Squire Creek Pass via Eight-mile Trail — Sunday, Jul. 8, 2018

As the previous trip report said, the road in to the Eight-mile trailhead is bumpy and narrow, and it has a few places that made me glad to be in a station wagon with moderate clearance. The turnoff from the Mtn Loop Hwy onto Road 2060 is clearly marked, although the sign is actually just past the turnoff rather than before it.

The trail is unmaintained and steep (as advertised), but it has recently been cut back/bushwhacked and is clear and easy to follow. Only a handful of blowdowns across the trail, and all were easy enough to get over or under. Almost to the top near the pass the trail follows some mostly dried up creek beds on exposed slabs, so it takes a little attention to keep on track, but small cairns help mark the way and it's pretty clear at that point where the pass is going to be anyway.

There was just one minor patch of snow on the trail that posed no problem and will be melted away within days. Water was plentiful toward the top of the pass thanks to the melt-off that's filling the streams this time of year.

Definitely count on 6 miles round-trip via the Eight-mile Trail. Not sure where the 5.4 mile figure on the WTA hike description page comes from, especially since the page itself says you'll climb 2300 feet in 3 miles up to the pass.

My party turned around at the pass after stopping for a nice lunch in full view of Three Fingers and Whitehorse, so I don't know what the thru-hike is like.

Having grown up within sight of Three Fingers and Whitehorse (from the west side), it was amazing to get up close to these familiar peaks and see them from the east side for the first time. Well worth the effort!