Trail MapsWashington Cascades
By Mike "Started 8/23/04
PCT Reports below...
Hunters Beware!
The following Copied from Forest Service website... 9/4/2011
Cle Elum Ranger District Road Closures as of August 3 2011
The following Forest Service Roads are closed to motorized use due to flood damage. It is unlikely that these roads will open to public travel in 2011.
The following USFS roads are closed as of August 3 in the Cle Elum Ranger District (Chelan-Kittitas County line to the Manastash Ridge in Kittitas County):
3100-Manastash
CLOSED between the Sno-Park and Barber Springs, at Buck Meadows, and from the junction with 3120 to the end of the road at Quartz Mountain
Manastash
Sno-Park
Washout Pictures 10/9/2011
3120
Closed at a point between 3120 109 and 3100 near the Hoyt Mine Trail crossing
3330-Gnat Flat
CLOSED between 3300 and Gooseberry Flats
3350-Peoh Point
CLOSED due to flood damage 1.6 miles from Westside Road
3507-Crystal/Pole Patch
CLOSED due to numerous slumps in the road
9702-Red Top
Washed out at 1.5 miles
Another good site about the road closures in the Cle Elum District... with pictures
Taneum / Manastash road closure decisions
Road Closures in the Naches Ranger
District
Recent floods caused extensive damage to the following roads which have been closed to all traffic.
Naches Ranger District Road Conditions Road Name and Number Condition
Date
Tieton River Rd
No. 1207
Open from Road No. 1207-250 to non-motorized traffic which includes hikers, mountain bikes and horses. The Miriam Creek Bridge was stabilized enough to warrant use by these users.
6/7/2011
Little Rattlesnake Rd
No. 1501
Closed to all motorized traffic for 5.1 miles from the junction of forest road No. 1500/1501 (T15, R15, Sec 10) to the junction of forest road No. 1501 and forest road No. 1503 (T15, R14, Sec 24)
7/28/2011
Dry Ridge Rd
No. 1601
Closed to all motorized traffic from milepost 0.3 (T15, R15, Sec 30) to the junction with 1601/233 (T16, R14, Sec 25)
7/28/2011
Clover Way Rd
No. 1605
Closed to all motorized traffic for 3 miles from the junction of forest road No. 1600/1605 (T16, R14, Sec 16) to the junction of forest road No. 1605-244 (T15, R14, Sec 17)
7/28/2011
Rock Creek Rd
No. 1702
First 0.3 miles open to local residents only. Closed to public from junction with St. Rt. 410 (T16, R15, Sec 17) to the junction with forest road No. 1720 (T16, R15, Sec 4)
7/28/2011
Gold Creek Road
No. 1703
Closed to all motorized traffic for 5.9 miles from State Route 410 (T17, R14, Sec 36) to the end of forest road No. 1703 (T17, R14, Sec 24 junction with Road No. 1705)
7/28/2011
Milk Creek Road
No. 1708
Closed to all motorized traffic for 6.7 miles from the junction of Road No. 1708 and State Route 410 (T17, R14, Sec 9) to the junction with forest road 1708-590 (T17, R15, Sec 6)
7/28/2011
Bumping River Road No. 1800
Closed to all traffic beginning at its junction with Deep Creek Road No. 1808 (T16N R12E NE 1/4 Sec. 34) and ending 1/4 mile west of DeepCreek (T16N R12E SW 1/4 Sec. 34) and 300 feet on either side of the road from the centerline. Closed due to heavy construction on a new bridge. Will open late fall once bridge construction is complete. 07/05/2011
Deep Creek Road No. 1808 Closed to all traffic beginning at the the point of intersection with Copper Creek near Mt. Aix trailhead (T15N R12E SE 1/4 Sec.3) and ending 1/4 mile west of Deep Creek (T15N R12 E NE 1/4 Sec. 16) and 300 feet on either side of the road from the centerline. Deep Creek Road is not scheduled to open this year due to more flood damage further up the road which is current not accessible until the bridge is completed. 07/05/2011
NACHES
RANGER DISTRICT
RECREATION
REPORT
August
4, 2011
Chinook Pass south there is 2 to 4 feet of snow from the pass to Dewey Lake overlook. Dangerous steep slopes require an ice axe. Impassable to horses.
