With the new gate in, Goldmyer Hot Springs is now a hike, not a drive. I decide to give this new hike a try in the form of a loop, walking up the road and down the trail. First you have to get to the trailhead, of course. The Mid Fork Road is in fair shape with numerous small potholes. By historic standards it is not bad. Even in my Honda Fit, I could average about 30 mph to Taylor River. The section from Taylor River is in worse condition, but far better than it used to be. The Fit could handle it at about 15 to 20 mph. If you have a rough, tough SUV, higher speeds are possible, but unsafe due to the many blind curves. I was pleasantly surprised at how little time to took to get to Dingford, about a hour and a half from Seattle. At the Dingford Gate, I hoisted pack and started walking. The road walk turned out to be more pleasant than expected. Right away you pass a magnificent waterfall on Dingford Creek, one that you might not notice if you are driving. At the half mile point, you pass a great mossy cliff. The road approaches the river at many spots, and I enjoyed viewing its beautiful rushing waters and the snow-patched peaks rising far above. Old trashy car camps have now become quiet walk-in sites...there are a number of them along the road. As I walked, I was passed twice by a guy in a red sedan. The second time he offered me a ride to Goldmyer, which I politely declined, as I was out for the exercise. The car driver might have been the spring's caretaker. Something to remember: if you look wholesome and smile nicely, you may be able to ""hitchhike"" at least as far as Goldmyer. One hour and 40 minutes later, I arrive at Goldmyer. There is a fine new bridge spanning the river. Not having reservations to soak in the springs, I soon set out on the Mid Fork Trail to begin the long return back to the trailhead. At once I encountered the biggest obstacle of the trip, Burntboot Creek, which is a mighty rush of water almost as big as the Mid Fork itself. A jumble of logs forms a bridge of sorts. Some acrobatic skills are required to cross it. If the logs were wet, the crossing could get rather ""exciting"". Beyond Burntboot, the Mid Fork trail was in O.K. shape, a little rocky and brushy. I looked in vain for the old Cascade Crest Trail to Red Pass (gotta try that sometime, I hear people are using it). After a mile or so, the trail gets up on an old RR grade and becomes fast and easy to walk on. Old logging artifacts are seen occasionally; at one campsite there is an rusty drum and piece of rail. At Rock Creek the trail briefly drops off the RR grade to ford the creek (the back way to Snow Lake starts here). The trail leaves the RR grade for good in the last mile approaching Dingford Creek. Earthcorps has been working this section recently and the trail is in good shape here. After admiring the impressive cataract in the Mid Fork river at the Dingford foot bridge, I slogged up the final little hill back to the car. The overall loop hike is about 9 miles. A nice day of hiking, all in all.

celebrated the big 40 with a hike to the middle fork with Karma Dog, Best Friend and Best Bud. All in all the trail is in good shape. At the first creek crossing there was a huge washout but there is a reroute to get to the other side, just look for it off to your right. there is also another reroute around a huge jumble of downed trees once again look for it to your right. the bugs were not to bad but there was a breeze so I'm thinking on a calm day they will be out in force. On thing to be well aware of is the bears, there have been numerous sightings of both bears and their scat on the trail. Keep up the chatter going through the berry patches that cover the trail in some spots. We were quiet going through one and we startled a yearling bear! The blow downs are not to bad and there is a bit of mud on the trail. It was a great day and when you go say "" hi"" and ""thanks"" to the earth corp kids out doing trail work, they are doing a great job.

Short trip from Middle Fork Campground to Rainy Creek (direction opposite of main Middle Fork trail as you cross the bridge). The road is in good condition, some potholes close to campground but nothing that a normal family car can't handle. The trail is in good shape too, except a couple of places where we really had to watch out for our 4-year old. Had a great time on the rocky beach near Rainy Creek. Beatiful weather. Many hikers taking the main trail, but only seen one group on Rainy Creek side. The only downside was that picnic area at the trailhead is trashed - broken bottles, empty gunshells; we cleaned up what we could but I'd avoid picnic tables if you have kids.

The road driving to the trailhead is good, just lots of potholes. No one at the trailhead when we got there at 7:30am. Alot of blowdowns, damaged puncheons and some mud on the trail. Was still a great easy hike except for climbing over a couple of the large downed trees. Did see a black bear on the way back to the car. It was probably 2-miles back from the beginning of the trailhead. The bear took off as soon as he saw us. No problems...A beautiful day...

Dona and I drove to the Dingford Creek Trailhead and hiked downstream on the Middle Fork Trail. We hiked about two hours one way. There is a large washout about 1.5 hours in which is easy to get around. There are a few downed trees and some damaged puncheon along the way. The view of Cripple Creek from the bridge is very nice. The forest along the way is spectacular. I was surprised at the deterioration (rot) of some of the puncheons which I don't think are that old. The road gets better the further in you go. From Taylor River to Dingford is actually quite good right now. They are hauling gravel up to Dingford Creek and beyond but that was not a problem. The worst part of the road was the section from the pavement end to the bridge over the river. Go now before the road reverts to its usual condition!