First car in the north trailhead at 9am on a beautiful Saturday! Finished in about 2 hours and returned to a full (8-10cars) lot.

Nice, easy trail!! There's a perfect balance between sunlight and shade, and there no major obstacles to maneuver around. The loop is definitely the best maintained portion of the trail, so you notice when you enter/leave it going north or south. I went almost to the south parking lot before turning back north. Saw absolutely no one until I made it back to the loop section; lots of fellow dog-owners.

Overall, just a great trail for a nice stroll along the river!

A great hike especially for families or those looking for an easy recovery hike.  Gorgeous weather, and not one other person on the trail. Lots of Trillium blooming in the middle section. South section parallels the river, but no access until the junction with the accessible trail. Nice sandy beach at about 2.8 miles from southern trailhead. North section is a bit more primitive but still flat and navigable. Porta-potty and picnic tables at the accessible parking lot. 

Yesterday, I decided to go out and conduct one of my first WTA scouting activities of the season at the Old Sauk River Trail near Darrington.  WTA usually has worked on this trail for the last several years getting it ready for the summer hiking season.  This trail has three access points along the Mountain Loop Highway.  I parked at the northern trail head and hiked down to the southern-most trailhead and then took the ADA trail loop up to the central(main) trailhead and back to my car.  No one else was out today so it was very quiet except for the roar of the river.  The Sauk River is up two feet in depth with the recent heavy rains.  The rest room at the center trailhead is open, clean, and well supplied. 

Normally, on a scouting trip I walk all the way to the end, and then begin recording all the maintenance issues so I have a good idea of how many issues warrant going into a report.  The good news today is that this trail system is in excellent shape.  On a typical visit in the spring, WTA is cutting out fallen logs, trimming back brush, and adding drains to the trail to remove water.  Yes, there were a few items to address, but most hikers will think they are on a superhighway forest trail.  Only a couple of small trees on the ground to step over with no water on the trail. 

I really enjoyed the walk today.  Many of the social trails down to the river were inaccessible today.  The high water has flooded the side channels blocking many access points.  There was very little beach when the trail did loop right to the river.  I avoided the fast-moving water else end up on a bridge abutment near Mount Vernon. 

This is a trail for every age and experience level.  It is relatively flat and well groomed.  It helps people understand what it is like to be in a typical west slope forest in the Cascades.  The ADA loop out of the central trailhead is in excellent shape.  The trail is well packed gravel going down to the river and around for an approximately one-mile loop. 

Please consider this trail when you are in the Darrington area.  It is one of the local gems for any person (hiker or not). 

A beautiful and easy winter hike along the river. Trail had snow for most of the hike but was only about an inch in places. The drive out to the trail from Darrington was a bit slick from the slush but not too bad. Parking was fine with snow present. I would recommend AWD and snow tires as the snow accumulation will likely increase.

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This is our go-to hike when we want to spend time in Darrington and get outdoors, AND not have to drive down a potholey road. We parked at the main lot where the ADA loop begins, and took the ADA loop left towards the river. Once we reached the river, we continued left and headed towards the west end of the trail. The kept us close to the river for most of our hike until we decided to turn around at 1.5 miles. 

We saw two eagles, one in the forest and one over the river. The river is frozen at the edges but not solid. Every leaf and frond was lined in durable, intricate frost. The low sun cast glowing light through the mossy branches. We saw several other hikers, but it was not busy.

There was one small tree down in the middle of that mile we walked on the river trail.