Day #5 this summer of hiking lesser used trails in the Naches Ranger District. Soda Springs was actually Plan C for today. Plan A was to hike to Burnt Mountain (and possibly Shellrock Peak) from the Cash Prairie TH off Bethel Ridge Road (FR 1500). However, the turn up to White Pass just outside of Naches was blocked for an indeterminate amount of time due to road striping. Plan B was to head up Highway 410 and access the trailhead from the other end of Bethel Ridge Road, but it was completely blocked by a large blowdown about 4 miles in from the highway. I'm guessing this happened last night during a pretty strong windstorm that caused some power outages here in Yakima. We also saw several cars parked along the shoulder of Hwy 410 that had been totaled by downed snags...what a bummer.

Looking for a Plan C, I remembered reading some trip reports from the past few summers about WTA doing some major work on the Soda Springs Trail so we decided to check it out. It turned out to be an excellent little hike. The trail starts in the Soda Springs Campground where it is unclear if America the Beautiful passes are accepted for day-use parking at the concessionaire-operated campground. (We opted to park across the highway just in case and walk in...) The trailhead is well marked and you immediately cross the Bumping River on a nice bridge. 

Once across the bridge the trail splits: 975 heads right and up the ridge, while 975A heads left, first to the springs and then uphill to tie in with 975 about 600 vertical feet uphill to make a ~2 mile loop. We went left to check out the springs which were very spring-y and bubbling away. After following the river for a few hundred yards, the trail ascends quickly through a burn area that was filled with fireweed in bloom. The trail was fairly easy to follow, but somewhat overgrown with a handful of blowdowns to crawl over or skirt around. Eventually we got some decent views up the Bumping River Valley between the burned trees.

After a little over a mile we arrived at the signed junction with 975 and, wanting a slightly longer hike, continued up 975 for another half hour or so. This section of the trail was a little more overgrown but still fairly distinct and we were pleasantly surprised to find quite a few ripe huckleberries which augmented our lunch.

After our lunch break, we headed back to the junction and down 975 to complete the loop. Not long after the junction we totally lost the trail. Still not sure if we missed a switchback or if the trail was just totally overgrown, but we ended up bushwhacking a good chunk of the way back to the campground, at times through 5+ foot tall horsetails which concealed a fair number of grouse to give me periodic mini heart-attacks as we descended. Oddly, this trail isn't shown on CalTopo which is what I typically use for mapping in the field. (While I didn't have them downloaded, the trail IS shown on the USGS topo and Forest Service map layers, but NOT in the right location!)

Given our bushwhacking and the fact that I can't find a sufficiently detailed map with this trail on it in the correct location to measure, I have no idea how far we actually hiked. I would guess 3-4 miles in total with about 1000 feet of elevation gain. Flowers, berries, and the opportunity to wade into the Bumping River post-hike made for an excellent day. Thanks to the WTA folks for keeping this trail alive! There were a few other groups in the campground along the river but after that we saw no other people. 

The Lost Trails Found crew was back working on  the Nile Ridge and Soda Springs trails to close out our season. We started on the Nile Ridge Trail and cleared 149 logs. The trail should now be clear of all blowdowns! We also did 230 feet of tread work at the top of Nile Ridge trail. The trail is still in pretty rough shape after the fire. The tread is crumbly and hard to follow in many places and there are also many social and game trails in the area which can make it difficult to find the actual trail. Just look out for cut logs, and you should be good!

After working on Nile Ridge we moved down to Soda Springs. We removed 175 logs on Soda Springs. Soda Springs should now also be clear of blowdowns! In addition, we did a mile of brushing on the upper portion of the trail. The upper section of Soda Springs is not in a burn and is easy to follow, but as you move lower down and into the burn the trail can easily be lost. Again, look out for cut logs to help guide your way. 

All in all, we cleared 324 logs during this trip and opened up 4 miles of trail! 

Camping: We camped at the Clover Springs Trailhead. There are two pit toilets, but don’t expect any toilet paper. There’s no water at the trailhead. There were tons of great camping spots in the live trees, just watch out for the big leaner near the pit toilet. Also, you can get a decent view of Rainier from the ridge just to the west of the trailhead.

Road Conditions: FS-1600 to the Clover Springs Trailhead is rough, particularly the last two miles. I would not recommend going up to the top without a high clearance vehicle or without AWD/4X4. It's better to access these trails from the Bumping Lake side. 

Flora and Fauna: tons of larches on the drive up, and a few on the non-burned section of Soda Springs. Lots of little baby larches just starting to come in after the fire, as well.

