Hiked up past Comet Falls into Van Trump Park, and kept going until reaching a small climber's camping area at 7,200ft. Side trip to Mildred Point on the way out.
Road Conditions. Paved road and parking lot, no facilities.
Trail Conditions. For what I remembered as being a "tourist" trail, there was a surprising amount of roots and rocks on the way to Comet Falls... The trail actually improved a bit above the falls, and was decent until 6,100ft (a good turnaround point). Upon transitioning from the subalpine to the alpine, the trail wasn't always well defined, and there was plenty of loose dirt/gravel/rocks. The trail heading towards Mildred Point had been brushed out thoroughly, up to the river crossing. Past that, the trail was still easy to follow, but there were sections where it heads straight uphill on soft/sandy soil.
Water. Plentiful water in the big streams, but if you didn't want to clog your filter with silty water, there were some small streams just above Comet Falls. No running water higher up, until reaching the climber's camp, which is just above a stream.
Highlights. Saw (or heard) pikas in every pile of rocks along the trail to the falls. Several mountain goats above Van Trump Park. Blueberries in the Van Trump Park area were pretty much done, but still plentiful in one of the meadows below Mildred Point. Some fall colors.
Air Quality. Good for most of the day, moderate in the late afternoon. Mt St Helens and Mt Adams were visible.
Crowds. 10-minute wait at the Nisqually entrance at 11am. Got the last proper parking spot at 11:30am, there is space for ~15 cars. Encountered maybe 10 parties between the trailhead and Comet Falls, another 10 or so going up to Van Trump Park, and only one person on the trail to Mildred Point.
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