After lazying around all of Saturday and half of Sunday, we decided to make a quick trip to the Kettles Sunday afternoon. As soon as we turned on Albian Hill Rd, there was a sign that said "road closed ahead" but we ignored it and hoped for the best. The road has been recently graveled due to the timber sale in the area and was much nicer than it has been in the past. We made it to the trailhead with no issues but I wouldn't be surprised if there are delays or closures due to logging in the future. We also noted ripe huckleberries on the drive.
The trail is in great condition, with occasional water/seeps along old stage trail. Lots of bugs, but none of the biting kind, yet. We did note some ATV/side by side tracks on Old Stage trail, which is not allowed and will be reported to the forest service. If you see motorized use or tracks on non-motorized trails, please report it.
Once we turned the corner for the steeper route up to Copper Butte, the flowers were amazing. We could tell that the trail had been recently logged-out, from a PNT crew I've heard. There was not water on this portion of the trail. Then the bugs started. They were annoying but we didn't get too many bites (the dogs might say otherwise). Beautiful views from the top!
Highly recommended! The flowers on the north-facing slope at the top weren't quite in bloom yet so I think there will be a few more weeks of great wildflowers.
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