The road conditions report mainly deals with the last 1.5 - 2 miles before the trail head ("Notch 1"). Prior to that, it was asphalt and a well-maintained dirt road. After an old logging clearing, the road reduces down to almost a single-lane jeep trail. There are some potholes that were pretty deep, so if you're in a low-clearance vehicle, you may need to be careful. Also, the road doesn't offer very many places to pass or turn around. Luckily, traffic on it seems pretty minimal (as far as I could tell, I was the only one who was on that section today).
I arrive at the trail head around 9:15 AM. As previous reports have indicated, it is pretty easy to miss the trail head, just because you may not be looking the right direction. If you use Google Maps, the "Notch Pass Trailhead" (not the "3rd Access" one) is right where it should be. If you get there and see a little pull out off to the right, look UP and to your left. The trail head is up there. There's some pipe painted blue down near the road at the same point. If you miss it, you have to drive about 1/2 a mile or so down the road to find a place to turn around. When you come back, the trail head is extremely obvious (easier to see heading back on the road). I've included a composite image below, showing the view from the road at two slightly different angles (so you know what to look for).
I hiked from the Notch Pass trail head down to where the Notch Pass and Big Quilcene trail meet up (and down to the bridge right there). This ended up being around 7.8 miles, so I'm not quite sure where the 8.4 mile estimate is coming from. Most of the elevation gain is from the trail head up to the "Notch 3" access area (roughly 2000 feet in 2 miles), and it starts off right away. You can park up at the "3rd Access"/"Notch 3" lot and save yourself the 2000 feet and 2 miles, but where's the fun in that!
The trail itself was pretty interesting, since it was a slightly different hike out than in! The main reason for this was a WTA work party working there today. They had three groups - two working to clear out some blowdowns, and one building a new ford for water handling near the "Notch 3" parking lot. You could definitely see the progress they made in the couple hours between the times I passed them. It was interesting to see how they were approaching the trail improvements, though I probably impeded progress a little (I talked too much). It was great to see them out there and learn new things, including how some of the moss looks like an emu (I should have taken a picture of it).
Most of the WTA work was on the upper part of the large hill (near the "Notch 3" access point), and on the trail down to the Big Quilcene Trail. There are still quite a few blowdowns on the lower part of the trail (from the trail head up to the top of the hill). These are all manageable - the most technical one is a larger tree you have to decide if you want to go over or under (over seemed easier). However, if you hike the route after Tuesday, it may be completely clear. The WTA volunteers are supposed to be back on the trail this coming Tuesday to do some work on the lower portion of the trail.
Regarding the WTA work, the party crew chief (sorry, I forgot your name!) mentioned they may also visit the bridge over Allen Creek on Tuesday. If you have any fear of heights, this bridge can be a little unnerving (or downright unpassable for some people - see previous trip reports). It sounds like there are plans to put a knee-bar on this bridge to help with that. The bridge is pretty wide and stable, but I definitely kept a hand near the railing the entire time I was on it taking pictures (but I do have a fear of heights).
In terms of bugs, they weren't bad at all. Down near the trail head, there were some gnats that kept clouding around me near the car, but that only happened if you sat still. Other than that, the main "insect issue" was with spiders. Since it wasn't a well-traveled trail, I got to eat a lot of webs going both up and down the trail.
Overall, the was definitely an "out of the way" trail, especially the first portion from the trail head up to the "Notch 3"/"Third Access" area -- aside from the WTA party, I was the only person on the first part (and I only saw one other party on the Third Access to Quilcene portion).
Comments