I haven't been to the Staircase area since March 2020 and a major problem with going here for years was the terrible road conditions. A couple miles out closer to Lake Cushman, there was a gravel/dirt road that was just loaded every few feet with potholes. This made me hate coming here because all my cars sit pretty low. Well, I'm happy to report that essentially all the potholes have been filled. This stretch of road is still gravel and bumpy in parts but I don't see any cars having problems making it to the trailhead.
On this trip, I stayed in the area for two days. I camped at the Staircase Campground the first day (Wednesday) then hiked Staircase Rapids the second (Thursday). Both days were extremely busy. By the time I got to the campsite at around 3pm, almost all sites were taken. All the regular parking spots were taken. On Thursday when I set out to hike at around 11am, both parking lots were filled again. By the time I was done hiking, there were cars out to the road. I would definitely advise going early to find parking.
The trail was in good shape with nothing unexpected. The only thing I would note is the bugs. I got bit a few times but the main annoyance was the hornets/wasps. There seemed to be a group of them following us for a good portion of the hike or they were in multiple locations. Definitely bring bug spray.
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