I had Juneteenth off so I decided to check this hike off the list.
We were camping at the Beckler River Campground on Wednesday night (I really miss being able to consistently camp mid week because it's so much less crowded). Camping at Beckler River puts us in a good spot to head over to the Frog Mountain trail, the road was full of gravel but not so much potholes. Even when there were, they were small and easily avoidable as well.
After about 11 miles, you will reach a large intersection (coming out the Beckler River Road), you'll see a steep slope. Drive towards it and up and you will reach the Frog Mountain trailhead. We got here at around 10:45am and the parking lot was already quite full. The lot was quite big though and can easily fit about 40-50 cars. I'm not sure if a pass is needed here but if anything, display your America the Beautiful or the NW Forest Pass and you should be good.
The toilet 100 feet up the trail is a pit toilet but no cover. However, having something to sit on is better than none. My friend calls this a 'howdy' because of how exposed they are. When people walk by, you can easily greet them with a 'Howdy!' - I thought this was funny.
The trail was one of the most maintained I have encountered. I suppose this is due to it being a relatively new trail and not heavily used - unlike the ones along the I-90 corridor. The entire hike up was climbing - the grade was manageable but definitely gets a little steep at times even though the steep sections don't last for a very long time. The first 2ish miles was in the forest and had ample shade. After this, you exit the forest and hike along the ridge but big views - this made the hike a lot more enjoyable and yet the last stretch of the hike felt a little bit of a slog because the switchbacks seem endless.
After admiring the wildflowers along the way and getting peekaboo views of Bear Mountain, Monte Cristo, and Glacier Peak with its head in the clouds, we made it to the 'summit'. There were a few other groups here but plenty of room to spread out. It felt like a hot day so my friend and I took our time resting and snacking to regain some fuel.
Yesterday was the perfect day to check this hike off the list! I usually avoid Highway 2 because of how terrible traffic can be on the weekends but I am starting to really appreciate the beauty and recreation opportunities in this area - it is absolutely beautiful! I usually come up here to climb but found a lot of established and dispersed camping options on the way.
We took the Index-Galena Road on the way back - this road seems a little bit rougher but totally doable for all types of cars. I would say the Beckler River Road and Index-Galena took about the same time, but obviously depends on where you're coming from. The trip report describes this accurately.
Totally recommend this hike to everyone!
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