A straightforward hike with a great look into the mountains, jumping off point for more exploration (scrambles & backpacking), and solitude. 

Road: Mini van approved. Obviously a high clearance Toyota Tacoma would be better but low clearance can do just fine if you take it slow. The road is narrow and lined with lush vegetation. A few pull offs. Like the trail, I believe the road takes on a different feel in the spring and wetter months. I didn't see a privy at the TH. I arrived on a Thursday and only saw one group of rock climbers the whole time.

The TH had a log book and had multiple notes and signs about an active bear in the begining of the trail near 3 o'clock rock (which I assume is the rock climbing slab you pass about a 3/4 miles in).

Trail: The first mile is where you gain the bulk of the elevation gain. It's a mix of switchbacks and just going straight up. I believe in this trail takes on a very different vibe in other seasons, especially spring. The lower portion is a new growth forest, and the trail is very rooty. On the way down I slipped twice because the roots were still wet from condensation. The upper portion is subalpine forest with heather and huckleberries lining the floor. Obviously, the fall colors are great right now.

It's obvious when you arrive at the pass. It plateaus and Three Fingers is staring right at you. Head to the south and you'll start to get a little better view. You'll a couple of fire rings. It's a great place for lunch. 

This is a great hike to get away from the masses, burn some calories, and connect with nature.

Extra to Higher Squire: I wasn't planning on doing extra but I crushed my time expectation, and I noticed several carrins leading south towards Higher Squire. I had no beta or prior information but have experience with off trail navigation and scrambling/mountaineering so I went to investigate.

The carrins are fairly consistent about 2/3rds of the way and there's a faint boot path. Then the path and carrins kind of peter off and you do a bit of bushwaking through the subalpine to a boulder field. Given my unpreparedness I opted to go to the righthand side (west) instead of the true summit. I'm glad I did because even when I got there it was more of a knife edge than I expected. Since I was alone, I choose to call it a day there. I still had incredible views of the valley, Three Fingers, Snowking, and even the top of Mt Baker! I would recommend heading a bit south from the pass to gain just a little bit more elevation to take in the valley. It's worth it. And those who want to go farther, check out the Summit Post report on Higher Squire. I'll be back for sure.

Since it's been over a month since the last trip report on this trail, I figured I should share what I found there today July 7.

Summary: A rough and challenging trail, with plenty of solitude and a pretty nice payout.

Road: I would recommend a car with a little clearance. The road is long, bumpy, and has large potholes in sections. Our Prius goes on most roads but we took the Jeep for this one!

Trail conditions: No snow, with a few blowdowns. Most of them are easy enough to go around/over, except for one large tree near the top forested section of the trail which is pretty awkward, but still doable. I had to crawl under it on the way up and almost got stuck.

Difficulty: Though this trail isn't very long, it's rough nature makes it feel more like a 7 mile day to me. It's very rocky in the beginning across the old road bed, and once in the woods it's rooty and steep pretty much the rest of the way. Many tripping hazards, so take your time.

Water: None until you are about half a mile from the pass, where there is a small stream flowing all summer, as far as I know.

Wildlife: Swainson's thrushes and hermit thrushes abound! We were expecting to see a bear today due to the frequent sightings on this trail (we saw one or two when we were here a couple years back) but there were none today. In any case, be prepared! There were a few skeeters around in the wooded areas, but not too annoying.

Wildflowers: Not too many yet, but the mountain heather is blooming in small patches at the top, with lots of bumblebees around. There were a few tiger lilies sprinkled in some small sections. Plenty of cute woodland flowers to peep.

Other folks: Saw one other fellow and his dog during our 7:45 am to 1 pm trip.

Happy hiking :-D

Spent the day about a mile from the trailhead as part of a WTA work party, and had a great time. The trail is a bit rocky or rooty in parts but not too bad. Managed to get to the trailhead in my minivan but we bottomed out a few times; it's six bumpy miles from the road to the trailhead. A bear went after one person's lunch but we convinced it to go away.

Road to trail rough but totally doable. I even saw a two wheel drive up there.

Saw no one on the trail today except a WTA work party. Go Matt! A few big blow downs may require some bushwacking to get around. Makes for a bit of slow going. Snow about last mile, make sure you have a map and listen for water underneath the snow. Large holes are forming and snow is getting weaker. We had no trouble going around these areas.

Brought spikes and axes but didn't use. Boots and poles did the trick.

Views were well worth the effort.

Consistent snow pack starts at 3600’.  Trail is in great shape up to 3oclock rock but has a few sizeable blowdowns after that.