This hike is absolutely incredible, but there are a few things to know ahead of time.
First off, don’t trust Google Maps or WTA directions — when they say you’ve arrived, you haven’t. Just keep driving down the same road for about 20 more minutes. It’s a bit rough in spots, so take your time, but you’ll get there.
The trail itself is no joke — it gains almost 1,000 feet per mile and the terrain is super rocky and rooty. Up to Three O’Clock Rock, the trail’s in pretty decent shape, but after that, it gets muddy, slippery, and a lot more rugged. Definitely not something I’d recommend doing in the rain. Trekking poles helped a ton.
Once you reach the meadow near the top, it totally opens up and the scenery is unreal — beautiful granite, lots of flowing water, and wide-open alpine views. Our pup had a blast splashing in the streams up there.
Heads-up: the lower part of the trail (like 90% of it) doesn’t have any real access to water, even though you can hear it nearby. If you’re hiking with a dog, plan for them to get water up top. Most of the flow is from snowmelt on Higher Squire, so it might dry out later in the season.
At the top, the view of Three Fingers is amazing. I brought binoculars and could just make out the lookout — it’s tiny from that distance. Got lucky with clear skies and even spotted Glacier Peak off in the distance, which was a cool bonus!
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