Chinook Pass north is mostly snow free to Sheep Lake, but impassable to horse due to heavy windfalls.
Raven Roost Trail #951 logged out completely to PCT.
Cougar Valley Trail #951A logged out to the junction with Crow Lake Way.
Crow Lake Way #953 open and cleared for first 3 miles
Union Creek #956 open and cleared
Goat Peak #958C open and cleared, hikers only, steep terrain, no horses
Goat Creek Trail #959 opened and cleared
Edgar Rock Trail #964 totally cleared except for 3 trees at the top
Bear Gap #967 open and cleared to Fog City Trail # 967A
Dewey Lake #968 open and cleared to PCT
Mesatchee Creek #969 open and cleared
Swamp Lake #970 Open and cleared to American Lake
Soda Springs Loop #975A cleared
Bumping Lake Trail #971 clear to the end of the lake and then numerous windfalls make hiking difficult, high water in the creeks.
Fish Lake Way #971A open and clear to four corners
Sand Ridge Trail #1104 open and cleared first 2 miles to #1108 Jct.
Goose Prairie Trail #972 logged out
Mt. Aix #982 Deep Creek trailhead has snow at 5400 feet. There are 14 trees reported across the trail higher up.
Pleasant Valley Loop Trail #999 open and cleared
MJB #1101 is logged out
Indian Creek Trail # 1105 clear from the trailhead to the gorge
Cramer Lake #1106 cleared first 2 miles
Russell Ridge Trail #1111 logged out.
Wildcat #1113 logged out
North Fork Tieton Trail #1118 from the trailhead, two miles in there are approximately 8 to 10 very large trees that need to be removed and more beyond that.
Surprise Lake Loop #1120 Trail is clear from Wilderness permit box to Surprise Lake. Trail is dry in the flats, creeks running low but muddy. Hikers are encouraged to stay on the trail. Biting insects are out.
Bear Creek Mountain #1130 Still snow on Forest Road 1104, 2 miles from the trailhead.
TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE: Washington State Department of Natural Resources is planning to close the Barber Springs road during August to replace a fish barrier. The site is located on the Barber Springs road that leads from the South Fork Manastash southwesterly to Manastash Ridge. The planned dates for the repair is August 13th through the 17th at which time the road will be closed to all traffic. Barber Springs road is used to access the east side of Bald Mountain, especially by ATV (all terrain vehicle) users and four wheel drive groups from Ellensburg.
PCT Trail report
8/30/2011These guys did a 10 day hike from Stevens to Snoqualmie in late August.
Hey Mike,
Yeah I can give you that report. I'm sending this also to my buddy Kevin Radach who was our chief navigator for the trip so that he can chime in or correct me if need be. So please do Kevin, add or subtract for accuracy and let Mike know.
See Kevin's report below Zach's report...I can give you a full report from Steven's to Snoqaulmie if you'd like, with trail conditions/blow downs and stream levels/route changes and all that just let me know.
But as for the portion of trail you selected:
Snoqualmie to Huckleberry Saddle - A couple pretty major blow downs for first 5 miles (could be cleared now) ok for boots not sure though for hooves. Heavy day hiker traffic all the way to the catwalk. After Kendalls Catwalk we did cross some snow patches, southern and northern sides of Alaska Mtn, (could be gone now) crossed just fine without crampons just trekking poles. Snow free pretty much from Joe Lk through to Huckleberry Saddle, good trail.
Huckleberrry Saddle along Chikamin Ridge- Came through in the morning so temperature was glorious. A few snow crossings here that had potentials for bad falls but got through with patience (again could be all melted now).
Chikamin Ridge to Park Lks- Just fine, stock camping looked good here at Park Lks. Note if planing on going down to Glacier Lk from here allot yourself a couple hours to get down and another couple to get back out. Trail is wet steep and nonexistent in some places. But the Lake was gorgeous and we saw a couple mountain goats in this area and I highly recommend watching the stars come out from the Stone Kingdom over looking Spectacle Lk. if camping near here.
