Lovely hike to Squire Creek Pass at sunset with my dog. 2 hours up to the pass gave us an excellent view of the sun setting over Three Fingers with great visibility. Trail is snow free, a bit muddy in places, and loads of mosquitoes at the pass, so bring bug spray.

Trail is snow free. Very muddy, very steep, often narrow and poor uneven footing. Got to the pass and was teased with a hint of three fingers through a small window in the clouds. Hiked an extra 1.3ish miles (roundtrip) to summit the Higher Squire ridgeline to the south. Reaching the top, the valley to the south was free of clouds. Great views of Liberty peak. Three fingers stayed socked in. Be extra careful on that snow field with melting snow bridges hiding rock crevices. On my way back down to Squire Pass, the clouds finally broke to offer some excellent views of Three Fingers.

The forecast said that it would be cloudy until 7PM, and then clear.  Trusting the forecast, I decided to stay on the Pass until sunset.

The road is rough.  The path is anything but a regular trail (except for the first 0.6 mile section that WTA made much easier).  The trail is good for the first 1.1 miles to Three O'Clock Rock.  The second mile is more of an obstacle course than a trail.  The third mile is good unless covered with snow, which is was today.

When I reached the snow at 3,500', I was trying to decide whether or not to proceed.  I set my GPS for Squire Creek Pass, and it indicated a straight route to the West.  I followed magnetic West right to the Pass.  I even found sections of the trail in the trees during my journey.

There are multiple granite slab creeks to cross, but the snow bridges are gone and the water is very shallow.  Waterproof boots, gaiters, and poles are highly recommended.

Wildflowers included the usual early spring varieties.  I was most impressed with the intensity of the color green on this trip.

During my night on the Pass, the skies were very clear.  The sky overhead was clear in the morning, but thick low fog obscured views.

Temperatures ranged from 58 degrees F. during the day to 40 degrees at night.  I was comfortable in my tent, and glad that I decided to wait for the sun to drop behind Three Fingers Mountain.

**ROAD REPORT ONLY, DID NOT HIKE TODAY**

I have a 2013 Subaru Impreza hatchback, which I specify for its exceptional low clearance compared to most Subaru models. I wanted to see if my car could make it past the washout portions of the road to reach this trail; I've handled a lot of rough roads but one past trip report mentioned a Jeep Cherokee bottoming out. 

There are three washouts and the second one is by far the worst. Go slow, downshift your gears, stay to driver's right on the way in and "aim" your car toward the left coming out of the washout. I could see smaller cars getting stuck but mine did just fine, and I have no idea how any model of Jeep could have any issues. Maybe maintenance has been done since that report. The rest of the road was smooth and in great shape. 

The trailhead is a small dirt path in the brush to the right of a creek. There is a small pull off with a campfire ring for a few cars to park. Here, there is water running over the road and cascading down the other side, about two inches deep in some places. If you drive past this, you have gone too far. 

I'll be back in a couple weeks to hike when the snow and ice have melted at higher elevations. Now that you've read this report and know how accessible the trailhead is, maybe we can take a break from Lake 22, Heather Lake, Mount Pilchuck, and Goat Lake, and bring back more info on this one. 

Microspikes and gators highly recommended for current conditions. Last mile to squire pass is completely snow covered, and there are several steep traverses that would be challenging without increased traction. Snow notwithstanding, it was a gorgeous day.