Trail was clear! A few muddy patches where creeks have overflowed slightly but nothing you can’t hop over. River was going wild, lots of waterfalls along the creeks.

After enduring the coldest or second coldest spring since they started keeping records in Seattle, we finally had a dry, not frigid Saturday.  I used it to get out on my favorite trail.  I traveled in through Hoodsport.  The final road in was in great shape.  The National Forest Service must have graded this Forest Service road which runs along the shore of Lake Cushman within the last week or two.  It’s rarely this smooth.  Sweet!  I arrived at the Staircase Ranger Station at 8:30 a.m.  Mine was the 4^th car in the lot.  The temperature was about 5 degrees cooler than what had been predicted for Hoodsport.  The air was a crisp 48 degrees.  The two pit toilets were unlocked and supplied with TP.

The first mile of the trail, leading to the suspension bridge, was in great condition.  Obviously volunteers have been busy clearing trees and debris.  My thanks to these volunteers!  The river was running high, making the rapids loud and beautiful.  I saw a couple of ducks and geese floating along with the current.

Past the bridge (1 mile) I took a left and headed further upstream.  The area of the trail between the bridge and the 1.5m mark, which can be muddy, was nice and dry.  Starting about 2 miles from the parking lot it became clear how far the volunteers have gotten with the winter clean up.  There were several medium and small trees across the trail.  The obstructions could all be ducked or stepped over.  There were none so large that they had to be climbed on.   I stopped and cleared a couple of very large branches.  I hope everyone walking the trail takes the time to do a little clearing.

At about 2.25 miles, I could hear a grouse in the woods.  I’ve seen a grouse in this area before, but no sighting this time.  At the 2.75m mark there’s a stream that must be splashed across.  Just a bit further along, I stopped at Three-Mile Log (unmarked) and enjoyed my lunch.  On this outbound leg I only saw 4 other hikers, a surprisingly low number.

On the return leg, I crossed back over the suspension bridge.  I recommend against doing “the Loop.”  The south side of the Loop is just better; walk that side twice.  I passed 71 hikers on my return journey.  Almost all of them were between the bridge and the parking lot.  I arrived back at my car at 11:30 a.m.  It had warmed up to the high 60’s.  The parking lot was totally full, with cars waiting for us early arrivals to pull out.

I saw zero trash on the trail.  That’s incredible!  Also, no hikers playing amplified music, another nice surprise as well.  I did see 3 dogs on the trail.  I have never seen a dog on this trail before, as I recall.  In theory dogs are not allowed here.  I don’t know what the penalty is if a park ranger sees such a dog.  I don’t care, as long as the dogs are friendly and the owners clean up after them.  One of the dogs was a huge Marmaduke, and the owner seemed to be concerned whenever someone walked by, getting both hands on the dog’s head and neck and leaning into it.  That dog should not have been on the trail, but I don’t blame the dog.

Great day.  The weather was clear, the air fresh, and the hikers smiling.  I walked 6.3 miles.

Trail was in good condition with some flooding but passible with waterproof boots.  There were some small trees across the trail but they were easy to get around.  We continued up the trail but had to turn around due to the river running over a footbridge.

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The FS road around Lake Cushman is in decent shape. No snow. Minor pot holes. ONP gate is closed. Walk in is about a mile. Snow starts on the road not long after the first corner and stayed a consistent 16-18" the rest of the trip.
I recommend micro spikes, poles with snow baskets, and gaiters for a more comfortable hike. 

The gravel road to Staircase was in great condition compared to other times I’ve driven it. Only a few small potholes with the exception of one large one that is easy to avoid, helpfully marked with a stick in it. Set off from the parking lot outside the National park gate at about 10:30 and was the only car in the lot. Bathroom there was in good shape and stocked with toilet paper. It’s a nice one mile walk into the park, and nice to pause and notice the things you wouldn’t if you were driving in. The trail is in good shape mostly, no mud puddles to speak of. Maybe about 10 downed trees along the Rapids loop trail, most very very easy to get past. One down tree past the log bridge requires you to squeeze between a couple branches, but very doable. Lots of mushrooms to admire and I love the background sound of the River. This was my first time hiking this trail in winter and I’ll be sure to be back. There was a bit of snow off trail but I have a feeling it will be melting soon, and it didn’t impact my travel. Wrapped up about 12:30 and there were two other cars in the lot.