The mostly sunny skies and light drizzle at the beginning and end of the hike made up for a near perfect setting for a light afternoon hike or a stroll, depending upon who you ask :).
The trail head has ample parking. +1 for the WTA tip about the 5$ parking charge that needs to be paid in cash. The instructions to get you started on the right trail from the parking lot are spot on. Without them, it is easy to head down on a different trail.
In the first mile, as you are taking in views of the canyon, admiring the wild flowers you cannot name and are just in general in awe of how beautiful, green and fresh the meadows are, it is easy to miss the creek crossing mentioned in the Hike info. "After about 0.75 mile the trail splits in a small open field with several boulders. Take the right fork, which will lead you to a crossing of the creek."
The overgrown grass perfectly hides the split in the trail. We had to walk past it a few times to spot in. Google maps comes in handy here the, the trail is marked on Google Maps! Coordinates of point where the trail crosses the stream are 46.858188, -120.498346. The stream was crossable, if you can balance on a narrow log of wood or do not mind getting wet. (Waterproof shoes recommended)
Once you cross the stream, you can take right for a short walk to an old farmhouse or walk left and continue on the main trail. We tried to take the right trail but it seemed to disappear into dense vegetation. We ended up passing on the old farm-house and took the trail on the left. The trail goes through some more beautiful patches of trees and meadows. The last 100 feet of the trail are steep down-hill and bring you to another river crossing. The trail is supposed to continue from here but we decided to turn back. The river was no more difficult to cross than the first one.
There seem to be smaller trails slitting off form the main trail if you choose to wander in the valley. We did not choose to, but on the way back, ended up taking on one of these smaller trails until it lead us into a bush. Finding the main trail back wasn't to bad. Just something to watch out for! The valley is pretty narrow and it is hard to get lost.
Nice hike over all. Especially recommend doing it this time of the year!!
Cheers!
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