Began my hike from the DNR yellow gate on the connector road from the Tiger Mtn. Road SE to the West Side Road. You cannot park by the gate since there are DNR no parking and tow away signs, so I parked on a nearby side street. I hiked east on the West Side Road (built by the DNR and Weyco in 1976) to the trailhead for the Middle Tiger Trail and the Hobart-Middle Tiger Railroad Grade Trail. The trailhead is located just before the road crosses a cement concrete bridge. There is a horse fence at the start of the trail which heads steeply uphill for about 1/4 mile to the trail junction. The Middle Tiger Trail goes right, and I went left on the old logging railroad grade now just a trail. The grade was used by the Wood & Iverson log trains when they logged the south end of the Tiger Mtn. Forest from 1910 to 1932. Their sawmill was down in Hobart.
Hiking on the old logging railroad was easy going uphill on about a 3% grade. I soon got to the largest of the creek crossings where a railroad trestle would have spanned the deep gulley. The bridge is long gone after about 100 years, so the trail heads down hill, crosses the creek and back up the other side with some switchbacks before getting back to the railroad grade. Next, I went by the lower boundary for the DNR Middle Tiger Mtn. clearcut logging operation. This part of Middle Tiger Mtn. to the summit was logged off this past year. In a short time, I was back in the woods. I then got to the area where there is a 2-1/4-inch wire rope left from the steam donkey logging days that is lying along the trail. It was probably used for the skyline logging system. Further along the railroad grade has sluffed off the hillside, so a trail was built many years ago to get across it, then back to the railroad grade. After crossing a creek by rock hopping I came to where a large Red Alder tree with lots of limbs had fallen over the trail. This was right near where the trail comes to a junction where you can either hike up to the TMT or cross over Fifteen Mile Creek and go up the 15 Mile RR Trail. So, I decided to turn around here instead of brush bashing. You would need a chainsaw to cut out the fallen Alder tree.
So hiked back down the Hobart-Middel Tiger RR Trail and found a good fallen Cottonwood tree for my lunch time bench. It was really quiet without a sound in the forest. After eating while hiking by the boundary of the DNR Middle Tiger Mtn. clearcut area I met a hiker coming up the trail. He was about 50 years younger than me, and we had a nice chat about hiking. He was the only other hiker I saw on my trip. So, no crowds like on the trails going to Poo Poo Point or West Tiger 3. After recrossing the creek at the deep gulley area, the trail meets back up with the railroad grade where it goes through a dirt cut. At the end of the cut, I turned right (west) onto the unsigned Connector Trail that goes down to the Grand Canyon/15 Mile Creek Trail. The top sections of this trail are really steep, so trekking poles are handy. Glad I had mine. Further downhill the trail is less steep. I went by a side trail that comes in from the West Side Road. I then was hiking through the forest with English Ivy growing everywhere. This is an invasive plant. I then arrived at the junction with the Grand Canyon/15 Mile Creek Trail (See my other trip report for that trail).
Made for a nice hike on trails less traveled on Tiger Mountain with no conga line hikers. Keep on hikin', George
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