Squire Creek Pass via Eight-mile Trail — Sunday, May. 10, 2015

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Got out to Eightmile Creek for a beautiful Sunday hike. Road in was generally good and is a fairly typical Mountain Loop road, some potholes and some rocky sections, but overall good shape. Echoing other trip reports, the trail is definitely a bit muddy, and has lots of steep, rooty sections and downed trees to scramble over and around. The trail is steep, but there are plenty of little diversions to keep you occupied while you hike - climbers on 3 o'clock rock, a couple of neat little tarns and stream crossings, and some nice views across the valley. Once the trail levels out though, this hike turns absolutely magical. Easy walking on granite slabs is punctuated with shallow stream crossings, all with incredible alpine views of Three Fingers and Whitehorse Mountain. This is one of my favorite new hikes for sure! The wife and I must have said "This is so cool!" at least a dozen times in the last half mile on this trail, and it totally deserved it.