Bandit & I had to checkout the 2 new bridges on the CCC "Road" and we both whole-heartily approve of the vast improvement to the 2 worst creek crossings on this section of the CCC Road. We started/ended our hike at the Bessemer Road which felt like an icebox at the start & end of the trip. But the temps improved quickly as we got some elevation along Bessemer road. The first bridge is over Big Blowout creek as we turned left onto the CCC Road going SW. The next bridge is about 1 mile further (Wise Creek?) though there were plenty of smaller creeks to cross (and for Bandit to get a drink from). There are a couple other creek crossing that could be bad with high water flows but I believe more bridges are coming in the future. To connect the dots (from an earlier trip) we kept going all the way to the start of the new Green Mountain Trail (which was ~3.5 miles from our starting point). We turned around and came back the same way. This trip was nice as a hike but could also incorporate some biking too especially if going up Green Mountain.
~7 miles, 900' gain in 3.25 hours.

Bonus Trip Report: On Monday, I did South Bessemer as a bike/hike. I mostly pushed my bike up to ~2700' were the snow covered the trail. There was a boot trail thru the snow to the top where the snow was ~18" deep. Almost could have used snowshoes to smooth out the path but I just used spikes towards the top. I kept the spikes on too long coming down. I wondered why is snow seemed so uneven on way down and then I discovered a huge snowball stuck on my spikes. Took them off and it was smooth sailing. Biking downhill was a little intense above ~1600' due to the grade; I was squeezing those brakes as hard as I could on my 30 yr old bike with rim brakes. I saw the crew putting the finishing touches on the Big Blowout Bridge on this day so Bandit and I came back to check it out.
~7 miles hiking, ~6 miles biking, over 4000' gain

With waterproof, ankle high boots and good rain gear, this was a great day to be out on the Middle Fork! Forecast was for 2-3 inches of rain, and I believe it. The river was high and all the drainages were raging. Blowdown along the road, but small enough I could get out and move it out of the way.

I planed to hike the lower CCC trail so parked at the lower CCC trailhead. But I was only able to get 1/2 mile to West Bessemer Creek which was raging and not passable (see picture). So I went up to the ledge above the parking lot via the unmaintained trail. Nice view of the river and valley (picture), plus full exposure to wind and rain.

Trails was wet, much of it was a stream, but I was the only one on it so it was nice to get some solitude.

The sign is still up that dispersed camping is closed because of a problem bear.

TWO NEW BRIDGES ON THE CCC TRAIL. I headed up the Middle Fork Road out of North Bend to check out the two new foot/horse bridges DNR had installed on the CCC Trail. I parked at the smaller lot for the Oxbow Loop Trail, then walked back on the Middle Fork Road to get to the Bessemer Road at the blue DNR gate. It is 1.1 miles up the road to get to the CCC Trail. The first new bridge is over Blowout Creek and replaces a narrow log put in several years ago by mtn. bikers. This one still needs the rock walls and dirt fill to match the trail with the bridge deck. There is a mini track hoe sitting by the trail at the west end of the bridge to finish the work.

I then hiked a mile and a 1/4 west on the CCC Trail to get to the other new bridge over a fork of Wise Creek. Along the way the smaller creeks are now flowing, and some have some nice waterfalls to see. This part of the trail is brushed out. When I got to the second new bridge the construction work is completed. The rock walls and dirt fill are in for this bridge to get from the trail to the bridge deck. I had a view of Russian Butte as the sun had come out. I turned around here and headed back the way I had come. I had hiked further on the CCC Trail to the west several weeks ago before the bridges were installed. Past the Wise Creek bridge the trail needs to be brushed.

The new bridges are steel girder with metal railings and wooden decks. They were made by a company in Arlington and were trucked up to the Bessemer Road, and off loaded in the wide spot just up the road from the blue gate. The cement concrete bridge abutments and bridges were then flown to the creeks via helicopter and set in place. The bridges are bolted to the cement abutments.

It was fun seeing the new bridges that now make the two creek crossings much easier, especially during the rainy season and Spring snow melt when the creeks are running high.

I only saw two wild animals on this trip. On the Middle Fork Road driving near Champion Beach by MP-5 an elk crossed the road in front of me. Then hiking back down the Bessemer Road from the CCC Trail a mini frog about 1/2" long hopped across the road. So, I saw both big and small wildlife. Did not see any other hikers. George

Began my hike at the DNR blue gate on the Bessemer Road off the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road. It is a mile hike up this road to get to the CCC Trail. After crossing Blowout Creek on the road bridge, I came to a clearing area by the road that had two new foot bridges. The two truss bridges were built for the DNR by Contech Engineering Solutions from Arlington. When I got up to the CCC Trail I could see where one of the new bridges was going to be installed over Blowout Creek. It will replace the small log bridge put in by mountain bikers several years ago. Some of the site prep work has been done to install the new bridge. DNR had several trees cut down in order to have a helicopter fly in the new bridge and set it in place. I then crossed the creek on some rocks and headed southeast. The CCC Trail crosses several small creeks in the first mile, most still had water running in them and a couple had small waterfalls. After crossing the FS/DNR boundary line I came to another large creek (with no name). This was the site of the other new bridge. The contractor for the DNR installing the new bridges had driven in a small Kabota track hoe to do the site prep work. The pads at each end of the new bridge were in place. A helicopter would also fly in this bridge. This creek location is shown as "Difficult Creek Crossing" on the Green Trails map 174SX.

A short distance further on from the new bridge work were two more creek crossings with deep gullies. Both of these locations could use a bridge. From here the CCC Trail goes up hill crossing a steep side hill and going by a nice rock area. Looks like the CCC crews had to do some rock blasting when they built the CCC Road back in the 1930's. I then got to some views out to the south of some peaks, but they were covered in clouds today. I stopped at a large log along the trail for a snack break. From here the trail went back down hill and passed an old gravel/rock pit from the days of when the CCC Road was constructed. It is now overgrown and had been used as a camp site in the past. I saw an old rock fire ring. I then crossed over Brawling Creek which was dry. No big gully here, further on was the unsigned junctions with the Green Mtn. Trail and the Sitka Spruce Trail. Then it was about 1/4 mile to meet the CCC Road that goes 3.6 miles to meet the SE Mt. Si Road out of North Bend. This part of the CCC Road is still driveable but has a locked gate so you cannot drive on it. You could ride a bike.

I then turned around and hiked back to the Green Mtn. Trail and found a rock for a lunch time seat. It was quiet in the Green Mtn. Forest. After eating I hiked back the way I had come. When I arrived back at the Blowout Creek crossing, I saw a red Toyota SUV drive up the Bessemer Road and come back down about ten minutes later. The driver must have had a key to the DNR blue gate. There are four locks on the gate, DNR, FS, rock pit owner and one other. The only wildlife I saw on my trip was one frog and a Robin. My hike was 8.6 miles round trip. It was nice to see that the DNR is installing two new bridges on the CCC Trail. This was the first time I had hiked this section of the CCC Trail. George

We hiked on the CCC trail from the blue gate to the washout. The trail was in good shape. It was a little brushy in sections. I find day to be out on the trails.