What a beautiful trail on a beautiful day! Well, what we were able to complete of it. The drive up was pretty easy, once you hit the gravel road, keep to the left of all forks that you come across. Once the one trail, you will notice it is unmaintained which made it difficult to follow at some points but if you look a head and around you will see where the trail continues on. About a mile up you will hit the big rock face, climbers where there while we were, you will a patch of snow you must pass. We struggled a minute to figure out the safest way to cross but were able to make it to the other side. The clearing here is a great spot to take a breather from the steep climb and look out on the mountains all around. As you continue on the, the trail gets steeper and harder to navigate as snow became more abundant along the way. We were able to cross some small patches but were falling through a lot. We finally hit a point, less than 2 miles up, that was uncross-able due to snow and lost trail. We didn't want to try to cross due to the warm weather and snow falling through and not having any idea where the trail went from there we decided to turn around. Although we didn't make it to the top, it was a fun adventure and great views for what we did manage to climb. Definitely coming back when the snow has a chance to melt off some more!

First off, this is an incredible trail! Although the trail is not maintained the footpath is clear with no navigation skills needed. Do be prepared to get muddy as the trail is extremely wet from start to finish. There is quite a bit of high stepping over fallen trees, rocks and roots but none that aren't passable. Because of this, the trail is not a good place for older dogs. Smaller and/or agile dogs are best for this trail as I had to help my dog up, down and around obstacles on several occasions. There's a really great pool of water at the base of the slab of rock where dogs can swim. No need to carry lots of water as there are plenty of streams with the first section of the hike being literally a stream. Don't fret. You can walk alongside the stream but would recommend waterproof boots as mud would easily enter in low cut shoes. It's likely that you'll misstep and land in the slop at least once. The trail is quite steep and took us an average of 55 minutes per mile which is quite slow for us. This also included stopping and taking multiple photos while wearing my 43 lb training pack. Quad burning hike to say the least. We were able to knock out the last 0.75 miles to the pass in 20 minutes as it leveled out and we were running out of daylight. My Strava says that we were moving for a total of 2:40 over the course of 5.6 miles with 2397 feet of elevation gain. Highly recommend this hike as the views at the top were spectacular and you'll likely be alone on the trail. Was such a nice treat to hear birds chirping because the forest was so quiet. As for the road conditions, it's definitely a rough road that is not suitable for low clearance vehicles. A crossover vehicle with a bit of clearance would likely do fine. There are numerous pot holes and dips in the road making it a bumpy ride. There are also very few places where one can pull over letting an oncoming car pass. Be prepared to either pull into the shrubbery or backup for quite a distance. There is room for 3-4 cars to park at the trailhead with no bathrooms. Do explore this unmaintained gem. You'll be happy you did!

This was one of the hardest hikes I've done. The trail is very steep, and its really rough...Lots of roots, rocks, mud, streams and some parts where it goes straight up the side of the mountain. But that said, it also immediately became one of my favorite hikes ever. The road in, as everybody else noted, is rough in spots. Mostly its in good shape with some potholes, but there are two creek crossings where you'll appreciate a high clearance vehicle and there was on puddle on the road that was at least 4 inches deep by about 10 feet long. Probably want to leave the minivan at home for this one. The trail was very wet. Very very wet, as in parts of it are literally a stream bed. There are a lot of roots, and its rare to find what you think of as a regular trail surface. Between the roots and rocks, its rough going. It will take you longer than you think to do the three miles to the top. Theres one or two spots where you have to pay attention so as not to lose the trail, but for an unmaintained trail its pretty easy to follow. Also, it looks as if somebody came up this year at some point and cut a bunch of fallen logs and some brush away, thanks to whoever that was. Heres the pay off though...The views are amazing. At about 1 to 1 1/2 miles in, you cross an old slide area...The view out over the valley will stop you in your tracks. It was very misty under a clear bright sky when I started, watching the fog play over the shoulders of the mountains was amazing. The trail goes through what was old growth at one time, there are some stumps and a few surviving trees that are a treat to see. I also like that the trail starts in almost a rain forest, then works through several types of forest until it ends in an Alpine environment. The pass is a reward in itself, a weird environment of rocks, trees, brush, and moss...I got a quick shot out towards Three Fingers when I got there, but in about 5 minutes the fog blew in and it started hailing! A good reminder of how fast a mountain can change its mind about being nice to you! Always bring gear for all weather you might encounter...I came down the hill in a light rain, which has its own beauty. Big plus: You will probably have this hike to yourself. I didn't see so much as a boot track, literally. I must have been the first one up there in at least three or four days, if not longer. You want solitude, this trail is a good bet!

Amazing many of these obscure peaks in Inner Mountain Highway area have taken us on roads or trails I never knew existed. While Mr. Cooper continued to recover at home, Mr. Cody and I continued or exploration in the Boulder River Wilderness. On the way to our destination I noticed a couple of people climbing up a big, beautiful slab wall on the left side. Perhaps I should come back and try it out sometime. Pup and I didn’t need to make it all the way to the pass, so we took a left at the first opening out of the forest and started scrambling to look for a good place to attain the northeast ridge. Ridge was woodsier and bushier than expected, and we had to get around a few ribs to finally be on the ridge. Final scramble to the summit was a bit rocky but doable with some veggie belay and a few good holds. Weather wasn’t terrible, just that clouds seemed to have decided to congregate around Three Fingers, so I never got a glimpse of the three summits. Whitehorse Mountain, on the other hand, was in and out of clouds but visible most of the time. Looking over to Jumbo Mountain, still could not believe pups actually made it up with me. Helena Peak dominated eastern skyline, with many notable big mountains behind her in the distance. A bit woodsy and cloudy on the south side, so not much to see there. On the way down we made a stop on Squire Creek Pass and got a closer look at the big mountains before getting back on the trail. Two guys we saw climbing the slab wall earlier were just packing up when we stopped briefly and chatted about the route. It didn’t get completely dark until just before we got back to the trailhead.

Hiked to Squire Creek Pass today. Conditions: The road conditions require a high-clearance vehicle, but generally the road is in good condition. The trail itself was generally dry until reaching the climbing wall and then became quite wet and slippery. My pedometer measured the walk as approximately 3.8 miles (longer than the trip description); I did take a minor detour up a trail spur near the climbing wall, but generally I think the nearly 4 miles is accurate. Make sure you have shoes ready for muddy conditions as there is quite a bit of mud on the trail in the last couple of miles of the walk. As for companions along the trail - other than a few rock climbers at the wall, and another person near the pass a few hours later (hiking alone - not recommended), my hiking companion and our dog had the trail to ourselves and our thoughts. Believe it that the trail is not "improved" or even much maintained. It is a little wild, but worth it. I would recommend this trail to anyone interested in a late summer hike in near solitude. The pay off for the work is a terrific view of Three Fingers - although today mostly shrouded in clouds. The face of the Fingers and the snow fields, high ridges around the Fingers, etc., were highly reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, where we hiked a lot last summer. Unfortunately, the blueberries were past their prime and the cooler breezes of fall are blowing across the pass, but otherwise it was a gorgeous hike. If your dog likes swimming, there are a number of pools of cold, clear and refreshing water along the trail, coming from somewhere up on the pass.