Paul Peak trail is in great shape and clear to the river. Thank you maintenance crews! I'm assuming the bridge crossing the river may be completed as they were working on it the day we were there. Fallen trees have opened wonderful views of the mountain on the trek down. No bugs! Great day hike taking exactly 4 hours round trip.

The Paul Peak trailhead is where the road to Mowich Lake is gated, five miles short of Mowich Lake. As a default from a planned ski trip, three of us headed here instead. The trailhead is at 3600 feet and there is absolutely no snow. From there the trail descends to a creek, then traverses around the shoulder of Paul peak before beginning an easy 800 foot descent to the Mowich River. At about 3.2 miles it hooks into the Wonderland Trail and then gets to the river at 3.5 miles, 2700 feet. Bridge is out at the river but it looked possible to get across at least the first crossing on logs. We didn't try for lack of time, just climbed back to the car. There are campsites on the river bank and I guess a shelter on the other side. We saw no other people (though there was another car parked at the trailhead) and no snow at all. The trail is in very good shape, apparently parts were recently fixed to get around a blow down area. On the way back up we got dramatic peekaboo views of Rainier summit before the clouds came back in. If we'd had more time it would have been tempting to loop back on the Wonderland Trail through Mowich Lake (which we heard was also snow free) and walk the five miles of road back to the car for an 11 mile loop. But the 7 out and back miles we did were a very nice forest walk, especially for January.

Much water over the trail from trailhead down to Meadow Creek. Major blow-down below 3800' on the south slope of Paul peak. Numerous large old-growth trees down over the trail. Much slithering and scrambling required for passage. North Mowich bridge washed out.

Intending to scout out the road and trailhead for a Mountaineer hike, I ended up doing the whole thing. First, the Mowich Road is in crummy shape, with some areas of really LARGE potholes on the State owned part. It took me almost an hour to get to the trailhead at the road closure from Wilkenson due to road conditions. Even with a 4x4 it would take awhile due to the potholes. There were also some small trees down on the uphill side of the road in several places. The snow from the previous weekend was rapidly melting and gone by afternoon. I started out on the well-defined trail following several recent footprints. There was snow through the first canyon, cross the creek and up the lower slope of Paul Peak. When the trail began to traverse the snow stopped. The switchbacks are in great condition, with a little brush overlapping the pathway, salal and Oregon grape. All bridges are in over the North and South Fork Mowich Rivers. In fact, I met a trail crew who had been working on the South Fork bridge that very day. I had lunch near the shelter, which sits in a shady glen. I would have liked to hang out a bit, but a steady rain was beginning to fall. With the clouds dropping, it looked like it was going to stay awhile. Hiking out, I had a brief view from the switchbacks of the South Fork. The Mountain was not visible. The snow level starts around 4,000 feet, but looks thick at 5,000 feet. This trail does offer solitude, but if you're looking for views or flowers go somewhere else. Most of the hike is in elegant hemlock forest with little undergrowth. The bottom land is similar to the Carbon River, thick with mossy trees, shrubs and some bright trilliums and rocky stream beds. Stats: 400' gain in, 1,600' out, 8 miles.

With a forecast for limited afternoon clearing, DAR and I opted for Paul Peak trail off Mowich Lk Rd (road is still gated at the trailhead). I haven't been there since doing the Wonderland Trail in 1990; it has been longer for DAR. Road is in fine shape most of the way, turning to the usual potholes at the park boundary. There was some fresh snow on the side of the road, on the trees and on the ground in patches, and we started the hike in mixed rain and snow. Surprise! Last week I hiked in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, this weekend in parka and long pants. The trillium are still in fine shape, only fading to purple in a few patches, but the violets are the main flower attraction. Also out: Western Corydalis, some Vanilla Leaf, some Bunchberry not yet blooming, and Sweet Coltsfoot. Of course, there was plenty of Oregon grape, too. The even lighting was great for foliage photography of the ferns-against-stumps type of picture. The trail drops fair steeply, then rounds Paul Peak in a long arc before dropping in long easy switchbacks to meet the Wonderland Trail after 3.5 miles. After another half mile you traverse the flat woodland floor, crossing the N Mowich River on log bridges, passing the camp, then entering the gravel plain of the S Mowich River. The log bridge is in across the first of the channels, with red-flagged sticks marking the way across the gravel to the next log bridge. We did not continue on, but ate lunch here. We got just the merest glimpse of the S. Mowich Glacier, and an occasional glimpse of snow covered ridges above us. This is a great trail for those damp, somewhat foggy days with no real chance for a great view.