I went up to French Ridge lookout site yesterday to see the fall foliage.
The Icicle Creek crossing was a bit tricky with the bridge out, but the water was low and I found some rocks to hop on (they were slippery/icy, so I might bring spikes). Look for the pink survey flag to the right (north) of the bridge to get down to the crossing.
After that, it was smooth sailing. I jumped the gun and went up the French Creek Trail by accident, so I had to backtrack back to the French Ridge Trail; I would have loved to do a loop, but it was too late in the day to give it a go.
The ridge trail is a mix of less fun conditions: I had to hop over and go around lots of down trees, the huckleberry bushes were thick in areas, and the trail higher up was extremely narrow and eroding. Not an impossible hike, but definitely more of an investment..
Great views along the way. The first good panoramic view was around 5,200'; the better views were up at the top.
The trail was mostly snow free, but I ran into some snow at the very top.
Fun day and beautiful colors. Definitely worth visiting if you have the time to drive to the end of the road, and the patience to hike up the trail.
I'd definitely bring a saw when I go up there again.
PS There's a really muddy part for 100' in the first mile. I avoided the mud by stepping off to the right of the trail.
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