

Summary: ~4mi RT w/1400ft elevation gain; 11am-3pm

"Hey, hey Cripple Creek ferry
Butting through the overhanging trees
Make way for the Cripple Creek ferry
The waters going down
it's a mighty tight squeeze."

-Neil Young, "Cripple Creek Ferry"

Left the Dingfdord Creek trailhead about 9:00 a.m. Dropped down to the bridge and took a right heading down river towards the Middle Fork Trailhead. It is a little over a mile to the Cripple Creek bridge . After crossing the bridge  you will see a faint trail heading up the creek. This is where it gets steep and rough with lots of fallen trees. You will see ribbons and karns along they way on some parts . Take your time to get familiar with the trail, it is difficult to follow coming back. You cant get lost because your always in range of the creek but you can lose the trail as I did. I wound up down on the Middle Fork trail below the bridge a little ways.  It was not  hard to follow heading up besides the fallen trees. I arrived at the lower falls about 11:00. After taking pics I continued up the trail a short ways to get a view of the upper falls . These falls are spectacular! I was surprised that they were not listed in my I-90 corridor hikes book nor had I herd of them. I only found them after seeing them while studying a map and then doing a search on wta. This trail would take extensive work to get it in shape but I like it just the way it is with just a few more trail markers in place. hope others will go check them out . Be careful ! Be prepared to clime over and under lots of logs. I Headed back down slowly and still some how got off the right trail and had to blaze over towards the creek and then hit the Middle Fork Trail. Oops. Got back to the truck about 1:30. Great adventure ! Love to Explore like this! Worth every Minute ! hope this was helpful, have fun.

I was excited to get a bit off the beaten path and check out these falls on a mostly clear Sunday. Four other vehicles were there when we arrived around 11.30 am. The road once you turn off the middle fork road is pretty brutal and with some pretty large water-filled potholes making it impossible to judge depth. There are also 3 washouts, 2 of which are fine, but one you should use the side route. Those last 6 miles took a good 40 minutes, but I was driving particularly cautiously. My Rav4 did fine, but I wouldn’t recommend any sedans attempt that. 

The middle fork trail is in fantastic shape. Like the previous post said, the trail to the right of cripple creek is pretty clear. You immediately start climbing and the trail gets hard to follow at times, lots of fallen trees to navigate. You can’t really get lost because you’re just following the creek, but there are enough cairns and a few orange ribbons tied to branches that navigation isn’t too bad. 

We scrambled around but didn’t manage to get to the upper falls, only saw them partially and still at a distance. There are two different parts where people left cairns and my Alpine Lakes Wilderness guide didn’t help much either. It also started misting so the rocks were getting slick and we decided to just enjoy the lower falls. 

We took about 4.5 hours total, but not at a very fast pace and also lots of time at the falls. It’s slow going once you turn off the middle fork trail. Given the condition of the road, I would just park at the middle fork trailhead and do it as a longer out and back hike. The trail is in way better condition than the road and it’s just a great way to spend more time in the forest.