Snow update: The main photo shows the only patch of snow encountered and it could easily be bypassed. This is at Joker Mountain.
This was my first time making it all the way to the viewpoint at Joker, which is just west of the actual Joker summit. From photos and my GAIA map, the actual Joker summit is surrounded by trees. Where I stopped had a 180-degree view with Mt Rainier to the south and the Stuart range to the west and northwest. I am glad I went all the way and took in the view.
The road to the Iron Creek trail (#1351) was in good shape but had one tree which blocked part of the road. The creek just before the parking lot was shallow and the road was rough with huge potholes at this point. I parked in the lower lot and hiked up the road to the main lot. When I arrived, I was first at 6:30 am. When I left at 3:30 there were two other cars in the area.
Some flowers were fading, such at the arrowleaf balsamroot in the lower elevations. There are still many lovely flowers to see, such as Indian paintbrush, scarlet gilia (skyrocket), lupine, mountain ash, elderberry and many yellow and white flowers. There were a few flowers only found at Joker, such as, Bitterroot (lewisia rediviva), and glacier lily.
I encountered 3 other hikers and 2 mountain bikes, and no ticks.
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