I took a quick family hike today with a 4-year-old from the Garfield Ledges trailhead. It was a little hazy, but still a perfect day topping out at 70 and the early hints of fall foliage starting to show.
The drive up from North Bend is a relaxing treat on a pristine paved road until standard gravel right after the last bridge right before the trailhead. We started hiking at 2:00 with a few other vehicles in the parking lot. Next time we will for sure bring a picnic lunch for the 10 or so picnic tables right along the river.
The trail is in great dry condition. It's a mix of well-traveled dirt and some crushed stone in places. It's a steady climb the entire way but never to the point of feeling tough. The stairs about halfway may be the only point where you'll do those lunges to get from one step to the next. The stair structure though is impressive work. We got to the top and were the only people there, with a second party arriving soon after. The viewpoint was perfect for relaxing and looking out at the hawks soaring. It was well worth the short hike. Overall time with a young child walking was around 2 hours.
Time now to look for other hikes possible in this beautiful valley.
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