This trip report is being submitted along with my report on the Old Trail. I hiked the two in a loop and talk about both.
I move to the PNW about a month ago and after a fantastic 2 week backcountry experience in Yellowstone in 2015, I was stoked to do more of the mountain west and PNW. Started out at sunrise on the shared trailhead. There are two parking areas available. The lower parking area off SE Middle Fork Road is always open. The upper parking area, which is about 1/8th mile up the road, has portos but this opens 8a and closes at 8p. Keep that in mind for your trip planning.
I did the ascent on the New Trail which has obviously been improved on by volunteers. You have about 8 miles of switchbacks with an ascent rate of roughly 1000ft / 2mi. This absolutely helps with the elevation gain. Early in the morning you have wildflowers and birds with tall trees. Some waterfalls and bridges along the way until about 2500 feet. The real fun starts about 3K feet when you peek over the treeline and start to get views of the mountains. The last push comes at 4K when the steepness grade increases dramatically and you have some grade 1 scrambling over rocky terrain to the top.
This seems to be a popular trail. By about 11am there were plenty of hikers out. Early in the AM I encountered a few trail runners whose knees I am jealous of. I recommend hitting this one early in the AM for the following reasons:
- The cool temps help regulate body heat
- The sunrise views are superior to the mid-day sun
- There are fewer people out
This last point is very important, because that last 800 feet is extremely challenging and for most people of average fitness you will be stopping every 200 feet of gain or so to rest. This can cause crowding on the trail near the top, especially if you go at a slower pace as I seem to.
At the top there were about 15-20 people, posing with the box for photos. On a dry day you can also do the scramble over to Dirty Box. I do not recommend attempting this unless you are sure footed and conditions are dry.
Same thing goes for the rocky territory at 4K feet where the Old Trail meets the new. That's a good bug out point. In wet conditions the granite(?) rocks could become very slippery and there's a risk of injury. You can get some great shots at the 4K level even if you don't get to the mailbox.
For my descent I used the Old Trail. The old trail is 5 miles of 20-30 degree grade mud, roots and scramble. I don't have much to offer on it. I found it challenging, visually uninteresting and slow. You might be tempted to come up / down on the Old Trail but I personally don't recommend it. Any time savings you might get from the shorter distance will be lost to the challenge of navigating it and the views are inferior. In rainy conditions it would be unsafe to descend IMO.
Having done both, some reasons to take the Old Trail would be the following IMO:
- Challenge seekers looking for a strenuous trail
- Hikers with superior cardiovascular ability who want to save time
- (Speculating) in winter snowy conditions the old trail could be a great test of full kit mountaineering gear
Lastly, this is a challenging, strenuous hike. The elevation gain and distance will take effort on the part of any hiker. First-time hikers, those with knee or ankle trouble, those with severe asthma, those with poor cardiovascular fitness or the overweight should think carefully about attempting the New Trail and I do not recommend the Old Trail for those people.
I walk a slow pace and got lapped by many on my ascent. My ascent took about 4hrs, but I think someone with better legs or more cardio can do this in under 3. Old trail I had to descend tentatively, actually took me as long as the New Trail. If I were to do this again I'd do New Trail both ways.
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