GET HERE EARLY! We arrived at 8:40am today (Saturday) and the "lot" was full, as were several nearby sections of shoulder. We circled around a few times looking for a spot but bailed and went elsewhere. There were numerous cars parked illegally.

Beautiful day to hike up Hex mountain! Although at the bottom it was foggy and we didn't think there would be any views, as we climbed up we were able to get a glimpse of the panoramic view this peak is known for. Although likely we could have seen more on a clearer day, it was still gorgeous and worth the drive. 

We started hiking at around 10:40am and there were already a couple people headed back to their car. The road is snow-free and is easily drivable with any car. Going up, we passed one person wearing only boots, about 5-7 people wearing snowshoes, and 2 people wearing skis. Spikes are probably fine for the first couple miles but once you turn off the forest road and begin to climb, I found snowshoes helpful. 

The trail is quite steep so be prepared! After climbing through switchbacks up the forest road, the trail goes straight up the ridgeline and up to the peak without any turns. It also gets colder as you gain elevation and on the ridgeline, it is quite windy. However, the trees provide good shelter while being spaced out enough to provide views on both sides of the ridge. 

The peak itself has great views but is really too cold to stop for long. We just took some pictures before heading back down. With breaks, it took us about 5 hours total and per gps, it was about 7.5 miles. 

Started at around 11 am, after getting one of the cars unstuck from the snow in the parking area by the road (where it is recommended to park). We put on our microspikes at the very beginning of the trail as it starts off a bit icy and kept them on all the way up/down. They were super helpful, I highly recommend them! Some opted for snowshoes, and they could be helpful towards the top or on the way down but not crucial.

We got above the clouds around 2.5 miles in and were rewarded with a blue bird sky and 360 views of the mountain range peaking above the clouds at the top. Definitely feels like a slog at times but well worth it! Oh, and the trees have beautiful icy thorns that make them look like white larches. Stunning!

We crossed about 30 people on the tail, I'd estimate about 50/50 on the mask wearing.

Started at around 11 am, after getting one of the cars unstuck from the snow in the parking area by the road (where it is recommended to park). We put on our microspikes at the very beginning of the trail as it starts off a bit icy and kept them on all the way up/down. They were super helpful, I highly recommend them! Some opted for snowshoes, and they could be helpful towards the top or on the way down but not crucial.

We got above the clouds around 2.5 miles in and were rewarded with a blue bird sky and 360 views of the mountain range peaking above the clouds at the top. Definitely feels like a slog at times but well worth it! Oh, and the trees have beautiful icy thorns that make them look like white larches. Stunning!

We crossed about 30 people on the tail, I'd estimate about 50/50 on the mask wearing.

Today promised to be the best weather day and although a little delayed it lived up to its promise!

We arrived at the pullout near Newport Creek before FR 116 around 8:20am to already find 8 cars or so. Everyone else knew it was the day to get out! Having heard from someone that the parking on FR 116 below the gate was treacherous even for AWD, we opted to just park here and walk a little on the road. The morning was still hazy but we had high hopes for views at the top.

Having also read the previous trip report and that the trail was compact snow, we left our snowshoes and just took spikes. My friend wore hers up but I didn't need them until the trip down. It turned out to be a good choice as snowshoes were not needed although some who had brought theirs along used them near the summit.

The trail was easy to follow for the most part but you can tell there have been new folks on the trail who have started several spur trails not keeping on the ridge once past the viewpoint before the final push to the Sasse junction. If not paying attention it was easy to miss and have to cut up later. Not a biggie, they all seem to end up at the top eventually.

At this point the haze had started to clear and by the time we reached the summit it was blue skies above and low lying clouds below. We joined a few at the summit and it was a steady stream of hikers coming up while we basked in the sun.

Our trip down was uneventful, many more sunseekers passing us as they headed up. By the time we were halfway back down we were once again in the clouds. 

At the gate and parking on FR 116 there were still a few people heading up at 2pm and someone was asking for help to push her car (a Subaru) because she had slid into the truck in front of her while trying to get out of a parallel parking job. I can't say too much about it, I even needed a little push from my spot as I had pulled in just a bit too much into the snow along 203. A shout out to the two who helped me, it beat having to put my traction devices on the front tires!

For more pictures and some of my previous trips here with more details, see link below.