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.  

Reading the description of this hike, I had thought much of the trail would be beside the river.  But it's on the hillside quite far above the river, and you don't get many river views unless you scramble down one of the side trails to the water's edge.  Which we did, and that was worth doing.  There are several downed trees to scrabble around on the main trail but the trail is mainly easy and was not muddy yet, despite the Fall season.  The Mountain Loop Highway is gorgeous right now with all the colors.  We were mainly out for the drive; the beautiful waterfalls, and the sounds of rolling and knocking stones in the river, were a bonus.

Wow, what a spectacular Fall hike in the PNW! There were lots of pretty, big things & lots of pretty, small things to look at! This hike was a canyon hike reminiscent of Eagle Creek Falls trail, on the Oregon side of C.R.G. For years, this was on my, "how good can it be?" list... well, it's good.

Usually I reserve canyon hikes for a cloudy day, since there are usually not many vista's to boast. But I am happy to have gone on a sunny, glorious day; and see the sun blast down the canyon every now and then. Quite stunning.

Almost no other hikers on a Friday, although I clocked in @ nearly 10 miles R.T. and 1200' vert, unlike the trail stats list. Still easy, regardless. While still a pretty hike all the way to the campsite @ end, the last "memorable" view of the river was about 3.5 miles from the TH, for what it's worth. Enjoy!

It’s been a couple years since I hiked this trail. The dirt road is rough but it’s been rougher. I think any car can make it carefully.
We stopped at the vault toilet about 3 miles before the TH. It was clean and well stocked.
There was some broken glass at the TH but we didn’t have any trouble.
This was a multigenerational hike, including my 25 year old daughter and almost 77 year old mom. Most people will say this trail is great, smooth with gentle ups and downs. It’s not entirely smooth. My mom did great with a couple of hiking poles. She climbed over and under fallen trees and made it through some rocky patches with assistance.
It’s a beautiful trail with lots of ferns and big trees. I think the first waterfall is dried up. The double fall around 1.2 miles was very pretty. We hiked about 6 miles round trip. We heard birds singing and had a couple of encounters with mice. One member of our party had a mouse climb on his foot as he took a break and a little further down the trail we saw a pacific jumping mouse lay down and take its last breaths. Nature is really something.

Beautiful hike on a perfect day! Road is potholed, but is passable in a sedan if you take it slow. Trail is in great shape for the most part. Some rocky and rooty sections, as well as some overgrown areas. Pants definitely recommended as many of the overgrown plants have thorns. Poles also help to keep you balanced on the bumpier sections and to knock down cobwebs along the overgrown areas. We did clear out the spider webs today, but they will be back tomorrow. Bugs were present but not aggressive. A few plants have started showing signs of fall. Encountered only four other hikers all day.