Very happy to report that the Phelps part of the road has been completely fixed now!! The rest is still rough but the nasty bit after the split to Phelps is completely gone. A couple trees down but nothing bad up to the basin. Nice rolling terrain with mushroom and shade for most of it. The climb to Larch Knob was a totally different trail feel, rough and rugged with scree, loose rock, and a few big steps. Nothing crazy but quite a climb. Larches at the top were incredible! Not nearly as many as Carne but stunning and the view was unbeatable! 

Road/parking: The road is not great but not too bad, just very very long. There are a couple narrow spots where it is hard to pass and a couple more this time of year due to roadside parking. The link below shows highlights of the drive but note that the Phelps Road section has been fixed and is in great shape at the moment.

There is tons of roadside parking space at the TH but you may have to walk a bit. There is nowhere to turn around at the end so you may want to turn and park where you can. Maneuvering and two way traffic was very rough. There is no toilet the the TH and the trail register book was full. Views right from the TH are stunning! 

Trail: Parking is packed at the TH due to sharing with Carne but very few people were on the Phelps Creek trail. The trail to the basin was a nice compact dirt tread with very few rocks and roots, enough so that I became complacent and managed to find a few with my feet since I wasn't looking >_< There are a couple tiny water crossings that are very low at the moment. We had to duck under one tree, which wasn't hard but might be with a full pack. All the other trees down were step over, around, or an easy swing a leg over type. Not a ton to see, but a pleasant forest with shade, a stream, and lots of mushrooms. 

Walking into the basin the trees stopped abruptly and the view was breathtaking! Jagged peaks of every shape and color, many crowded with golden larches. Everything in the meadow was crispy but I imagine this place in bloom is quite a sight. There were a few side trails off to campsites but we didn't check them out and instead continued on to the far end of the valley. Those larches almost straight ahead may really look up there but that is it! 

There was a muddy spot and a large stream crossing but both were low and no issue this week then the trail dips back into the trees and near the junction with Phelps Basin and Larch Knob/Spider Gap there was at least one large group campsite with minimal views. 

The trail up to was steep with some loose rock and scree but someone recently did some pruning, which was much appreciated. We had a little smoke in the air which made the climbing a little more taxing and made the valley a touch hazy, but still stunning. There was one very big rock step that was a bit tricky to get up, at least 3 ft high. Some areas are narrow and people with a fear of heights might want to pass on this part. 

At the top there is plenty of room to spread out and explore. There are several very nice campsites and a few more with views but a bit of a slope. The toilet box was quite a climb to get to but it had quite a view! The water was low, but there was still a little up there too. 

Stats: 14.9 miles, 2860 ft elevation gain/loss, 5.45 hours moving, 6.5 hours total.We made the top in just over 3 hours. We are moderate/fast hikers who hike weekly and were really moving on the flat bit of this one. 

I hiked Phelps Creek to Spider Meadow, camped there, and day hiked Spider Gap 27 years ago in late August of 1997. The road was good, the trail was well maintained, and the glacier was easy to walk.

On Sept 5th 2024, the last three miles of the road to the Phelps Creek trailhead is a mess of large ruts and lengthy areas covered in pointy car scraping rocks. In an AWD SUV I had to drive very, very slowly to avoid bottoming out or causing a pinch flat. 

The hike to Spider meadow is a well maintained pleasant trail with numerous water crossings. The trail is deeply gullied at one creek and the walk around causes one to miss the actual creek crossing. Otherwise, it's great.  The trail from Spider meadow to Larch Knob is mostly good with areas of overgrown shrubs crowding the trail above steep meadows, and one large rock in a very steep spot, which requires hanging onto a root or shrub to get over. These areas are disconcerting. 

There is no glacier. Refer to last photo of the glacier in 1997. A few small patches of rotting ice persist. We attempted to hike up the scree on the right side as the left side had rock falls, one of which we watched come down. There are cairns on the right side, but they led us into very unstable loose scree mixed with glacial sand above the last patch of real ice. We turned back at this point about 2/3 of the way up. Some hikers were walking on the patch of ice, but it was running all over with water, and crevassed, and collapsed in a large area. At some point the rock will all settle and become stable, but that is not yet as the last of the ice patches are melting. Earlier in summer it might be ok, but I would be aware that there are large tunnels under that last patch of ice.  

This trail is wonderful! Some areas can get a little on the steep side, but overall the first 4 miles into the meadow are not too challenging and not too steep. Not many views along the trail, but once you get to the meadow things open up and the view is absolutely stunning. There are lots of places to set up camp, and the sites are pretty spread out so it doesn't feel too crowded.

As others have mentioned, the road is in VERY rough shape and continues to get worse. The bad parts start about 5-6 miles from the trailhead, and get progressively worse along the way. I don't think you'd make it without a high clearance vehicle.

I love this trail because it gives the option to extend your trip further if you want, and it offers stunning views everywhere! We went out Friday and camped Friday night and Saturday, with a trip up to Spider Glacier on Saturday.

I highly recommend this trail for a 1-2 night backpacking trip, or even longer :)

I hiked withy a group of 5 people for a two night, three day trip into the meadow. The road is dusty, rocky, and long.  I drive a Dodge Dakota and it handled the conditions quite well. I saw all sorts of vehicles at the trailhead, even some sedans.  

The weather was HOT. I would estimate that 75% of this hike is in the shade, but it did not make much of a difference along the trail. The nights cooled down and I ended up using my rain fly on my tent to keep a little warmer. I wore my puffy jacket at night and in the early morning. I even slept with a hat on the second night.  

This trail has numerous water crossings but all are manageable and can be done with out getting wet. Most water was no more than two or three inches deep where you crossed. Sometimes, it was easer to just get my boots wet and walk across than rock hop as some of the rocks were slippery (as they would be). There were at least five blowdowns across the trail. Most could be managed by sitting on them and swinging one's legs over. One had to be walked around and some could be stepped over. The trail is rolling hills and none of the elevation gain/loss was too dramatic.

We camped by Phelps creek, which provided a great water source for camp. We stayed two nights and spent the day in between walking in the meadows, napping, playing games, and enjoying the beauty. There were a couple other hiking parties also camping in the meadow. We also saw day hikers and hikers going through the meadow up to the knob. It never felt crowded or overrun.

There is a back country privy and it is in decent shape. However, it is a climb to get to and one must climb over three blowdowns to get to it. 

I did a quick day hike to Phelps Basin on a quiet Friday. Creeks can be crossed by rock hopping, and poles come in handy on a couple of them. There a few blowdowns that are easy to go over/around. There are the typical brushy sections on the far end of Spider Meadows. Wildflowers are still blooming but many are on their way out. The road is just as bad as ever.