Last week I "thru-hiked" from the Kelley Creek/Martin Creek trailhead up to Johnson Mountain, and then out to the Johnson Ridge trailhead. From there I biked back to my starting point, creating a fun bike/foot loop.

I'm really loving this type of route these days! Traveling across the landscape using multiple forms of human-powered transport. Connecting routes/trails in ways that haven't been done before (at least not recently). Some off-trail travel/navigation (although not quite as much as I'd hoped). Views!! Big trees!! Bike section is at least 50% off-pavement. Long enough that I end the day feeling tired but not shattered. Home in time to tuck in my daughter. And icing on the cake for this route: they even spelled Kelley correctly :)

The bike section was a known quantity, and basically just a way to shuttle myself back to my starting point while exploring some new-to-me gravel roads and enjoying some nice scenery. It was a great way to end the day!

The foot section was the more "exploratory" part of the route. Trip reports and maps provided mixed information about this section. I knew that there would be a well-established trail from Johnson Mountain west. I also knew there would be a reasonable trail from the Iron Goat/Martin Creek trailhead up the Kelley Creek drainage at least a couple miles. It was the miles in between that were uncertain. The new Kelley Creek trail has not been officially connected to the old Kelley Creek trail. I found a couple of good trip reports, but they were from years ago (2005 and 2015) and did not describe going all the way through from trailhead to trailhead. Just recently, one group did go all the way through, but they bushwhacked down from Johnson Ridge to Kelley Creek, with the key word being "bushwhacked." They hadn't successfully found the trail leading off of Johnson Ridge, and fought a lot of brush and talus until they finally got back on trail below Captain Point. While I admired their tenacity, I had a hunch there was an easier way.

It turns out that if you start at the Kelley Creek trailhead and make your way north to Johnson Ridge, the route is relatively easy indeed. I was surprised to find that as soon as the Kelley Creek trail starts to fade even slightly, flagging begins. There were a few times I had to stop and look for the next flag, but for the most part, the flagging leads you right up the Kelley Creek drainage to the Captain Point ridgeline, on mostly good tread the entire time! It gets a little narrow and brushy in places, and could use some maintenance, but the tread is almost always there, and when the tread disappears the flagging picks up.

On the one hand, I was a little disappointed at how much flagging was up there, and that it no longer felt like an "exploratory mission." On the other hand, the mosquitoes were terrible on the ridge between Captain Point and Johnson Mountain, and it sure was nice to just keep moving from flag to flag, without stopping frequently to check a map!

Kelley Creek trail - current conditions:

The first couple of junctions from the Iron Goat/Martin Creek trailhead are clearly marked - just follow the signs directing you to Kelley Creek. It is a little brushy at first but quickly clears up. You reach a scenic bridged crossing of Martin Creek at 0.5 miles. By this point, the brush is gone and if anything, the trail almost seems to improve as you go along, widening and remaining clear. Large trees line the trail, and you soon enter Wild Sky wilderness.

Are you winking at me?

From the bridge across Martin Creek

Best-named wilderness

Big trees

The climb up the drainage starts out gently, rolling along with plenty of flat sections. Big thanks to the crew that recently logged out this section! At mile 2.8 you reach a partially hidden waterfall, with a viewing spot carved out of the trail. This would make a good place for a lunch/snack break, or even a turnaround if you're looking for something on the shorter side. At mile 3.1 miles you cross a stream with no bridge that could be tricky in high water. It was a non-issue the day I was out there. In general, this first section along Martin and Kelley Creeks felt a bit like the Woody Trail at Wallace Falls State Park. The waterfalls along Martin and Kelley Creeks aren't as spectacular as Wallace Falls, but neither are the crowds. :) The trail crosses Kelley Creek at mile 3.25. There is no bridge here, but there is a giant log, not to mention the creek is currently shallow enough to easily ford.

Kelley Creek crossing

After the log crossing over Kelley Creek, the trail gradually becomes more narrow and faint, and has crumbled down the hillside in a few places. But it is definitely still a trail, very much passable, and not even that brushy for mid-summer in the PNW.

