32 mile out-and-back over 3 days and two nights starting at Kettle Crest Trailhead to Copper Butte on Day 1. Smoke did diminish views to the closest ridges but air quality stayed at moderate for the duration of the trip. Quite a few grouse but no other notable wildlife (other than hearing loud coyotes the first night.) Trail was in good condition but quite dusty and had about a dozen cows leaving fresh patties on the ascent to the intersection with the Jungle Hill Trail 16. The spring that feeds the fen near this intersection was flowing (took a couple minutes to fill a quart.) Camping on Copper Butte was worth the effort with fantastic views of the night sky. Day 2 was from Copper Butte to the intersection with Lambert Trail 47 and back south to the Jungle Hill Trail intersection. It was a steep, rocky climb from Copper Butte and difficult to pass three hunters with two dogs (the only other trail users seen the whole trip.) The piped spring feeding the stock tank near Midnight Ridge Trail 41 was flowing but the one close to Lambert Trail was just a trickle. The ascent from the north of Copper Butte was the most difficult part of the hike. Day 3 was from the Jungle Hill trail intersection back the trailhead; with a bit of rain bringing so much welcomed moisture to the air, we had our best views that morning. Ran into a surveyor at the trailhead parking lot that stated construction to expand the parking area was starting Sept. 22nd.

We walked Sherman Trail #12 from the trailhead to the Trail #13N (Kettle Crest Trail) to Wapaloosie Trail #15 Junction.  It was 8.5 miles roundtrip and the trails were in good condition with the exception of the multitude of "cowpies" and 8 downed trees that were navigable,either over or under, on Trail #12.  The smoke from Snow Peak and Lynx Fires did hit us on the eastern side of the crest, but was tolerable.  Virtually no smoke coming up and down on the west side of the crest.

The view is always so stunning on Trail #13 and #15.  Trail #12 is a lovely walk through the forest.  We were a little early for the Western Larch foliage change.

Day 1: Sherman Pass TH → Sherman Pass Trail → Jungle Hill TH → Jungle Hill Trail → camp at the junction with the Kettle Crest Trail. Plenty of water on Sherman Pass Trail 03, but after you start Jungle Hill, it's dry all the way until the Kettle Crest. Got passed by 3 motorized dirt bikers(?!) on the Jungle Hill trail. Wildflowers were abundant, and besides the noise and smell of diesel from the motorists, the hike was lovely. Bugs were mercifully absent until until 6000', at which point they became quite abundant, and even more so as we approached the marsh near camp. A couple midwesterners in our party said it the bugs made it feel like hiking in Wisconsin. Be prepared to wear your face net all the time if you camp here. At the camp, many of the trees are dead, so you have to look around a little bit for safe places to pitch your tent. The best source of water is from a spigot two minutes walk "south" on the Kettle Crest. Rained most of the night.

Day 2: out and back on the KCT to the N side of Scar Peak. Much the same. We didn't see any water sources that day; we checked out the camp at Wapaloosie mountain but it was not clear where you'd get your water (a mile south back at Jungle Hill camp?) Otherwise a super pleasant stroll through pretty meadows, where the lupine had collected little drops of the previous night's rain. Bugs not too bad as long as you kept moving. Dirtbikes had ridden this way the previous day and left pretty substantial tracks in the path.

Day 3. Hike back to Sherman Pass via KCT. The first water source we found was about 4 miles and change after we left camp. No bugs. There weren't Dramatic High Alpine Views but the diversity of mini-ecosystems, flora, and fauna all made for a very enjoyable long weekend.

We did a 2-night backpacking trip on the Midnight Ridge and Kettle Crest trails, with a car shuttle. It was a very scenic hike, with wildlife (mule deer, birds, a hare, etc.), wildflowers (paintbrush, yarrow, etc.), and a few alpine huckleberries (yum!). The Kettle Crest trail was in excellent shape, and the Midnight Ridge trail in very good shape. We saw only 1 person the whole time we were out there; unfortunately it is open rangeland, and we did encounter cows. A few bugs here and there, but nothing to worry about.

More details: We started on the Midnight Ridge trail, which goes 4.5 miles or so, mostly up, to reach the Kettle Crest trail. There were 2 trees down on that trail, but there wasn't any problem getting over them -- the forest service had apparently done a log-out earlier in the spring.

From this junction, we hiked about 1.5 miles north on the Kettle Crest trail to a good spring and were planning to camp there. However, there was a large herd of cows in residence, and the campsite was fouled with fresh cow pies. So we went back to just north of the Midnight Ridge trail to a small and somewhat sloped camp site near another spring (there is a good pipe for that spring just downhill from the Kettle Crest trail). That camp site would NOT be good if there is a thunderstorm -- a gully feeds right into it. There were a lot of bees and some small flies in the area, but they seemed to be more interested in the plant life than in us, and they didn't bother us.

On day 2, we continued south on the Kettle Crest Trail. About 1/2 mile south of our camp we reached the junction with the Old Stage Trail (which leads back to where we started from, so you can make a nice loop if you want to). There is an excellent camp site there, which would have been much better than the one we used if we had known about it -- you would just have to carry water 1/2 mile from the spring. From there the Kettle Crest trail starts climbing 1000+ feet up to the top of Copper Butte, and then back down, with some more up and down throughout the day. We hiked about 7 miles that day to reach another spring and a decent camp site at the junction with the Jungle Hill trail. The area around the spring was swampy, so there were a few mosquitos around, but surprisingly few considering the swamp. We got hit by a thunderstorm, with rain and hail, and luckily the tent site we chose didn't turn into a puddle (unlike the one closer to the fire ring).

On day 3, we hiked about 7 miles, including about a 500 foot climb and the rest mostly downhill, to where we had left the second car, at Sherman Pass.

NOTE: The Forest Service logs out this trail every June (this year it was 6/16 so we just missed it and suggest that you plan accordingly).

This is a fantastic trail and is rightfully one of the "100 Classic Hikes" in Washington.  Three of us completed the north section in three days, made challenging due to trail conditions and our extra peaks.  Water was plentiful!

Day One: After car camping at the excellent Deer Creek Campground and trailhead, we hiked ten-plus miles to Ryan Cabin Camp which is .3 miles from the crest trail but included plentiful water and two seldom used camp-spots.  This was the most challenging day due to the number of downed trees - approximately 75 trees along the entire stretch - plus battling slide alder which is forcing the trail downhill.  Nothing that a great trail crew could handle - but it should be done soon - before the grade continues to slide.  Ticks were also numerous on this stretch, but few beyond.

Day Two: Ryan Creek Camp to Wapaloosie Saddle plus Mt Leona for a total of 15 miles. The trail between Ryan Creek and Copper Butte is in excellent shape with just a couple blowdowns.  Copper Butte to Wapaloosie has just a few blowdowns but quite a bit of deep snow.  We opted to camp at the saddle and melted snow for dinner.  

Day Three: Saddle to Sherman Pass plus Columbia Mountain (great cabin) and Jungle Hill (wonderful historic summit register) for a total of 10 miles.  This section has around a dozen blowdowns but is generally in great shape.  

All springs had water plus some small creeks.  This is a great time of year to explore this iconic trail!