This is an excellent hike this winter.  The warmer temperatures have caused the deep snow to partially thaw and then freeze.  The footing in deep snow was excellent.  I took snowshoes, but did not need them.  I hiked all the way to the pass with just microspikes and did not posthole.  I recommend the use of gaiters and poles.

The weather was fantastic.  I did not know if the TH road would be open and clear, so I took my chainsaw and went for it.  The road has been cleared recently of the trees that fell.  There is some snow on the road for the last two miles, but there are snow-free tracks.  With the exception of one steep dip, I think most cars could make it to the TH.

There are about five blowdowns on the trail that you have to go under, over, or around.  But they are easily managed.

I started up the trail in the dark using my headlamp.  Do not attempt this if you are not very familiar with this trail.  It is climber's trail.  It is steep, rocky, rooty, wet, and changes directions quickly.  If you go more than 10 steps and can't see a clear path, backtrack and look around until you find the trail.  At a few places, you have to climb up over some big roots before you can see the trail.  Pace yourself.  You will gain 1,750 feet of elevation in 2.5 miles.  Remember that snow slows your progress.  Start early. 

The snow bridges for the multiple creek crossings are solid.  I am fearful of these bridges in the spring.

I did not see anyone during the entire time I was hiking, but I am grateful for the person who snowshoed to the pass and packed down the snow...

The views from the pass were sparkling clear and outstanding.

This was an RPRT (Right Place, Right Time) hike - my favorite!

Squire Creek Pass is a beautiful place to visit on a sunny day.  The trail is quite crude and steep in places so getting there is a bit challenging.  The steepest section gains elevation at a rate of 1500 feet per mile.

Granite really defines this place. It is everywhere.  The geology of this place is interesting.  It is referred to as a Batholith.  It was once the magma chamber of a large volcano.  The cone of the volcano completely eroded away and the subduction of the pacific place uplifted the Batholith.  Throw in some more erosion from glaciers and you have the dramatic landscape of this area.

The trail starts on an old logging road.  In about 1mi you enter the Boulder River Wilderness and enter old forest.  There is a huge 13 foot diameter Red Cedar Snag next to the trail. Last time I was here was May 2015 and the tree had one live branch left.  Sad to say that branch has fallen and the tree is completely dead now.  There are a few hemlock epiphytes still growing high up in the tree.  There are a few other big Red Cedar in the vicinity that are still alive, barely.

At an elevation of about 3000 feet the dominant specie becomes Alaska Yellow Cedar with it's interesting shaggy bark.  I counted the rings on a recently cut windfall and it was a whopping 1400 years old!!. The tree was only about 4.5 feet in diameter. There were up to 60 years of growth rings in the width of my thumb.  I've counted a lot of tree rings in my time and that tree is definitely the oldest that I've ever encountered.  This tree literally started growing at the beginning of the dark ages. 

The Huckleberries are ripe and in amazing profusion. They go on for miles.  The berries near the pass were definitely the sweetest and tastiest.

I recommend ascending the meadows south of the pass to get the best views of Three Fingers and White Horse.

In spite of the perfect weather, I didn't cross paths with a single person all day.

7mi RT and 3000 ft elevation gain. 

If you remember back in June, I attempted to get to Squire Creek Pass via the official Squire Creek Trail and was turned back by a precarious snowbridge (and time).  So, when some friends and I were looking for a shorter hike that wouldn't take all day, I suggested heading to Squire Creek Pass via the Eight Mile Trail

The trail from the parking lot started out relatively mundane, following yet another decommissioned forest road gradually up about .4 miles and with 250ft of gain.  The trail has some fantastic drainage work, someone has moved a ton (literally) of rock to mitigate water's erosion of the tread.

Soon after, the trail started up the fall line on what feels like more of a climber's path than an established trail.  There was even flagging indicating a more official trail was being developed. The trail alternated between braided roots and rocks on the fall line to a smooth carpet of pine needles on the contour as we made our way up through the forest.

At .62 miles we passed the Boulder River Wilderness boundary and soon after broke out into a brushy drainage socked in with low laying clouds.  Thimbleberry was ripe and crowded the rocky trail as we continued our way up. 3 O'clock Rock soon rose to our left, a popular slab climbing wall.  We admired its layered surface as we made our way underneath and continued on tight switchbacks that snake up on its righthand side. With only 900ft of gain so far, we still had some ascending to do.

For the next mile and 1,000ft, the trail alternated between forest and solid granite slab drainages, evidence that the soil we were walking on was not deep.

We broke out onto more open and gradual terrain at 1.9 miles, the huckleberries and heather was prolific and slowed our progress (well, at least mine).  We could see the tips of Three Fingers and Jumbo as the fog had lifted and blue skies we hadn't seen in days due to wildfire smoke were a welcome surprise.

