Pickhandle Gap Loop — Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021

Summary: Quiet, moderate ridgeline hike around Crystal Mountain Ski Resort with peek-a-boo views of Mt Rainier.

Trailhead: I parked in Crystal's upper lot, and walked up Gold Hill Road East. However, there are "Motorized Vehicles Only" signs and sign warning hikers against using service roads. I advise parking in Upper C Lot and taking Blue Bell Loop 0.3mi to the intersection with Mary Lee trail if you want to avoid walking on the service road.

Trail

There are indeed a lot of intersections on this loop. The intersections are well-signed within the resort area, but less consistently signed outside. I found my Gaia GPS maps invaluable. I went clockwise, as I prefer steeper going uphill. Route details:

1. From Gold Hill Road East (unsigned, but it's the dirt road heading steeply uphill to the left of the main lodge area), I took the Mary Lee trail on the right when I came to a signed intersection indicating left for the start of the Silver Creek and Bullion Basin Trails (I believe this is the Blue Bell Loop that goes to Upper C Lot). Mary Lee is rough and rocky, with narrow tread.
2. I followed signs for Bullion Basin Trail #1156 through a couple of signed intersections, then arrived at a four-way intersection with a kiosk describing the Bullion Basin Snowshoe Trails. Any of the named trails will take you towards the PCT, but I opted for Ted's Trail. Ted's Trail had a lot more smooth tread and was moderate grade.
3. Ted's Trail becomes Bullion Basin Trail with no fanfare (continue straight when there's a sign pointing to the right for Ted's Trail). Tread remains smooth, wide and moderate grade.
4. At Bullion Basin, I took the unsigned trail to the left, heading steeply up rocky, narrow tread to get to the PCT sooner for ridgeline views. The views were probably worth it?
5. The PCT is surprisingly narrow at this point. I saw evidence that horses had gone by, but I would've thought the trail too narrow for them. The ridgeline portion of the hike, particularly curving sharply around Crown Point, was imo the best views for the hike.
6. At Bear Gap, I left the PCT for Henskin Lake on Tr #1193. There's also an option to skip Henskin Lake and take the Silver Creek Tr #1192 downhill instead. I recommend stopping at Henskin Lake - it is extremely beautiful and peaceful. However, this portion of the trail had three downed trees (one low enough to step over, one high enough to step under, and one that I scrambled over). Closer to the resort, the trail is better maintained.
7. At Henskin Lake, I went all the way down to the lakeshore to take a sharp right, following signs for "Base Area". From here, it's friendly signs all the way back.
8. At the next intersection, head left to stay on Silver Creek Trail going back to the base area. Close to base, cross a bridge with a noteworthy waterfall and checkout the abandoned mine entrance at the end of the bridge. There are even a couple of (fake) skeletons in there for atmosphere.
9. Shortly after passing under the Gold Hills lift, Silver Creek trail turns into a dirt road. There's a sign for Blue Bell to the left but it looks like snowshoe only, I didn't see a hiking trail. The next real intersection is with our old friend, the Mary Lee trail. At this point, I went back the way I came, making for a lollipop with a very short stem.

Payoff: The ridgeline views are good, and you get to see multiple views from different angles. For the amount of effort, it seems to be a reasonable payoff. Henskin Lake was beautiful and peaceful, and is more than worth the short jaunt from the resort. Finally, while I didn't see any wildlife (that means nothing, I have a terrible track record with observing wildlife), I saw a ton of sign, from a variety of animals. Where there are few humans, there seems to be much wildlife.

The human element: This was a very quiet trail, and I saw fewer than a handful of parties (including one mountain biker). Once I was closer to the resort, I could hear more people, but I wasn't sure what they were doing (they didn't seem to be hiking).