Parks Lks through Lemah Valley to Escondia Ridge- If coming from the south the hiker trail off the PCT down to Spectacle Lk will be easily spotted and marked but if coming from the North do note that old trail up to the lake was destroyed by fire and older maps and GPS may show it's still there, continue up the ridge on PCT to where the new trail down to lake is. Lemah Valley had some blow downs but we saw horse tracks all the way up to Spectacle so they must have been getting through also the burn killed some shade but gave you good views instead. South side of Escondia Ridge had some major blow downs also. Camping on top of Escondia Ridge is prohibited as its a fragile area so heads up in case you hiked 17 miles and were expecting to camp there , but well used sites were on the south side. Also fill water here as the North side of Escondia ridge is long and has heavily brushed narrow switch backs all the way down to the Waptus River bridged crossing.
Waptus Lk to Cathedral Rock- Trail along Waptus Lk was solid with some minor wet boot stream crossings. I believe we did take the section of trail labeled "new route" after we camped at Peggy's Pond (Kevin back me up on this) the 3 mile down to Deep Lake from Cathedral Rock. So it's there and a long climb if coming from the south.
Also for stock do take the resupply route around the east bank of Hyus Lake to or from Deception Pass in either direction because the trail down the east side of Cathedral Rock is steep very narrow in places with high brush and the second stream crossing before Deception pass (from south) is unfit for livestock and can be a little unnerving even for hikers so heads up. We crossed a little higher up here then where the trail actually crosses in a shallower- slower part. Still had water up past our knees though.
So here's the report as best I can remember for this marked section. The two biggest things were that the bugs were awful this year, we got mauled at every stop but we're tough and the blow downs. But we heard from a ranger that they were sending in Trail Association crews into the bad spots like south Escondia Ridge soon and we saw one small crew 1 day out from Stevens clearing so it might be better now then when we passed through.
But I had a blast and so did the other guys as this part of the trail is a butt-kicker but the views make it absolutely worth it. Some of the prettiest country I've seen.
By the way the maps on your site are really good, I'll keep the website in mind for our next trek.
Hope this helps Mike, Zach
Zach, your report looks good. I'll restate that significant snow remained at Ridge and Gravel lakes at 7 miles north or Snoqualmie, however from what we saw the campsites are melted out. The north side of Alaska Mt had snow but may be gone now. From Joe Lake to Huckleberry Saddle the trail is in good condition. The Chikamin traverse had three snow crossings all less then 30 ft, however none had safe run out. An ice axe would have been nice but good steps exist and we crossed in the morning with no issues and just boots and trekking poles. The trail is very narrow and exposed in places. From Chikamin pass to Spectacle lake the trail is fine (A new side trail to Spectacle lake has be put in further south on the PCT (if coming from the north). Our maps as of 2006 did not show the new trail because I believe the wild fire was in 2008 and the trail is now gone.) Good camps for both stock and hikers in Park Lakes basin. From Spectacle Lake to Escondido ridge the trail is in good condition except for some large blowdowns and countless small blow downs. The Lemah creek bridge is gone. A short shallow ford is needed. I think that is the only thing Zach's report is missing. Many blow downs on the south side. Camping on Escondido ridge is allowed on the south side. Two lakes are off trail and provide water. The northeast side is better but no camping is allowed and no real sites exist to my knowledge. The north side of the ridge is brushy but only a few small blow downs. Like Zach stated a WTA crew was supposed to work there the first week of September. Waptus river valley is fine and the ascent to Deep lake up the Spinola creek valley has only a few minor blow downs. Oh and Zach the trail is not "new" but did not show up on our older maps. The section from Waptus Lake to Deception pass about 11-13 miles does not show up on the topo maps for some reason. More updated maps should show the trail.The Deep Lake outlet requires a ford but is very slow and only about 6 inches deep.From Cathedral Pass to Deception Pass the trail is unsuitable for stock. The detour via the Hyas Lake valley is needed. However, hikers can pass just fine. The first and third of the stream crossings are simple but the middle crossing is more challenging. We crossed in a wide pool just of the end of the last switchback corner about 20 yards above where the trail ends to cross a narrow gully. The water was knee depth and fast but we crossed around 1 in the afternoon. From Deception Pass to Stevens Pass the trail is clear except for countless blow downs. Pieper Pass is holding significant snow on the north side, but it is passable. We did see a trail crew between Hope and Mig Lakes. Snow and minor blow downs on the trail to Lake Josephine are easy to navigate. From the lake to Stevens is snow free and mostly clear with a few brushy spots.
