was a beautiful sunny day and there was no snow on the trail at all. lots of downed trees on the trail but never had to walk more than 10 feet out of our way to get around them. parked our car on the side of Salmon La Sac Rd and walked the ~1.5 miles on service road to the actual trail sign

Perfect blue bird day for this one. It took my friend and me about 45 minutes to reach the trailhead from Ellensburg. We parked along the Salmon La Sac Rd around 9:30 AM. Ours was the only car. The forest service road was easy to follow and consisted mostly of dirt and patches of snow. GPS helped keep us on track when the road split. The real climb began at the Hex Mtn trailhead. We put our spikes on soon after the trail turnoff. Poles were also helpful. Lots of blowdowns through this section but they were relatively easy to cross/circumvent. Someone broke trail recently so the path was clear and compact. Not quite deep enough for snowshoes yet.

Just when we started to lose heart from the endless ascent we reached the base of Hex Peak. We followed the path around the base and found ourselves on a saddle affording us expansive views of Lake Cle Elum and the Stuarts. The last bit to the top was straightforward. My watched clocked 2 hours 45 minutes, 4 miles, and 2,700 feet elevation gain. We enjoyed a hot lunch at the top under clear skies, calm winds… not even a breeze, and warm sun. We had the top to ourselves for 45 minutes. On our way down we passed one other group of two, the only people we saw all day. The views on the way down were lovely. Made it back to our car after five hours. Loved this hike!

We arrived at the roadside parking area at around 9:30am and there were only two other cars there. This parking area isn't large, so it's better to get there on the earlier side to make sure you get a spot. There are signs on the gate for the road leading to the trailhead saying not to park there, and police have given out tickets there before, so beware. The road leading up to the trailhead was snow free. 

The hike up was gorgeous. There were quite a few small trees down on different parts of the trail that were not difficult to get over or walk around. On our way back down, someone on an ATV had sawed through all the trees on the road section. I highly recommend wearing gaters for this hike to keep the snow out of your boots. While the snow isn't too deep yet (you don't need snowshoes), they were very helpful for making the hike more pleasant. We also brought Yaktrax and micro spikes, which were helpful for coming back down but not necessary. 

At the very top, we had a gorgeous 360-degree view. Some hikers walked around and up to the top so it wasn't so steep, but others just went straight up to the summit. Either way works, it just depends how steep you want to hike at the very end. 

Coming back down was a little slippery, so we wore our Yaktrax and micro spikes for a good portion of it, until we started seeing rocks poking through the snow.

Overall it was a wonderful hike to kick off the winter hiking season. 

Disclaimer: This 23aug2021 morning, i didn't get to hike the "Hex Mountain Trail" (from off SR 903 (Salmon La Sac Road) Co-ordinates: 47.2917, -121.0979).

{As such, my reported "Conditions" may be inaccurate 😔 }  

~06:40 23Aug2021, ~50s_F, both:
i) my Alltrails -and- Google_Map, and
ii) my Garmin_GPS (with the Co-ordinates: 47.2917, -121.0979)
directed me to the Closed Gate (as shown in picture_1).

Also, on the Gate is the dated/effective 23 July, 2021:
"Due to Extreme Fire Danger / Closed To Entry" Notice (from/by The Nature Conservancy, WA)

i would assume that i did arrive at the correct "Trailhead" for my hike: via the Forest Service Road 116, past the Closed Gate. BUT the said Closure Notice and Warning (though probably "out-dated" ??) .. gave me pause .. ..

For me, there's always another time .. safer too .. when i can return to do the hike 😅

i decided to turn-around and NOT do the hike. Then off i went to recce the nearby French Cabin Sno-Park, Cle Elum River Campground, and Wishpoosh Campground. The former 2 Campgrounds had only a few campers. The Wishpoosh CG had the most, probably 50% of the campsites were occupied.

Got lucky - saw a beautiful rainbow at the French Cabin Sno-Park. And Cle Elum River was serene and beautiful.

After i got home, i did a self-debrief, including looking at The Nature Conservancy WA, read and cross-referenced a few maps. And IF i read the Maps correctly, the FS_Road 116 is through the property of The Nature Conservancy WA.

Next, i re-read and found a few "FIRE AREA CLOSUREs" as posted on the Cle Elum Ranger District "Current Conditions":
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5341918

Happy Trails Everyone! And Be Safe! 😇

I dont agree with the directions in the description. They are confusing. As others have pointed out, i took FR4305 from highway 903 for 2.6 miles or so and then turned left on road with a small 215 marker on it for another 2 miles or so to the trailhead. There is a gate on this road but it was open allowing me to get to a parking area good for several cars at around 4000 feet elevation. The road is a dirt road with some large humps on the last 2 miles with many rocks that could cause a flat tire. It's good to have a higher clearance car with good tires here. I dont think a regular car can drive all the way up without bottoming out.

The trail is mostly in good condition except for being loose in some areas closer to the bottom due to motorcycles loosening up the trail with their tires. Going down it's easier to slip on the loose dirt and tiny rocks in the steeper sections. First 2/3 of the trail starts narrow through chest high brush and then partially shaded by the burned forest, and the last 1/3 was all in the open. Wind helped with the flies up at the summit. About 1000 feet elevation gain from the parking area.