We planned on doing the Grizzly Bear, Wenaha River Trail, and Slick Ear loop in 3 days but had to change plans due to trail conditions and returned after a day early.
The Grizzly Bear trail was true to the fall 2023 report’s description of playing peekaboo. The first 3 miles to the Oregon border were delightful and relatively easy to navigate. The next 4.5 miles got dicey with the trail frequently being blocked by downed trees and overgrown, thus commencing bushwhacking and log crawling that often got us off route. The bottom switchback by the river was the worst - we frequently had no idea where the trail was and just had to hold a heading.
We persevered to the river hoping that the Wenaha River trail and Slick Ear were more navigable and we could finish the loop. We set up camp on the Wenaha and the next morning began following the River Trail towards Slick Ear. Within 1/2 mile, we found ourselves again in the bushes with some bees very unhappy that we stepped on their nest and no trail to be seen. When we did find a trail, it was washed out due to a rock slide. It was then that we turned around and headed back home on Grizzly Bear.
It feels to us that nature has reclaimed this amazing section of land. If you are inclined to try it out, I highly recommend a gps or gps app, satellite communicating device, long pants, hiking poles, and nothing hanging off your pack as you frequently are climbing over and under logs. Also, if you’re planning on doing Grizzly Bear round trip, remember that there is about 8 miles of hiking and 3000’ feet elevation between the car and the nearest water source (the Wenaha). 2 liters for each of us was not enough for our return trip.
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