Zach, sorry if that is more info than what you needed from me. I had fun writing it though! Hope it helps.
-Kevin
PCT Trail report 5/22/2011
Mike & Patti stopped at Snoqualmie summit so we could make a report on the PCT Trailhead.
Lots of snow left this year. Click on pictures to see full size
Shot of Ski area Shot of SB Trailhead Shot of SB Trailhead Shot of SB Trailhead
Teanaway information 5/22/2011
Took the Camp trailer into the West Fork on Sunday. Mostly dry road going in. All the snow has melted completely.
Cle Elum Ranger District Information 5/17/2011
U.S. FOREST SERVICE NEWS RELEASE -- Flooding associated with this past weekends rains have caused significant damage and forced the closure of many popular roads on the Cle Elum Ranger District.
Forest Service Road Crews have closed Forest Service Road 3100, Manastash, just below the Sno-Park. Road 3300, Taneum is closed at Taneum Campground and Road 3350, Peoh Point is closed approximately 1.5 miles its origin on Westside Road. At this time there is no access to the Taneum or Manastash via Forest Service Roads.
Damage from the flooding seems to be located mostly south of I-90 and is extensive.
Manastash Creek has moved. The creek is now running through the Sno-Park and down what was the road. The Sno-Park and road are gone, said Dave Fudacz of the South Zone Road Crew for the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest.
This is going to have a huge impact said Tim Foss, Trails and Wilderness Manager for the Cle Elum Ranger District.
Memorial Day weekend is less than two weeks away and there is no access to Buck Meadows, Taneum Junction, or Gooseberry Flats. You can't get to any National Forest Land, roads or trails south of I-90 on the Cle Elum Ranger Districtβ.
At this time there is no estimate on when repairs can be made to any of these roads. It is unlikely that these roads will open prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
Teanaway information 4/25/2011
Mike checked out the Teanaway Monday. The West Fork road is blocked by snow 1/4 mile below the Gate.
The Middle Fork road is blocked by snow just off the end of the blacktop. ( No access to Indian Camp yet)
The North Fork road has been plowed beyond the Guard Shack just above the Stafford Creek intersection
Check here for Alpine Lakes Wilderness trail conditions, detours & closures.
8/12/2010
I just called Cle Elum Ranger district and they say the PCT will be closed from Lemah Meadows North to Waptus Lake for blasting and trail maint. until about Sept 3 or 10. They have a detour set up for foot traffic. South side of Lemah Meadows you come out to Cooper Lake , walk the road over to Waptus and get back on the PCT l again. In my opinion, there might be other options than the road...
I asked her specifically about Chickamin Ridge conditions and she said they do not recommend stock on that part of the trail at this time. She says the trail is in very poor condition and has slid away in some of the steeper sidehill spots. Tricky for foot traffic to get through. That is what I was told by the Ranger District people this afternoon.
I also asked her if the PCT had been cut out from Snoqualmie South to Blowout Mt. She said the trail crew was figuring to get on that next week and that they figured it would take all week to get it cut out. If so, that would be the week of August 23, 2010 before that section would be opened up.
There are some as of 7/30/9
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/conditions/index.shtml
Lemah Meadows closes Crest Trail
Snoqualmie Summit / PCT Trail Conditions 4/23/10
Deep snow remains over PCT in the central Cascades 4/23/10
Redmond Ridge East TRAIL CLOSURES 6/6/2010
Hello All,
Here is an attachment about the Redmond Ridge East TRAIL CLOSURES
due to
construction of a road that will effect all trail users especially
equestrians. Please pass this
information on to other equestrians and post it on local equestrian
websites.
Also attached is information about trail closures in the Redmond Watershed
and elsewhere in the vicinity of the Puget Sound Energy Novelty-Cottage
Brook 115 volt transmission
line work between Avondale Rd. and Novelty Hill, that you may not have heard
about. Please pass on the information about these closures to equestrians.
