Road 6504 is blocked by fallen trees immediately after the intersection with Little Wenatchee River road.  There were several smallish trees across the road here, I did not investigate but I would assume there are plenty of others higher up.

We were camping in Lake Wenatchee State Park, using that as our base to hike in the nearby mountains. Choosing a hike required balancing our drive for great alpine views against the ever-present threat of being emersed in the shifting smoke plume from the Nason Ridge fire.  We had chosen poorly two days prior on our hike to Rock Mountain, where we found the air smokey and the views to the north totally obscured by smoke.  After checking the weather reports and wind direction, I decided to head northwest of the fire for today’s hike and chose the Irving Pass approach to Poe Mountain.  This time I chose wisely.  The air was clear, and as a bonus, we had a great view of the Nason Creek fire across the Wenatchee River Valley to the southeast (see photo).  The smoke did obscure the views to the southeast, but otherwise, the air quality was good and the views were superb.

 The road up to the trailhead is in good shape and should be no problem for most cars.  The junction of the 6504 with the 6500 is poorly signed and easy to miss.  It is a right fork going uphill, and is the largest turn-off to the right along the 6500.  A stop sign at the junction alerts you to the road.  As you ascend on the 6504 it becomes progressively narrower and brushier, and eventually becomes one lane with turn-offs.  Fortunately, we encountered no one coming the other way on the way in or out. 

 We reached the trailhead at 10:30 and found one other car there.  It belonged to a group of four women who had started shortly before we got there.  We caught up to them at the top, and they were the only other people on the trail all day.

 The trail itself is somewhat challenging.  As the WTA description says, it “hikes harder than it reads”.  It winds steeply up to the ridge and then keeps climbing steeply along the ridge, winding around trees and fallen logs.  The tread is generally good, although it becomes quite rocky and rooty after it enters the Glacier Peak Wilderness.  A number of large logs are lying across the path and have to be scrambled over or detoured around.  The tricky bit around the rocky knob was not a problem for us or for our dog, but it does require a bit of careful climbing.  

 After negotiating the rocky knob, the trail emerged from the trees and opened up along the ridge.  There it became a truly pleasurable hike.  The views to the south and west were stunning, and we could easily see Mt Rainier’s glaciated peak rising over the Cascade Crest.  To the north, the Cougar Creek Valley was a kaleidoscope of fall colors, from rich green at the bottom to reds, oranges and yellows in the alpine and subalpine swathes.  Similar colors lined the Wenatchee Ridge and framed the view of Glacier Peak when it finally emerged as we rounded the last bend up to the peak (see photo).

 The site of the old fire lookout at the top provides a lovely flat area for lounging, and the views were wonderful all around.  We lingered for over an hour just enjoying the scenery.  When we finally headed back down, we picked some of the ripe huckleberries along the trail for snacking.  The crop seems to have been great this year, but some of the berries are already shriveling or have started to ferment on the bushes.  Sadly, the time for picking is almost over.

 Overall, this was a short, very pleasant hike to a striking lookout, with only a few challenges on the trail along the way.  We would be happy to do it again in the non-smoke season for even better views.

Hiked to Poe mountain, and then continued on the ridge towards Longfellow

Road : Took Smithbrook (FS 67) from US2, mostly decent condition, 35 minutes (in Camry) to the junction with FS 65. 6504 is in good condition, the 6 miles took ~15 minutes.

Trail : The trail from Irving pass to Poe mountain is in good condition. There are however few short section were the trail is narrow or eroded. The climb took me 1:20, and the descent 0:50. Nice panoramic views from Poe, including Glacier Peak, Daniel, Rainier and many other mountains.

I then decided to continue towards Longfellow. To start the trail, need to descend 2 mins from the junction of Irving Pass and Poe trail towards little Wenatchee trailhead. There will be faint trail on the right, see picture #2. The brush is overgrown in this section, but luckily it is less than 5 minutes. Then there are many sections were the trail is in good condition over the ridge. But also sections were it's pretty narrow, and leaning towards the slope. Also few completely eroded sections and one tricky blowdown. Eventually I got to meadows at 6200 feet under 6540 peak (one peak before Longfellow) and ran out of time. Getting there took me additional 1:10 from Poe, and the way back 0:50. It appears that had I continued on, I might have been able to scramble to Longfellow, but not sure about it. Google Longfellow and see several GPX recordings. I managed to get drenched on the narrow sections of the trail from dew, pants and boots were completely soaked. So high gaiters might help, but still you will get wet if it hasn't been dry for few days.

Wildflowers are almost gone. Berries were ripe and plentiful.

I thought the views from Poe are nice, but there are nicer hikes with shorter drive. Longfellow was interesting but a bit too sketchy.

Road up to the trail head was in good shape. Some trees leaning over the road precariously but not a problem. My truck did fine although some of the switchbacks were very bumpy and hard-pan. Started from trailhead a little before 10am with only one other truck in the small lot. Bugs were annoying at the start but eased up. 

The trail was in good shape and only a few downed logs to climb over. Didn’t see anyone on the trail either way (it was a Monday) so nice to have it all to ourselves. The views along the ridge are amazing and just get better as you get to the summit. The temp was perfect with a little wind along the ridge in places. It was clear enough to see the top of Rainier to the south, so that was a bonus. Some spots of snow in the meadow trail around the south side and we got to throw a few snowballs in the sun. With a few stops for pics and some light lunch, drinks and pics at the top, we ended up a little less than four hours. 

Enjoyed a hike to Mt Poe via Irving pass today.  Getting there on the road can take a bit of time, but there are no trees across the road at this time.  There are however plenty of fallen, overhanging trees, but these only have trunks of about 3”-6” for whatever that’s worth..  This road seemed desolate and I was the only one driving up there on a Sunday morning. The road is due for maintenance, and could use a little love. So keep an eye or two open as you drive up the road.
The trailhead has no bathrooms, so plan ahead.  There’s only what pretty much amounts to two parking spots that I saw, so plan on parking on the side of the road.  The good news is I was there on a weekend and the whole time on the trail I only saw 6 people total!  As you make your way to Irving pass there are some blown down trees to navigate, but these are easy to get around.  The trail up to the pass is almost brutal, I’d say 30 or more degree incline and it doesn’t stop until you are at the pass.  Once there, it levels out somewhat, except for “the bump” before Poe Mtn.  Along the way you see a few wildflowers, and plenty of butterflies, with a few views sprinkled in as you get to the top.   Once at the top you have a good all around view.  Spectacular on a clear day! Glacier Peak stands out, behind Cady peak, and then to the right is Longfellow, and Whittler, making up the “Poet’s Ridge”.  Also don’t forget behind you is Mt Rainier.  There’s a little room at the top so you can sit down and have a peaceful lunch if the bugs have already had theirs.  In the fall this would be a great hike to pick huckleberries!