Took advantage of a break in the weather to drive to the end of the paved section of the Middle Fork Road. They are still doing a little work, cones and a couple of signs where they blasted the rock wall section, but the road is beautiful smooth black top all the way to the Middle Fork trail-head now. No snow on the road or edges, and all trees, of which there have obviously been many, have been cleared. A couple of cars in the parking lot today and a notice that no fee is required. The outhouse is locked for the winter and there are no trash cans/services so DO NOT leave dog poo bags or garbage by the trail-head kiosk. Edited to add the Middle Fork trail as the trail-head is the same.
Today I crossed the entry bridge and turned down stream (west). The trail is in good shape but there are a few creek crossings with enough water that you will want your winter boots on. I hiked for about an hour crossing four drainages before turning around. The trail meanders up and down with some lovely views to the north side of the valley. No other hikers were on this section, most prefer to head upstream. Up or down-stream this is a great lower level hike to do before the weather turns cold/snowy, which makes access more challenging.
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