Took the shortest route from the Twin Sisters trailhead up to the former lookout site on the summit of Tumac Mountain. Had planned to do a loop, but it was so nice at the lookout site that we decided to spend the night there (and hike the way we came the following day).
Road Conditions. The 4 miles of unpaved road between the Bumping Lake campground and the Mt Aix trailhead were wide and flat, but the road surface consisted of protruding pointy rocks, ouch! The next 4-5 miles to the horse camp were decent. The final mile to the trailhead at the end of the road was narrow and had deep ruts, but not much risk of getting stuck with a bit of clearance and AWD. Toilet and campsites at the trailhead.
Trail Conditions. The Twin Sisters trail was a bit dusty from equestrian use, but otherwise in good condition. The Tumac trail was smooth sailing low down; then, once the trail started gaining elevation, there was some trenching and braiding, but no obstacles. No running water anywhere.
Highlights. Nice fall colors thanks to the grassy meadows and blueberry shrubs. Obscene amounts of mushrooms. Elk were bugling non-stop -- though we didn't see any.
Crowds. The parking lot was almost full Saturday at noon, but mostly empty Sunday just before noon. Expected to see lots of hunters, but saw none. Encountered a dozen or so parties on the trails (incl one on horseback), but none while we were at the lookout site (though the summit register had 5 entries from other parties on Saturday).
Comments