If you are really confident and careful or you do not care about your car anymore, you can get away without high clearance. Initially, the turn from Mt Loop Hwy does not appear to present problems. But that nice gravel driveway eventually comes with more potholes and 4 dips where larger rock replaces/prevents washout. Then we crossed the stream and the remaining 4 miles presented more difficulties. Trees do not block the road but there were a couple overhead that my Outback had plenty of room to clear. The forest road was not quite bad Suiattle Road like conditions but getting there.
Parked across from the trailhead. There is space for at least 10 cars parking politely. There isn't a toilet.
The trail starts on a rocky old roadbed turning left at the trailhead. After about a quarter mile, the trail narrows. You can see signs of long ago prior trail work. However, the vegetation starts to crowd the single track in spots. Roots and rocks of varying angles to the ground and moisture made the trail a slow go both up and down.
We did see some impressively sized trees, tree trunks, and skunk cabbage. Huckleberries and blueberries starting to form but weeks away. Witnessed many columbines early and a thistle or two.
The trail became muddier as we ascended. Hit consistent snow about 2.5 miles in. Meandered back and forth with my Alltrails app but you can eventually see the pass through the trees. Snow was soft, covering many melting streams, but I only postholed a couple times.
Bring hiking poles if you have them. Did not need microspikes. Crossed many smaller streams. But I still fell multiple times coming back. I should have gone boots rather than trail runners. Would have had better grip and more protection for the wet rock, mud, and roots I was sliding off of.
I got a total of 6.5 miles. Hope you have less accidents than I and do not need to pull out your first aid kit.
Happy Trails!
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