At 4.2 miles you reach a clearing (perhaps the location of an old landslide?) with views across the valley to the other side of the drainage. The tread becomes even rougher here, but still present. Stick to it! There are plenty of cut logs to reassure you that you're on the right track.  There are a couple of tricky spots where the trail seems to disappear, but it's usually just a switchback hidden by blowdown. Keep your eyes peeled for flagging and take your time. At no point should you actually be bushwhacking. The tread is always there. This section is a good place to fill your bottles, as the last running water is at 4.5 miles. After that, there were no water sources at all, unless you drop down to Joan Lake.

As you finish climbing out of the Kelley Creek drainage and walk the ridge between Captain Point and Johnson Mountain, the trail starts to fade even more. However, the flagging becomes more consistent, and almost excessive in places. If you lose the tread through this section, just look for the flagging.

The final meadow before you reach the maintained Johnson Ridge trail is glorious, expansive, and green, filled with wildflowers and buzzing bees. And views! Great views of Stuart, Daniel, Hinman, and beyond.

Mt Stuart

Peakfinder said this was Summit Chief but that doesn't seem right?

Joan Lake

I picked up the maintained trail and then took a short jaunt up Johnson Mountain. It was mid-day at this point, and hot, and I wasn't sure if the side trip would be worth it. But it was! The views from the top of Johnson Mountain are even better than those along the ridgeline. I took a bunch of photos and then began the journey along Johnson Ridge back to the trailhead, where I had stashed my bike earlier that morning.

The Johnson Ridge trail is in excellent shape, and much of the way is on smooth forest duff that is perfect for trotting along, if you so choose. I made great time through here and was back at my bike before I knew it.

The bike ride from the Johnson Ridge trailhead to the Iron Goat/Martin Creek trailhead was lovely. NF-6520 is a steep gravelly descent from the Johnson Ridge trailhead down to Beckler Rd, and you can really pick up some speed through here. The gravel is in good condition with only a couple short sections of washboard and potholes. Don't go too fast, though, or you'll miss the views of Mt Fernow, as well as a long view the down the Beckler River Valley, which I especially enjoyed because I knew I'd be riding through there within the hour. Beckler Rd is paved, but it is similar to a gravel road in terms of scenery and lack of traffic. There was a headwind through here, but the gradual decline helped me maintain speed without too much effort. Finally I reached Hwy 2, the one part of the trip I wasn't super excited about. I've ridden up and over Stevens Pass before, and as a whole, Hwy 2 is not very bike-friendly.

Beckler River Valley (from the bike)

I love cloud pour-overs!

Mt Fernow (from the bike)

Gravelly goodness

NF-6520 through the trees

Wildflowers on NF-6520

However, Hwy 2 wasn't as bad as I remembered. Yes, there are a few places where the shoulder is narrow and the cars whizzing by at 60+ mph seem awfully close. But for this route, you're only on Hwy 2 for approx 5 miles, and there are stretches of road with a very wide shoulder that allow you to get plenty of distance from the traffic. There is even a scenic viewpoint: Keep an eye out for a gated "Stewardship Forest" on your right that offers unobstructed views of Bald Eagle and Silver Eagle Peak. In addition, there was a tailwind along this section, so although I was climbing, it felt like a pretty easy ride.

Bald Eagle and Silver Eagle Peaks

Skykomish River along Hwy 2 - I'm usually zipping by in my car and miss this view entirely

Soon enough, you reach the turn-off for Old Cascade Highway. Although this road is paved, it is similar to Beckler River Rd in that it feels like a gravel road in terms of solitude and scenery. After a few miles on Old Cascade Highway you turn on to NF-6710, and finish the last few miles of the route on a proper gravel road. I climbed the final hill under the watchful eyes of a barred owl, and reached my car around dinnertime, happy to have to have spent the day outside, exploring new-to-me routes under my own power.

Old Cascade Highway

Try finding an abandoned or very neglected trail and you just might gain a better appreciation for the trails that are maintained.

There were six seasoned hikers and two cars positioned at each end of our planned route.  Two left at Martin Creek and two driven to the Johnson Ridge trailhead that starts at 3700' at roads end of FR 6520.  Roads at both ends are in better shape than many others.  We got a very early start for this complex trip.  So after getting vehicles placed we started up Johnson Ridge at 0730, crossing Sunrise Mountain and stopping briefly on Scorpion's flat summit.  Then, after taking in the spectacular view north and south, we headed down passing the Joan Lake trail junction looking for remnants of the trail that connects to the seemingly abandoned Kelley Creek trail.  We found blazes on trees and cut logs to follow but no trail.  We continued slowly southward, crossing steep slopes, fighting thick brush, traversing a large boulder field until finally sighting trail remnants and some cut logs about 50' above us (4580').  This was about two miles from Scorpion Mountain.  It was hot, the mosquitos were thick and we were tired of this off-trail exercise.  We were all so glad to have finally found an easier passage down on the old Kelley Creek trail and its intersection with the new section that continues down from the large log crossing over Kelley Creek at 3500'.  From there it was an easy hike 2.3 miles out to the Martin Creek trailhead; hiking down the trail where we had spent two days clearing logs the previous week.

