Garfield Ledges, Middle Fork Connector Trail — Friday, Oct. 4, 2019

The new Garfield Ledges Trail is now open after a two year construction project by Mountains to Sound Greenway and the Forest Service up the Middle Fork Valley. This one mile trail gains about 600' in elevation. To make my hike a little longer I began from the Gateway Bridge parking lot about 1/2 mile away from the trailhead for Garfield Ledges. This way your legs get warmed up before starting up the hill to the ledges. The first section of the trail is covered in crushed rock, then turns to dirt. I hiked up through the second growth forest with a carpet of green moss. To get up through a rock area the trail builders put in four sets of wood and dirt stairs. At the top of the last stairs is a short walk out right to the lower ledge with a view. The trail continues up hill where it crossed over the old trail to upper ledge. I hiked the old trail 2 1/2 year ago. It was much steeper then the new one. Further up I walked between two old cedar stumps and got to the last switchback which had rock walls and poles to hold the trail in place. The trail then went through really rocky soil which would have been hard for the trail builders. At the upper ledge a flat spot had been build with a gabion wall holding up the dirt. A gabion wall is a wall built out of wire baskets filled with rocks. There are a few large rocks that can be used as seats. No benches or picnic tables. A sign at the ledge warns of not falling and says, "Keep Back". It is a long drop down. Some areas of the trail needed blasting when built.

I got to the upper ledge in time for lunch. The clouds were blowing in and out over the mountains in the area. It did open up so I could see the Taylor River far below and part way down the Middle Fork Valley. The sun even came out for a short time and no rain. After eating I headed back down with out seeing any other hikers. Probably will be more once the word gets out that the trail is now open. There were a few ribbons tied to bushes for future drainage work. The was one spot with clay soil that may need some crushed rock. 

There is a rest room at the trailhead where the trail takes off behind the building in the Taylor River parking lot. George