The Lost Trails Found Crew was assigned to clear fallen trees the Soda Springs Trail. We cleared the entire loop next to the Soda Springs Campground trailhead and about a mile into the section of the trail that connects to FS Road 1600. This trail is in a burn scar so shade is minimal at some points. Overall, this trail is in okay condition. We cleared 276 logs and 4.5 miles of trail but there is some tread work needed here and there are two sections where small bridges are either washed out or burnt. The grade of this trail is also very steep in some sections. The tread can be difficult to follow at times but it should be easier now that trees are cleared from it. 

We camped at the American Forks Campground. I'm unsure if there are backpacking camps along the entire trail but I would not recommend camping there even if there were. There are lots of snags along the entire trail and it could be dangerous to stay overnight. The trailhead is located in the Soda Springs Campground. 

The spring is right across the river and to the left of the trailhead. It is bubbling with bright orange soil around it. There is also a potable spigot in the campground that comes from the spring but the water doesn't taste very good.  

Bugs were very tolerable on this trail. Make sure to bring plenty of water because you don't pass over any streams once you are on the trail. There was lots of fireweed and we also came across the first huckleberries of the season!

Was camping down the road at Little Naches Campground; family and I got our maps out to put a day plan together; saw Soda Springs on the map so we added that stop to our list.  The camp host (Doug) was very  helpful as we registered and paid our day access fee.  The springs are easily located....footbridge over the river, then take a left at the trail.  The sign says it's 500 feet, but my daughter and I did a pace count and it felt much shorter/closer.  Thus, after reaching the springs, we continued on thinking there might be a spring further down; as per other trip reports, the recent fire did a lot of damage; there is a trail along the river but it is in very rough shape.  The springs themselves looked in rough shape as well (photos attached).  The campground itself is quite nice and well maintained.  However, as we were checking off items on our list, we felt the visit to the springs was a bit anti-climactic and not worth the time/stop/fee, thus the report and letting others know.  Chatting with Doug on our way out, he mentioned that the spring/spring water is tested several times throughout the summer and is safe for drinking.

Ran a shuttle-supported (45min each way), 3-day trip from Soda Springs to Chinook Pass.

First off, the 'official' overview on the south to north PCT section is wrong.  It isn't 'relatively flat' but clearly the uphill direction of the route. We climbed well over 5k in that 3-day span.  Going Chinook SOUTH to White Pass would be the easier route.  But alas, some sweat for views makes for a hardy, memorable trip.

The hike from Soda Springs along Cowlitz trail was a gradual climb through a peaceful, old growth forest. We saw some bow hunters and people with pack mules coming down - giving credence to a popular hunting route.

We zipped up Jug Lake Trail, passing the uninspring lake by the trails namesake and up to Frying Pan Lake. The meadow entrance to Frying Pan lake was beautiful and was the first break from the forest.  Frying Pan Lake had a couple horse-supported groups camping there.  The water was warm to the touch and signs of human disrespect - including open air human feces not far from the lake and someone chopping down a tree while our group snacked lakeside. I wouldn't want to camp there nor drink that filtered lake water.

We set off north from Frying Pan Lake and shortly met the PCT trail where a nice stream provided a perfect re-watering spot. We zipped up north a couple miles to Fish Lake for the night.  The lake campsites are located right at the stream crossing - with some east on bumping lake trail and 2-3 further up the PCT. Between the PCTers and the Labor Day weekend warriors, campsites were full.

Day 2 was an uphill out of the gate for about 4 miles. This constant climb wore some group members thin as the sun was hitting hard.  Atop the climb, you enter Rainier National Park and the walk from there is a fairly mild up and down meadow-to-light forest for a couple of miles before the Two Lakes TH. We scouted that lake and chose to go on. We zipped up to American Lake and camped the night.  About 8 groups were scattered on the Lake that night, but everyone spaced out nicely and it didn't feel crowded. I was surprised how scenic American Lake is. However, if I had to pick a campspot that night in retrospect, I would have loaded up on water at Two Lakes and camped atop a bluff that was next to a dried up lake bed about 2 miles past Two Lakes - incredible views of Rainier, with nobody around.

Day 3 was a gradual uphill from American Lake up to Anderson Lake.  Anderson Lake was surprisingly nice (for its small size).  Plenty of nice campspots and a peaceful setting.  Dewey Lake was the largest lake we hit on the trip and the turquoise blue water forced us to take a nice mid-day dip. It's at Dewey you encounter the day hiking crews.  From Dewey, it's a solid 700 foot climb up to Naches Loop and suddenly you're in Time Square of hiking humanity.  I think we passed close to 200-300 people on our hike to Chinook Pass.  Labor Day will do it. 

Great shuttle supported trip.  If you did it North to South, it's possibly a fast-paced weekend trip.