North Fork Sauk River — Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2016

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

We didn't hike too far on this trail just due to it being winter, but we were in the mood to explore and look at the giant cedars, so we wandered a little ways in. One big note, there is two pretty decent washouts on FS 49 as well as one on the mountain loop hwy, coming from Darrington. The first washout on the loop is manageable, however a high clearance vehicle is an absolute must to get through the two washouts on 49. The first is a washout full of granite rock with a creek flowing through, and maneuvering over the bigger rocks would be impossible with a small vehicle. And the second washout (only about a 1/4-1/2 mile away from the North Fork Sauk River trailhead is pretty big, and it was partially covered in snow so very hard to see what is below the snow. Some of the rocks were quite large and the channels of water were reasonably deep. You'd need 4X4 and a lifted vehicle to get over this. However, you can easily walk to the trailhead if you park right at the washout. Just follow the signs a little further up the road where it splits. The trail itself started out extremely wet and partly snowy. We went about a mile in, and it was very soggy and lots of puddles. If you venture in during the winter or spring, be ready for lots of standing water if it has rained recently. It was a dry but very overcast day, perfect for a little wandering. We will be hiking this trail in summer for sure.