If there are any updates or other concerns about these closures, that PSE
and Thom Gebhard from Murray Franklin Homes, they will contact me and I will
forward it to all of you.
Thank you very much,
Judy Westall
Novelty Hill - Cottage Brook Construction Notice FINAL
Snoqualmie Summit at PCT Trail Head 5/6/2009...
Found parking lot to Southbound trailhead blocked with snow burm by ski area personnel.
Snow depth at southbound trailhead looks to be about 5' or 6' deep at this time.
Northbound trailhead parking lot still blocked by unplowed snow. Easy 5' deep in shade.
Teanaway Middle Fork & West Fork 5/6/2009
Drove into Middle Fork to Trailhead and found just little patches of snow. River running to high to continue up trail and snow would still be deep in places.
Drove into West Fork to just above Dingbat Creek. Found patches of snow in shady areas and river running to high to continue up trail.
Riding in the Teanaway area is still limited to lower elevations.
Salmon La Sac 5/7/2009
Reports from my buddy Tom who lives at Boulder Creek show the Fish Lake road is only open to China Point because of lingering snow.
Tom figures it will be another 2 weeks before he can drive into his place at Boulder Creek.
Better read this... New for 2009
Weed-free Feed Required in Northwest ForestsNew for 2011
Beware.. Use of DNR lands or State Parks will need a Discover Pass
read about it here... Discover Pass
Mike & Patti were laid up most of 2008. Patti had carpal tunnel surgery done on both wrists and Mike's Dad died mid summer.
So we did not get out any the summer of 2008. We are looking forward to updating the trail reports early spring 2009.
The animals are fat & sassey and will take some time to get in shape. <grin>
The winter windfall has been cut out of the way at least. The Forest Service has put up a road-closed sign at Camp Creek. Four Wheeled rigs have been going on around it and on up to Fish Lake, but pulling a Horse Trailer in there is another story. The pull off for Paddy Go Easy is still snowed in. The trails out from Fish Lake are snowed in also.
I expect the trails in this area to be blocked by windfall for the summer, as the Forest Service is overwhelmed with the amount of work to be done. I would be expecting the same problem all over the Central Cascades trail system this summer.
Chinook Pass
Pictures of Chinook Pass Arch showing spring snow depths over the years. This can give you an idea of why the trails open so late in the year.
I get a feel for when the Cascades will be clear enough for trail work by looking at these pictures.
Chinook Pass-Cayuse Pass Snow Removal Update & Pictures
4/14/2007 I90 PCT Trailhead
Mike & Patti stopped by the Snoqualmie Pass Trailhead for the Pacific Crest Trail.
We found about 6’ of snow on the ground both Northbound and Southbound.
The Southbound parking area is snowplowed right up to the sign where the trail takes of into the woods.
The road into the northbound parking lot has not been plowed.
Below are a couple of pictures at the southbound trailhead.
Picture taken at southbound trailhead spring 4/14/07
Notice top of sign & compare to next picture
For comparison, taken summer 2002 (Notice top of sign)
This picture taken from the trailhead sign looking south down PCT.
4/14/2007
Mike and Patti snowshoed up the North side of Manastash Ridge just North of
Barbra Springs checking snow conditions.
Still to deep for horses...
8/27/2006
John, Janice & Joan rode West Cady Ridge trail the weekend of 8/26-27/2006 and found it in good shape.
That Sunday they rode east to Dishpan Gap, then south on the PCT 4.5 miles to Cady Pass and then back down
Pass Creek to the trucks. They found this 22.3 mile ride to be in good shape also.
7/29/2006
John & Janice rode the PCT from Snoqualmie Summit south to Mirror Lake the weekend of 7/29-30/2006
and found the trail in fine shape. The section from Mirror Lake to Blowout Mt. was cleared by the Cle Elum
Forest Service crew. Patti & Mike are trying to get up and check out the section from
Government Meadows north to Blowout MT.