While we did not successfully find the entire trail it was definitely a memorable trip.  And it appears there will be a return trip to see if we can find the section going up west of Captain Point to Scorpion Mountain.

Update note: Went back 01AUG19 and found and flagged the trail that connects with the Joan lake/Scorpion Mtn/Johnson Ridge trail.  Map (Jpeg) in link below.

  

I headed up Highway 2 for a hike out of the fog in the lowlands. I wanted to check out the old Kelley Creek Trail, as I had heard that a lot of the blown down trees over the trail had been cut out. I drove past the Martin Creek trailhead parking lot for both the Iron Goat and newer Kelley Creek/Horseshoe Tunnel Trails, and went about three more miles to the old Kelley Creek Trail trailhead. After crossing Martin Creek on a cement concrete bridge I parked a short distance up the road. There is a "Kelley Creek" trail #1076 sign on a wooden post. Not much parking at this location. After getting my boots on I started my hike on an old roadbed from a former Forest Service logging road. The trail on the road has been brushed out so you can cruise right along. After about a mile, the road ends and I entered the Wild Sky Wilderness. There is a sign on a tree where the old trail begins. I crossed a small creek and spotted another sign. This one read, "Johnson Ridge" with an arrow pointing to the north. The trail is now in the old growth forest with very large fir and hemlock trees. The trail is covered in hemlock cones. I walked over some old rotten cedar puncheon near the creek. Further up I came to a large fallen fir tree that I had to crawl under, then I crossed a stepover tree nearby. A little further up the trail, a large fallen fir tree had been cut out this year. The trail then switchbacks up to another big fallen fir tree. This time I went up the hill next to the tree, went through some blueberry bushes a short ways, then over a couple of small trees and back on the trail. Next I was at a trail junction. The side trail headed down hill and I assumed it was the trail coming up from the Kelley Creek crossing where the "newer" Kelley Creek Trail from the Martin Creek trailhead meets the old trail.

I continued up the main trail as it gains elevation. I had to go around some big root wads from fallen trees and finally got up to the big, and I mean big blowdown area. Many fir and hemlock trees had been blown down in a wind storm many years ago. The trail has been reopened as it snakes its way through the fallen trees. I could see west over to Mt. Fernow. Back into the forest the trail keeps going up. I could see through the trees to another blowdown area above the trail. After crossing a couple of small creeks it was about lunch time. I used a fallen tree for a bench while eating. One thing I noticed was how quiet it was here in the Wild Sky Wilderness. With not even a bird chirping, it was completely silent. After lunch I continued up the trail with more switchbacks. I had a 1:00 PM turn around time, so did not make it up to the junction with the Joan Lake and Captain Point Trails. The Joan Lake Trail goes to Scorpion Mtn. The old abandoned North Crest Trail once started from the junction and went east past Valhalla Mtn. to meet the PCT west of Lake Valhalla. I then headed back down the trail after spending this sunny day exploring the "old" Kelley Creek Trail. By using this trailhead, you save 4 miles of hiking if starting from the Martin Creek trailhead.

I never saw any other hikers or birds but saw two Douglas squirrels up near the blowdown area which made for a quiet hike. I only heard the creek roaring down by the lower section of the trail.

My 1961 Forest Service map of this area does show the Kelley Creek Trail going from Scorpion Mtn. south past Captain Point, crossing Kelley Creek, then down to the Martin Creek crossing and heading down the old Great Northern Railway railroad grade (now part of the Iron Goat Trail) to Scenic by Highway 2. So the trail has been there for many years.  