The trail traversed more and more granite until we reached the summit at 4,074ft and 2.54 miles.  Three Fingers was out on display with White Horse and Mount Bullen partially obscured in clouds to the right. You could even see the lookout perched high on top.  It was surprising how close the cliff walls of Three Fingers appeared from the perspective of having been on the Squire Creek Trail a few months ago. I guessed the summit would give me a higher view but it felt like I could reach my hand out and touch the mountain!

We rested at the summit and enjoyed the fair weather (70 degrees and blue skies!) for a while before heading down.  I filled my nalgene almost to the top with berries and plan to return for more and to spend more time exploring the nearby summits, such as Higher Squire.  What a beautiful spot and so close to town!

Additional pictures and GAIA in link below.  :)

Road to the TH is pretty rough. Be prepared for 6.5 miles of potholes and rough, rocky FS road conditions. A low clearance vehicle would be alright (we saw a Prius at the TH) if driving slowly and carefully. Probably the biggest concern would be the rocks that make up a good portion of the road; they are pointy and sharp, just the thing to impale or gouge a tire flat. Limited parking, maybe room for 6-ish vehicles.

This trail had been on my "next time" list for a while now, and figured I'd try it out as the kick-off for my Hike-a-Thon trips. While the trail itself is billed as "short" (various sources list it as >6 RT), it certainly "feels" longer, especially on a really hot day. Starting on old rocky roadbed, switchback up moderately steep tread to the sheer vertical cliff face of 3 o'clock Rock. This is a good place to catch your breath and admire the imposing granite, and the views back down the valley before heading up the increasingly steep and rough trail. With some brush obscuring the trail at the base of 3 o'clock Rock, one might be tempted to scramble up and to the left; however instead go right through the brush and the actual trail picks back up a few yards in. Continuing on, the trail gets increasingly steep,and you will find yourself nearly scrambling in places over rocks large and small, spidery masses of tree roots, and 5-6 blow-downs which can be over-undered. This trail will give you a full workout for sure. Several mucky spots just before the pass, and a few small pools and tarns in this area as well. Once at the camping area at the pass, there are gorgeous views of Three Fingers, Mt Bullion and Whitehorse. The landscape here is a study in smooth white granite, wind-sculpted trees, and high peaks in all directions. While my hiking partner rested at the camping area, I continued upwards to Higher Squire, following an increasingly difficult-to-follow bootpath and occasional cairn. Fabulous views from this point as well, but lost/re-found the trail coming down a couple of times as it headed over unmarked expanses of granite.

Ripe berries everywhere, mostly thimble and blueberries. Blueberries are ripe but quite tart, almost bitter. A few flowers here and there; pearly everlasting and yarrow lower down, partridge foot, meadow camas, gentian, asters,and some almost-done mountain heather near the summit. On our way out, we stopped on 2060 where Asbestos Creek crosses the road and took a dip in the perfect pool beneath the falls, pure bliss after a hot dusty hike!

You have to be either young and strong, or old and ornery, to do this trail! It's either rocky, rooty, or both, and steep all the way. Don't be fooled by the short mileage!  I'm in the old and ornery catagory and it kicked my backside. The road  you want is Clear Creek, FS # 2060. It is tire punching rocky, go slow, there was a Prius in the parking lot tho. No loo. The trail is signed on the right. There had been some trailwork done on the first part of the trail, it is a bit rocky,  but not bad as N Cascade trails go. Once you get to the base of 3 O Clock rock (not labeled on GT maps) it goes from Dr Jeckyll to Mr Hyde. You veer to the right, don't get sidetracked into the boulder scramble  on the left like we did. This is a popular climbing route, but we didn't see any climbers. The steep sheer rock face is amazing! Once you cross the vine maple chocked avalanche slope, it's all root ladders, some blowdowns and picking your way up thru overgrown trail. I had to pick my way up slowly thru the tangle with my short legs. You will cross another short open rocky section, then you break out into the huckleberry fields, a hiker coming down saw a bear. There are some nice views out toward Sloan, Pugh, Whitechuck and the valley. The huckleberry fields seem to go on forever and steeply, I felt like a kid on a road trip, when are we going to get there? When you reach the granite slabs, watch for the cairns to guide you. Now the walking is easier on the granite. The little tarns are almost dried up. You finally reach a nice viewpoint with Three Fingers, Mt Bullion and the back of Whitehorse. I think we made it to the actual pass, as we saw some hikers coming in from the other side. There is a small goat trail going up to a saddle in the peak to the south. Ravennspirit followed for a ways, but I was done. The views were nice, but this hike did test my fitness level and I'm not sure whether I would do it again.The early wildflowers are gone, but we did see some fall daisies, the tiny flowers of rattlesnake orchid and budded gentian. On the way back down, we stopped at the waterfall and little stream and cooled off our feet. #Hikeathon Pls help the old gal:  give.wta.org/Muledeer