White Chuck Bench — Monday, Aug. 4, 2014

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Access: If coming from the Darrington side of the Mountain Loop Highway, expect a few delays coming through the slide zone on Highway 530. Wait time was only a few minutes, but there are some August dates when drivers will be detoured, so it would be a good idea to check the WSDOT website beforehand. The Mountain Loop Highway and gravel Forest Road 22 are both in fine shape. Trail Conditions: The trail is passable to about 2.5 miles in where trail work is evident in the building of switchbacks up a steep hillside. Right after the switchbacks the trail ends, though it will be extended as trail work continues. Of those 2.5 miles, the middle third is pretty brushy, and I ran into some stinging nettles. I would recommend long pants. Other than that, the trail was in good shape with minimal elevation gain. Flora and Fauna: Quite a few varieties of mushrooms and fungi were along the trail, so I imagine this would be a mushrooming hot-spot come fall. Lots of old-growth tree stumps give evidence of the type of forest this used to be. Moss carpets most of the forest, as well. Views: Views of the White Chuck River and surrounding mountains are limited. Though you can hear the river most of the way, there's only really one good spot to view it. There's also one good view of Sloan Peak through the trees, but other than that the forest blocks the views.