A long, dark hike to nowhere. Even on a sunny day like this, don't expect much sunlight, as this hike lies in a deep, dark valley. That being said, this is one of very few low-altitude hikes that you can do most of the year that lies in the heart of actual mountains, not foothills. The river, when you can see it, lies in a series of beautiful gorges. And, some of the trees are truly spectacular: there are Douglas fir and cedar of unusual size here. At 4.5 miles the trail ends abruptly at a couple of dank campsites along the river. 60 years ago, the trail crossed the river at this point and went up to Three Fingers. (No, I never did it Before my time!).
Having not been here in a few years, both road and trail were in better shape than I remembered. The road has some potholes, especially in the final mile, but should pose no problems for any standard car. The trail needs some new bridges and tread work, but what else is new? Probably won't happen. The usual mud on this trail was not bad at all.
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