I took a stroll up Mt. Washington via the Twin Falls Trailhead.  The lot was at 1/4 capacity when I arrived at 9am.  The TF Trail has a couple small blow downs and some muddy spots to manage but nothing serious.  The trail's numerous staircases include some very large steps that shorter hikers will find most annoying.  I climbed past the falls and on to the junction with the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.  A left turn and a few minutes walk brought me to the Mt. Washington Trail heading south into the forest.  Someone has been out removing blow downs, as I encountered significantly fewer than last week; only the big ones are left.  The MWT is completely snow-covered, but most of it can be hiked without snowshoes.  The fresh powder from the last couple days added traction so I didn't need micro spikes (but I'd say don't leave home without them).  There was a booth path until about the 3000ft contour when it petered out.  I donned my snowshoes and broke trail from there.  I managed to get to about the 4000ft contour and less than a mile from the summit before I lost the trail on a snow-covered scree slope.  Dang!  I turned around after a brief rest and made my way back down the mountain to my car.  Maybe one of these days I'll actually get to the top of the mountain. :/  Still a good hike though in a winter wonderland!

P.S. There is snow in the forecast ahead, so keep in mind the snow conditions will likely worsen in the days ahead.  Unless you're a snowboarder, than you're stoked right now.

Summary: ~10.6 miles RT/~3400ft elevation gain 9am-3pm

“So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again

1. Plenty of parking
2. No potholes on TH
3. You need micro spikes this time in Jan
4. Some trees have fallen so trail needs some bending and going over logs. Nothing major though.
5. Beautiful views on a sunny day
6. Gradual elevation of 3300 ft over 4.5 miles to the summit.
7. Took me 6 hours of moving time at an average speed

I drove out to North Bend for a jaunt up Mt. Washington starting at the Twin Falls TH.  There were only 4 other cars in the lot when I arrived around 9:30am.  The Twin Falls Trail has a handful of down trees to cross but they are easily managed even by a novice hiker.  There are several places where you will need to navigate very large step ups/downs mostly by the stairs leading to the falls.  I had the place to myself as I climbed past the falls and up to the junction with the Palouse to Cascades State Park Ironhorse John Wayne Trail or whatever it's actual name is.  You know, the rail trail with the long tunnel.  Once there I turned right (west) and hiked about 3 miles to where the Olallie Trail begins its ascent back to the southeast.  I ran into a work crew cutting up some of the many trees that had fallen on the trail.  They tried to turn me back initially, citing dangerous tree hazards and an unknown number of blowdowns on the path ahead.  Not to be deterred so easily, I offered to scout out the trail ahead.  If I got turned back, I could give them a first hand trail report.  If I didn't come back, then they'd know I made it through and therefore the trail probably isn't all that bad.  They agreed and sent me forth into the wild upon my scouting mission.  The Olallie Trail is certainly a mess right now but totally doable.  There are countless down trees but most are small and easily negotiated.  Intermittent snow starts around 3000ft and becomes continuous by 3500ft.  This trail is lightly traveled and there is no packed boot path, so snowshoes might be required on warmer days when the snow softens.  The snow was icy and hard today with the clearer, cold weather so I could walk on it without snowshoes.  Micro spikes were a must in the icy conditions.  There is a small avalanche/mudslide about 20 yards across that you will need to hike over, but it is no trouble if you watch your footing.  Once at the junction with the Mt. Washington Trail, I realized I didn't have enough time to summit, so I hiked back down the Mt. Washington Trail and called it a loop.  The MWT has a solid boot path in the snowy sections so there is no need for snowshoes, but you will definitely want microspikes unless you want to look like a dog wearing roller skates.  There are some more fallen trees to deal with but they won't slow you down much.  I made it back to my car at dusk and just in time: the ranger was sitting at the TH waiting for the stragglers to get back to their cars.  Good thing I didn't summit!  Next time I'll start earlier...

Trailhead is very close I-90 and we were excited to find the gravel turnoff road from the gate to the trailhead with only patches of slush. Currently accessible for all vehicles/cars with 2 WD. If the warm weather continues the parking lot could melt out even more significantly. 

Vault toilet was unlocked and stocked toilet paper(!) but smelled horrendous. Use at own olfactory risk. 

We used microspikes for the snowy section the first mile (and encountered several downed trees) but the trail quickly melted out and turned to rocky mud so we took the traction off. A significant portion is like hiking up a small creek because of the melted out trail so be sure to bring waterproof hiking boots and be prepared to whack through watery branches. 

Significant snow the last mile to the summit but it was so well compacted we never felt the need put on snow shoes. 

The birds near the summit are extremely precocious and will try to swoop/snatch food from your hands. We had to resort to snowballs to defend our food so please don't feed the birds. It's not cute. 

My son and I took the dog part way up Mt. Washington.

The road is clear to the trailhead EXCEPT the dirt road itself. There's snow at the first gate and icy ruts to the second gate. Nobody has driven with success past the second gate. We parked a quarter mile east along the road.

The Iron Horse is still snow covered, but not deep. There are some icy sections.

The trail itself is packed well enough we didn't put on snowshoes until after the Owl Spot. There are stretches of bare trail (usually with water running down) so either prepare to hear the outdoor equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard or repeatedly remove your snowshoes.

There are a ton of trees down across the trail. Most are easy to bypass, but some require some crawling or climbing.

We turned at the open rock slope before the ponds.