The Road

Big thank you to the crews that made improvements to the road. I drove it before a month and a half ago and it was high clearance only, now I think any sedan should be able to make it with careful driving. Much smoother and faster drive now.

Parking

I saw reports about parking being out of hand here. And while I came early on a weekday I saw some lingering aftermath from the weekend. Namely one Subaru literally just parked in the road, no effort to even be on the side. This is dangerous, and also don't be shocked if your car gets scratched up if you park like this. People need to be able to pass safely. If there is not room to park you need to go elsewhere, the road is not parking.

I arrived at the trailhead at 6:15 am. Only 5 other cars in the lot. One other person arrived at the same time.

The Trail

The trail is surprisingly easy for the gain, it does not feel like 3500 ft of climbing. Nicely graded. However there are a few parts of the lower trail that are eroding. Some work to shore up some areas is needed, as it's easy to slip and plants will get damaged if this continues without support.

I got to the summit and had it all to myself for an hour before others arrived. The views are amazing and the changing clouds made for great photography.

On the way down I encountered maybe 40-50 people. All seem to have arrived around 7-8 am. Not too crowded, especially compared to the weekends from what it seems.

Back at the lot there were cars parked ¼ mile down from the lot. Again, please use the lower lot parking and do not block the road. The road edge is soft here and passing can be made dangerous if there is not enough room.

Also please observe good driving etiquette and use the turnouts to let cars pass. I was stuck behind a car that refused to pull over despite going extremely slow because they had to negotiate potholes, they had ample opportunities to use many safe pullouts to move but refused. This backs up traffic on these dirt roads. Why do you have a subaru if you are going to drive it like it's a low riding sedan? Please learn forest road etiquette and observe it before driving a road like this.

This is probably the last week for colors, it looks like the weather is changing so I wouldn't expect the larches to be good next week, the wind was already blowing away the needles.

Overall great pretty solitary experience at this trail.

Got to the trailhead around 9am & got a spot just outside the lot. Note: no bathroom at the trailhead! The larches are perfect right now! I was surprised how few people we saw on the trail — larches without a crowd! Only a handful of folks at the summit. It was so so beautiful — more larches than I’ve seen on the 3 most popular trails. This trail is all UP & then all DOWN — 3600 ft gain in 4-ish miles (we clocked 8.5 miles total) — my thighs are singing today! 360 mountain views from the summit. We saw a couple pikas on the way up. Totally worth the effort! The roughest part of the road has been fixed, but there is still a very rocky section and some washboard, but it’s totally manageable in any car. 

Looks like the last nice day in the alpine for a while so we had to squeeze in one more good larch hike. This next week brings lots of rain & snow so any condition reports will no longer be relevant going forward. A few backpacking groups were on their way up today which always makes me wonder if they didn't check the weather, or just don't care.

The road is excellent now on that last stretch up to the trailhead after recent work, but the other 80% is still rocky and terrible. Take it easy and have lots of patience. Good tires and moderate ground clearance required.

Trail was quiet today compared to the huge weekend crowds this area sees during prime larch season, maybe 15 or so groups we saw/passed all day. Many had dogs. This is a tough steep hike at 3600 vert but with big visual reward. Once you reach the meadow with water & camping options, you forget all about the physical suffering.

PEAK larches! Slightly hard hike with BIG rewards. Absolutely jaw dropping beauty! Felt incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to hike today with such perfect weather.

A few things to note:
- we were on the trail by 8am. Early start was well worth it to avoid big crowds.
-the road can get super tight especially in places where people parked on both sides.
-trail up to the basin is a bit steep. A few trees down but easy to pass
-the basin is insanely beautiful. Lots of places to camp. This is where the larches start. And it keeps getting better!
-following the trail beyond the basin to the ridge you pass through an abundance of larches. Absolutely spectacular.
-it’s worth going up to the ridge and from there it’s not far to the actual summit with 360 degree views

I’d love to come back next season to backpack. It’s truly an amazing hike!

TL;DR: trail was in great condition, views were stunning (I've seriously never said wow so many times). The road had a lot of potholes, but was passable (we did it with a sprinter van). We had a total of four bugs buzz around us, lots of ladybugs! Also lots of dust.

"Steady incline with incredible and breathtaking views" is the best way to describe this trail. Mother nature SHOWED UP this year. The colors were stunning, yellow and orange and reds splattered throughout the ocean of evergreen trees. Tiny peekaboos from the mountains through the trees as you climb keep you going, knowing it just gets better as you go! When you're really feeling the elevation gain and wondering if the end will ever come, you come up over a ridge into a basin below Carne mountain. Stop here to pinch yourself because the beauty of the most dense stand of larches surrounding a winding creek in a meadow will have you swooning. But don't stop there for too long because the views get even better! Continue on the trail through the larches, with red and orange and green shrubs contrasting the larches. Up you go again, and once you reach the saddle, the views of the surrounding mountains open up. Catch your breath, partly because you just hiked a mountain, but also because it's so beautiful it'll take your breath away. Turn to the left, go up a short hill to the summit (after waiting for the people before you to finish their photoshoot) and then do a spin: mountains in every direction. Glacier Peak, Maude, Icebox, I can't even remember all their names but they are simply splendid blanketed in snow and rock and green and little pops of larches. You'll want to spend all day here - I recommend stopping to enjoy a snack/meal and the views! On the way back down, your knees will thank you for stopping to take more pictures of the same things you already took pictures of "because it's just SO pretty". You'll be dusty and dirty and sweaty (if you didn't really train for this like I didn't), so a stop at the small creek close to the trailhead was the best refreshing end to the best hike. This has taken first place as my favorite hike and I'm sure I'll be back again, but this time with a tent!
The path was well worn, easy to follow with branches/logs blocking the trails you weren't meant to travel down. There were three trees that had fallen across the trail but they were easily climbed over (the dog went under). Rocks, roots, and a whole lotta dust!

Parking Note: We got to the trailhead around 7:15am and it was already a madhouse with people parking down both sides of the road as you got close to the trailhead. There wasn't enough space to turn around and go back past the line of cars, so 4-5 vehicles all had to back through and around the line of cars to get back to an area where the road was wide enough to pass/turn around. Highly recommend just parking along the right side of the road heading to the trailhead - if you drive a camper or sprinter van, good luck getting out, people park so tightly my Ford edge barely fit.

No toilets at the trailhead!