Did a ~14 mile clockwise loop (goat ridge - goat lake - unmaintained packwood glacier trail - old snowy - PCT - snow grass flat - berry patch trailhead). A fee things to note:

Unmaintained Packwood Glacier Trail is a great little shortcut between Goat Lake and Old Snowy. We relied heavily on Gaia for staying on the actual “trail” and if you stick to the Gaia track the trail is steep but much more tame and reasonable than we were expecting. Look for cairns and fresh gravel. There is a patch of trees mid-way through the route and the trail weaves right through the middle of them avoiding a boulder field, but is easy to miss.

Old Snowy: about 60 feet below the summit there is hard packed and icy snow on the trail to just under the summit. We managed sketchily to reach the summit but would have been more comfortable with micro spikes. Poles were very handy. After the weather moves in October 8 I imagine there will be even deeper snow there and it will be impassible.

Did a day trip to Old Snowy and Ives. This trip had been on my bucket list for a long time but finally made it today.

Our initial plan was to do an overnight and do OSM-Ives-Gilbert traverse but the weather for sunday wasn't promising so we settled for a loop starting from Berry Patch trailhead - Old Snowy - Ives and ended at Snowgrass trailhead with a little walk back to the car.

Road to TH was okay. Gravel and washboard kind. Any car can make it to the TH. 

I didn't realize that the place was still pretty popular in the Fall. There were many backpackers that day but it didn't feel crowded and there were many great spots to camp. Popular spots were the ones by Goat Lake and the area near Jordan creek.

We filtered water from Goat Lake but could have filtered water from a small running creek near Packwood Glacier Trail as we went up to Old Snowy. The trail, although marked as unmaintained was easy to follow all the way to Old Snowy. Shared the summit with few other hikers.

After a small break, we continued the traverse to Ives. The traverse involved some ups and downs and the terrain was a bit chossy. There's a cool arch formation on the traverse and we got to see the crevasses on McCall glacier. 

After Ives, we retreated to the saddle and descended the slope. We then joined the PCT and headed down to Snowgrass flat. 

Overall, it's a very beautiful day with all visible 3 volcanoes from both summits, gorgeous fall colors (but there were very little berries) and a very enjoyable loop.

Stats: 15.4 mi. Over 4,600ft total gain, a little over 10 hours with moderate pace and plenty snack, photo and summit breaks.

Important updates first:

*Scatter Creek TH (N Fork Tieton Trail's start) is no longer a fee-free area, as the WTA site currently says!* NW Forest Pass required, and by the looks of the clean signs and sparkling fee box, this is indeed likely a recent development. Luckily, I brought a $5 bill just in case.

**N Fork Tieton has now been completely logged out!** All 30+ blowdowns have been taken care of. Thank you to the trail workers!

The PCT is in great shape, and the northern summit trail up to Old Snowy Mountain is doable if you're okay with light scrambling at the end and some loose rocks and pummice. I started at 10:30 am at Scatter Creek TH on a Sunday and there was plenty of space. Saw goats, marmot, big bucks, and some quails(?). Still plenty of PCTers heading north. And most importantly, there was no smoke!

What a stunning trip! As someone who hikes quite a bit in the Cascades my standards are high to be truly blown away by views but this hike did it. We camped about 1 mile shy of Old Snowy Mountain, there was plenty of dispersed camping all along the trail once you get into Snowgrass Flats. No bugs at this time of year and it wasn't too cold at night. The only slight challenge was the water was quite limited. That being said, there is a large area of snowmelt right before the ridge up to the summit and we were able to easily hike over about 10 minutes from our campsite and fill up there. There was very little water in Snowgrass Flats, so I'd be strategic about the amount of water you bring! Just a magnificent hike! 

Road to the TH in great shape, suitable for all cars. Took the PCT route in lieu of the Old Snowy alternate; there are two snowfields. If doing early in the AM, expect the steps in the snow to be icy. I brought microspikes and would recommend if you can to do the same. Most thru hikers don’t have spikes and are making it, however - it’s just gonna be sketchy for most folks. Other than that, this is a magical place. Most thru hikers reported to me that it rivals any area of the Sierra on the PCT.