Consider this more of a road access report than a trip report, since people will be curious about the area. 

Obviously, the closure of the Fairfax bridge is a bit of a problem for accessing this trail. However, technically there is backdoor access from Wilkeson. Essentially taking forest roads by turning right at the Sunset Lake Camp up the dirt road. What you’re looking to access is Forest Road 7710. 

* Most* of 7710 is in decent enough shape. There is one spot where the entire right side of the road is just gone, a few potholes here and there but generally nothing terrible. You’d want some clearance and I wouldn’t take a Civic or something, but my Passport was ok. 

Where the real problem is at the East Fork South Prarie Creek (about 10 miles from where you turn off the paved road) where there is a huge drop right before the bridge. Hard to estimate but at least one wheel would be doing a bigger drop than coming off of a sidewalk. See attached photo. My main concern is that getting up wouldn’t be an issue, but the return trip would have the underbody take quite a hit. 

This does get within 1 mile of the first bit of marked trail, although that section of the Clearwater Trail climbs 1000 feet in 2/3 of a mile so. Have fun. 

if you had the clearance (8 was at a cusp, 10 probably more than fine), or brought a sturdy board as a ramp, 7710 continues about 4 miles past this bridge. Didn’t make it on this journey, but my impression is that the road deteriorates fast once at the end of that. In any case the goal is to access the Clearwater Trail (photo 2). 

Also wanted to see what road access to Gleason Hill to access the Carbon River area. Signs seem to indicate that the road itself is private property and gates can shut at any time (hypothetical route marked on map in pic 3— would spit you out at Cayada Creek Road). Disappointing because that means the easiest access to that area is near 12 mile hike starting near Carbonado (and they don’t allow overnight parking there). I do know plenty of people seem to bike this outlined route however, judging by all the activity on Strava I see. I do however question the legality of that, and wouldn’t endorse anyone to do so without clarification. 

So with all that said, did end up driving to Carbonado and parked right before the road closure to walk the trail to the bridge. Very depressing walk the had me contemplating my favorite places in the entire state and how I can’t access them. The Carbon River road trail was a place I’d go to probably 6-7 times a year if I ever needed to clear my head. 

Do note that not only can you not go onto the bridge, the road itself is flagged no trespassing for pedestrians. This is not immediately obvious if you take the dirt trail and thought to road walk back to the car, as you’d end up bypassing any signs telling you not to do that on the way in. On the plus side the dirt trail is in lovely condition, although the first mile has an alarming number of blackberries. 

I am considering maybe making a backpacking trip to this area in a week or two, using the Melmont Ghost Town trail as access. 

We biked the Melmont Ghost Town / foothills trail from Carbonado to the Kolish Rd bridge, then biked onward to the carbon river entrance and then Ipsut creek camp. On the way back, after retracing our steps to the Kolisch Rd bridge, we opted for the forest road in to Wilkeson.

We wanted to scout this route ahead of our summer plans for a 3-wonderland run/hike. We want to start and finish near Mowich so that we can stay in hotels both nights — the national park inn at Longmire and then the crystal mountain hotels (via a car shuttle from White River). This was a great plan until the Fairfax bridge was closed. Now it is a more intimidating plan, with an extra 17-20 mile bike ride at the start and end of our trip.

The foothills trail from Carbonado to the Fairfax bridge is in excellent shape.  Low-skill mountain bikers like ourselves had no issues. The next two miles after the bridge had a few muddy areas that some of us chose to walk while others rode. The final 1.5 miles got a bit more bumpy and twisty and awkward, and I was definitely walking my bike more than riding it. We took an hour of moving time to get to the Kolisch Rd bridge. 

The empty carbon river road was smooth and fast on our mountain bikes, with two rolling hills. the closed portion of the road after the gate was  surprisingly well maintained for a road that last saw private cars in 2006. There were a few clear re-routes due to washouts but the re-routes were plenty wide and had several inches of fresh gravel. It took about an hour to ride from Kolisch Rd to the campground, “without really pushing the pace,” but we are a few 40-something dads who were pretty fit in our younger days, so likely still at the stronger end of the spectrum. 

riding back down from the campground was a breeze. We made it to the Kolisch bridge in about half an hour. 

