My Dad and I hiked to the top of Mt. Zion via the Deadfall and Snow Creek trails. The Deadfall Trail has been recently maintained, including quite a bit of work on the tread itself. The Snow Creek Trail has also been cleared of down logs. Up on the ridge top, the rhododendrons have mostly finished blooming, but some of the smaller flowers, including penstemons, saxifrages, Queens cup, and tiger lilies are in bloom or about to bloom.

The Deadfall trail might best be described as the more challenging option up Mount Zion. In short, this sucker's steep. My partner and I hiked the the Deadfall trail to its junction with the Snow Creek trail, followed the latter downhill to its remote trailhead (I'm unsure of how to reach this TH by vehicle), then returned back up to the junction and huffed it on up to the summit. In the over 2,000 feet of elevation gain (not including the Snow Creek sidetrip) between the Deadfall trailhead and Mount Zion's summit, there is nary a switchback. There was indeed some literal deadfall on Deadfall, but nothing of any great significance. There are a few lingering snowpatches across the trail near the top of the mountain. The tread is actually quite good, though deteriorates gradually as one gets closer to the summit. Rhodies are crowding the trail a bit near the top. The view from the old lookout site was sublime, with the maze of waterways stretching to the San Juans and Mt. Baker. I feel like I'm getting my summer legs back.