It was a very nice hike but most of it was burnt out. Everything past the waterfall was burnt and the trail was ashy and crumbled in a few areas. There was a final log bridge a wire railing that was burnt as well. 

Even though it was burnt it was still very beautiful and it was kinda fun to walk through a burnt over area. There were a few smokers in the hills nearby but we never encountered any problems.

With a forecast of “smoke” for virtually the entire state, I settled on this forested valley waterfall hike, with a forecast of “haze”. It was a good choice. There weren’t any mountain views to miss, and the smoky haze wasn’t as bad as some areas I drove through to get there.

Bugs were bad at the trailhead, but just a minor nuisance when stopped along the trail.

The trailhead signboard says the bridge is out. (It’s a large footlog with no railing.) I found the bypass route, through the picnic area, over a bridge and past some summer cabins. It connects with the trail within sight of where you can ford the creek. (More on this later.)

From the trail, I took both of the viewpoint side trails down to see Union Creek Falls, then continued on. There are a couple of large blowdowns presenting problems, one at 0.6 mile and another at 1.8 miles. There was also a gully washout at 1.2 miles that was crossable, but might not be after the next heavy rain.

At 2 miles is a sturdy bridge over North Fork Union Creek, crossing above the waterfall that was visible moments earlier. I had an old Karen Sykes trail description with me, recommending to cross the bridge then “turn the corner” to find another waterfall. Fortunately, I didn’t have to refer to that. As I crossed the bridge, I encountered two ladies from Yakima whom I had met at the trailhead. They pointed me along a path on the opposite side, saying that just around the corner was their favorite part of this hike, a place to put your feet in the water and just enjoy the scenery. I agree; it was the best part of the hike. Here’s a shout-out to my Yakima friends!

After capturing more photos, I continued on, undecided how far I would go. But I wanted to see the camp sites that were allegedly at 4 miles. Huckleberry bushes were plentiful along this part of the trail. In fact, they grew so close that my legs got scratched up. Still, I’d rather have huckleberries along a trail than almost anything else. A very few of the berries were ripe, but by the end of August ripe berries will be plentiful.

At 3.6 miles, the trail crested at nearly 4500 feet, then dropped toward Union Creek. This part of the trail has a LOT of blowdowns, and many of them are too big to step over. Still, the trail is easy to follow. At 4 miles, I saw one obvious camp beside Union Creek. But there was no obvious trail to it. I decided to keep going; maybe there were more ahead. A 5 miles, the brushy trail finally opened up. I could see this was the beginning of the 1250 foot climb up to the Basin Trail. I decided to turn around.

Back at the 4 mile point, I scouted up and down for a trail to the obvious camp. It was a nice flat spot beside the creek with a fire ring and a stump positioned on end, clearly a camp. But there was so much vegetation and so many trees down, that you couldn’t easily see where to put your feet. Not only that, the creek was broad at that point, and the ground looked marshy under the vegetation. I decided not to explore any further. I will say this - along this section, where the creek was within sight of the trail, Union Creek has numerous small cascades and inviting pools. That water is sooooo clear and lovely!

Post-Hike Information:

Regarding the bypass route past the cabins - I was leery of crossing through private property. I made a call to the Naches Ranger Station a few days later and asked a few questions. I learned that they intend to replace or repair the footlog, but “probably not this year”. They are aware that the trail needs maintenance. The ranger thanked me for my report on all the blowdowns, but again, it is a matter of funding and priority. (From reading other trip reports, I think this trail regularly get neglected. The bridge has been out for several years already, and it could be a while before the bridge is repaired and the trees and brush cleared.) Lastly, I asked what hikers are to do while the bridge/footlog is closed. Aren’t the cabins on private property? The answer was “No. They are on public land. The Forest Service leases the land.” She told me that hikers are permitted to walk between the cabins to get to the trail without fording the creek.

The Yakima Cascadians hiked the Union Creek trail heading for Crown Point. At about 4500' there was intermittent snow on the trail then it cleared as we neared Cement Cr. We crossed about 40 downed trees, none were show stoppers but they did slow us down. After lunch at Cement Cr we decided to head back and did not get to Crown Point. A beautiful day!

The first water crossing you come to has a large sign posted "bridge closed" , it's just a log across the water and the water was running so high and fast I did not attempt to cross.