The forest road is an interesting alternative to the foothills trail. It has a rather smooth surface of hard packed gravel. A cx or gravel bikes would be totally fine, and some folks (you know who you are) would be happy enough on thicker road tires or touring tires. The trade-off is the elevation gain. The bridge is at 1425 feet of elevation, the highest point on the logging road is about 1950, then Wilkeson is down at 850. The 9ish miles took us about an hour on our mountain bikes, not pushing the pace, but it would surely be a lot slower in the other direction with double the climbing. The foothills trail option gains merely 200 feet. 

In spite of all that vert, we will likely choose to take the forest road again when we run the wonderland this summer. The extra time and extra fatigue feels like less of a tax than the mental energy and crashing risk of a bunch of aging dudes bumping awkwardly along a “mildly technical” trail before running/hiking nearly 40 miles. Woo. 

In case you have not heard the news, the 100-year-old Fairfax Bridge on SR 165 over the Carbonado River is closed to all traffic. Out of a mixture of boredom and curiosity I decided to investigate just how close I could get to the Melmont Ghost Town trailhead (which was never really much of a trailhead). I had no intention of setting foot in the bridge, but I remembered numerous points along SR 165 that looked like one could pickup the Foothills Trail well before the bridge. How close could I get?

Not that close. The road is thoroughly blocked 2.6 miles from the Fairfax Bridge with no immediate parking or access to the trail. Some cursory investigation reveals you can indeed find the Foothills Trail in Carbonado if you park in the gravel lot near the town entrance and the Carbonado Community Church, which would put you about 3 miles from the bridge and the start of the Melmont Ghost Town hike. So you’d have to want to see the ghost town pretty badly and frankly “ghost town” is a bit of a stretch for the ruins of a couple old walls and foundations. But the hike has sentimental value for me and it’s a shame it will be inaccessible for the foreseeable future, unless one is willing to tack on an additional 6 miles to their round trip.

Did this rainy day, dog friendly hike with my 7 and 10 y.o. & our dog. Starting at the Fairfax bridge, we parked along the side of the road. There were no bathrooms and you have to walk down the steep Carbonado side of the bridge, but there is a cable to help guide you down & back up. Once on the trail, it’s relatively flat and easy. Gorgeous forest views w. pleasant river sounds.
If you’re with littles and want a shorter hike, about a mile in there’s a trail that heads up to the left—this is where you can see the remains of the old ghost town. There’s an old dynamite shack and stone wall along the way to admire. If you want to opt for a longer yet relatively flat hike, stay along the trail that follows the river and it ends about 4.5 miles down at another bridge, with easily accessible points to the river starting about 4 miles in from where you parked your car (making ~8.5-9 mi out & back).
This is a wonderful rainy day or winter blues hike because the forest and river still offer gorgeous views from under the tree canopy and you get to see a historic part of our beautiful state with a little solitude. 
Happy hiking. 

Mother Nature blessed us with sunshine and unexpected precipitation: a rain shower, hail, and finally, light snow. Moritz was especially pleased to see the snow. The main trail is wide, flat, and easy to navigate. While there is some mud, loose rocks, and two fallen trees—typical for trails at this time of year—it is perfect for clearing your mind or walking with those who may not be avid hikers. The forest is gorgeous, and there are several opportunities to glimpse the river below, along with a nice old bridge. Like Twin Falls, you'll need to tolerate the occasional incongruous noise from passing vehicles on SR 165 above.

Please watch out for your four-legged friends or human children around the old bridge footings (the stone relic with graffiti), as the area is unsuitable for them. I noticed a significant amount of broken glass scattered across the forest floor, so I carried Moritz back to safety. The ground was sparkling with broken glass. Praise Annie Lennox that Moritz's paws were unscathed. 

At one point along the main trail (47.04642° N, 122.04289° W), there was a considerable amount of garbage, probably from the nearby highway. Most of it was made up of yard signs and furniture, but there was also some organic waste. I marked the spot so I could return later to clean up what I could.