Squire Creek Pass via Eight-mile Trail — Monday, Sep. 5, 2016

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

Hiked to Squire Creek Pass today. Conditions: The road conditions require a high-clearance vehicle, but generally the road is in good condition. The trail itself was generally dry until reaching the climbing wall and then became quite wet and slippery. My pedometer measured the walk as approximately 3.8 miles (longer than the trip description); I did take a minor detour up a trail spur near the climbing wall, but generally I think the nearly 4 miles is accurate. Make sure you have shoes ready for muddy conditions as there is quite a bit of mud on the trail in the last couple of miles of the walk. As for companions along the trail - other than a few rock climbers at the wall, and another person near the pass a few hours later (hiking alone - not recommended), my hiking companion and our dog had the trail to ourselves and our thoughts. Believe it that the trail is not "improved" or even much maintained. It is a little wild, but worth it. I would recommend this trail to anyone interested in a late summer hike in near solitude. The pay off for the work is a terrific view of Three Fingers - although today mostly shrouded in clouds. The face of the Fingers and the snow fields, high ridges around the Fingers, etc., were highly reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, where we hiked a lot last summer. Unfortunately, the blueberries were past their prime and the cooler breezes of fall are blowing across the pass, but otherwise it was a gorgeous hike. If your dog likes swimming, there are a number of pools of cold, clear and refreshing water along the trail, coming from somewhere up on the pass.