5/30/2006
CAMPGROUND CLOSURE INFORMATION: Salmon la Sac Campground and Cayuse Horse Camp will be closed this summer to make much needed repairs and updates. Work began in Salmon la Sac Campground in the fall of 2005 with the replacement of the existing bathrooms with new vault toilets. This summer (2006) work will continue to address the aging water system that services both campgrounds.
Salmon la Sac and Cayuse Horse Camp were constructed by CCC crews in the 1930's. Generations of families and friends have enjoyed camping in these campgrounds. The work we accomplish this summer will allow those traditions to continue; hopefully with a higher quality experience. Salmon la Sac and Cayuse are scheduled to re-open for the 2007 camping season.
Please click here for more information.
For more information, please contact the Cle Elum Ranger Station at (509) 825-1100.
Patti & Mike checked this out 5/29/06 and found the Waptus Lake Trailhead open for day riding & pack in parking. (Forest Pass Required)
"Pacific Crest Trail"
2004
7/28/04
Mike & Patti Reid hiked from the road above Olalie Meadows north to Rockville Creek
and brushed the PCT trail out. It was 84 degrees on our way out at 3:30 PM
Talked to Cle Elum Ranger district and they say the trail is clear from Blowout Mt. north to I90 Summit and four miles north of I90 Summit.
Patti & Mike plan to check out the section from Government Meadows north to Blowout Mt. soon... Will keep you posted.
2003
7/5/2003
Mike & Patti Reid and Janice McAllen hiked through from the I-90 Trailhead to Olalie Meadows Trailhead and cleaned trail. The PCT is open for stock in this section. We did hear that there are a few slowdowns south of Olalie Meadows. This section we will get to another day. "Soon"7/12/2003
Mike & Patti hiked south from Olalie Meadows and cleared out the blow downs that the Forest Service told us about. We got rained out that evening and did not make it all the way to Mirror Lake to verify that the trail was clear. The Forest Service told us that the only blow downs were in the first 2 miles South of Olalie Meadows and we did clear them.
On 8/9/2002 Patti & Janice planned to ride from Snoqualmie Pass to Crystal Mt. on the Crest Trail. Mike as support would meet them at Stampede Pass the first night and Government Meadows the second night. Picking them up at Crystal Mt. on the third day. Well 8/10/02 found us unloading and packing up at the I90 trailhead. The girls took off and made it about 150 yards and were stopped dead by windfall. They came back out to the road and went back up to the Crest Trail through the Ski area. Once back on the trail they headed south again. This time they made it just south of Lodge Lake (abt 2.5 miles) and were stopped again by windfall on a steep side hill.
"Mike & Patti plan to clear this area soon and will update this report."
We aborted the planned ride and camped at Stampede Pass riding both North & South from that point. The trail is clear to Blowout Mt. going south from Stampede and clear to Yakima Pass going north from Stampede.
Mike went in on foot the next weekend (8/18/02) and cleared the trail from the I90 trailhead south to Olalli Meadow and the Cold Creek trailhead.
9/6/02 Patti & Janice tried to ride north from Goverment Meadows on the PCT. They got just north of Windy Gap and had to turn back because of windfall. The next day they rode south to Airplane Meadows and managed to get around the numerous windfall. Mike met up with a Forest Service trail crew at Rods gap that was in clearing the trial down to Crystal Mt.
So as of 9/10/02 the PCT will be clear from Goverment Meadows to Bear Gap near Crystal Mt.Mike will be going in to clear from Windy Gap north to Green Pass
the week of 9/9-13/02.
9/10/02 Mike & Vern Fitzgerald went in on foot to Windy Gap and started cutting out the trail North towards Green Pass. After 8 hours & 5 tanks of saw gas we had made it just north the Falls Creek Burn. (about 2.5 miles) Plan to go back and finish to Green Pass this week.
Patti & Mike went the next day and cleared north towards Green Pass. We got stopped by a logging operation just short of Greens Pass. They had the trail blocked with their operation. We reported to the Enumclaw Forest Service Office and they said they would send in a trail crew when the logging was completed and clear on north to Blowout Mt.
9/8/02 Patti & Janice rode the Greenwater Lakes Trail (old Echo Lake Trail) and found it open and in good shape to Echo Lake.
Goverment Meadows PCT Trailhead 9/7/02