Trail Conditions: The first mile on the old road bed is all brushed out and easy to hike. The trail from the end of the road to the blowdown area does need brushing. In some areas the blueberry bushes are getting thick.  There are a few big trees that need to be cut out. Past the big blowdown area the trail has had all of the fallen trees cut out and the trail brushed. I could still see sawdust at the cut trees, so looks like the work was done this past summer. It would have been a big job to cut the many fallen old growth trees with a crosscut hand saw. No chainsaws can be used in the Wild Sky Wilderness or any other wilderness. Some areas could use some tread work where the trail is sluffing on the steep side slopes. There are a few steep sections. Some at creek crossings. Glad I had my trekking poles for this trail. George

I was going to try to run up the Kelley Creek trail to Johnson Ridge. The FS website said the trail has not been maintained. They weren't kidding. It's probably been at least several years. It was overgrown from the beginning, but still not too difficult to follow. About 1.3 mi in, there's a rotted out puncheon bridge going uphill (a terrible idea). I could still make out the old trail bed most of the way, but in many places the hillside above has reclaimed much of the trail, choking the path down to 10 inches wide or less and significantly sloped downhill, so you're basically side-hilling much of the way. There were at least a dozen blow-downs in the first 2 miles, but none too difficult to pass. At about 2.25 mi, it looked like an amateur lumberjack went at it over the hillside. It seemed that 90% of the trees in the next 0.25 mi were down. Some trees uprooted, taking parts of the trail with. I made it through a couple hundred yards, then it looked even worse ahead. I turned around and headed back. With everything so wet and trail conditions so terrible, I wanted to make it back to the car with enough time to hit another trail (Beckler Peak, which was fantastic). There is flagging tape marking the trail in the difficult to follow parts up until that point, and I'd imagine the markings continue beyond. I wouldn't recommend the trail unless you like bushwhacking, obstacles, route finding, being soaked from the foliage and traveling half as quickly as normal at the very most. Unless the trail gets some attention, it might not be too long before it's no longer worth the ink to continue printing on maps.

Cathy and I had planned to hike Beckler Peak today, but decided on Kelley Creek once we'd found billions and billions of cars lining the road to the Beckler Peak trailhead. Neither of us had read a recent report of Kelley Creek since we hadn't planned to do it today. We would come to regret it! Still, sometimes trips are worthwhile for reasons other than the payoff views or wonderful forests. Sometimes it's all about endurance! However, I wouldn't recommend this trip until the new trail is completed all the way to Captain Point. The road to the trailhead is fine, but parking is limited. It's just as well. We took the upper trailhead of the "old" Kelley Creek trail since the new section and trailhead located about one mile before ours is still under construction. We never found a trail junction between the new part and the continuation to the old part so I'm not sure what the future of this trail is. In either case, if the idea is to develop a trail from the "new" Kelley Creek trailhead to the viewpoint at end of the "old" Kelley Creek Trail, otherwise known as Captain's Point, it's a lot of work and a long time coming. The guidebook we followed for this trip was Craig Romano's "Central Cascades", which we found to be out of date for info. OK, we were greeted at the trailhead by hoards.......hoards of mosquitos. An omen for sure. From there the trail was immediately very brushy. We got plenty of exercise right off the bat from trying to hike, swat mosquitos and dodge brush and stickers and devil's club. Still, even though this and all portions of the trail we followed had some faint tread, it was never difficult to keep on track. This first mile is on a very old logging road which is rapidly disappearing. Then you abruptly enter old growth forest with some very nice yellow cedars, queen's cup, and Canadian dogwood. This is the old trail which appears to be very old indeed. Fine old tread built like they did in the good old days.....no needless switchbacks and a nice solid trailbed. This part is in surprisingly good shape for it's age although there are some faint areas and mud bogs. A little trail work could do wonders. There are no views here and we were still running from the bugs, but even so this section was quite pleasant. Then at about the three mile mark all our fun ended when we encountered blow down city. Just here we met a hiker coming down who informed us that she and another hiker had suffered through the extensive blow down only to lose the trail after many attempts to find it. Normally, I might look at this as a challenge, but today I considered that it was really hot, I was badly bitten by the mosqueets, banged up already by devil's club, muddy, sweaty, stinky, and it was 2:30 and I hadn't had my lunch yet! So, Cathy and I decided to call it a day. We had a surprisingly pleasant lunch with small views and new layers and layers of deet. A slight breeze helped a lot. Then it was back to bug land and a quick trip out. To make the day complete we got stuck in Sunday hwy-2 traffic. Then again, in the mind of a true mountain manic.......it was a great day!