Our group of four hiked to Tin Cup Joe Falls today, from the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trailhead. There was beautiful sunshine lighting up the forest in the morning, though it turned cloudy and some fog started to form on our return trip. The trip took us about 7 hours, not counting some time we spent chatting with the volunteer trail crew we ran into going in and out.
ROAD / TH: There are some barriers on the Middle Fork Road in a couple places to watch out for, but they don't pose a problem. A crew was clearing some logs or drains in the morning as we went in, but it appears that work is now complete. Only one other car was in the parking lot when we arrived at 8:30 AM, and only two cars were left when we departed at 4:30 or so. A pretty quiet day in the Middle Fork! The toilet at the trailhead is open and stocked.
MIDDLE FORK TRAIL: Thank you to the four-person volunteer logout crew on the trail today! After their efforts, the trail is now free of blowdowns all the way from the Middle Fork Trailhead to Dingford Creek. The trail has mud in a few places, but is otherwise in great shape. Someone brushed it out pretty recently, so it's nice and wide in most places, and the forest is mossy and lush as always. This trail has lots of huge trees, plenty of dramatic rock outcroppings, and enough views of the river and nearby Garfield Mountain to keep things interesting.
There is some slumping of the slope in one place on the steep switchbacks above the old landslide. It's not a problem for hikers, but bikers and horses will want to take extra caution here, as the tread is only about half as wide as it should be, and a fall off this part of the trail could be pretty hazardous.
The trail has nice boardwalks and bridges in most places to get you across water features. The largest un-bridged water crossing is about 2.5 miles in (photo 4 - nice views of Garfield). It's pretty easy to get across hopping on rocks. Poles are helpful but not strictly needed.
Finally, where the trail runs next to the river about 3.5 miles in, the recent storms have eroded away the bank next to the trail, and the trail is in danger of falling into the river. It's still passable for the moment, but a re-alignment of the trail is probably going to be necessary before too long.
TIN CUP JOE FALLS: Upon reaching the Cripple Creek Bridge about 4.3 miles from the car, look uphill just to the west of the bridge for the Tin Cup Joe Falls Trail. It starts out very steep, but mellows out in a bit (there are a few more steep parts later!). The trail has several massive old logs you need to climb over or under, and can be narrow and rooty, but is in pretty good shape for what it is. Expect your hiking pace to slow down dramatically for this section. We hiked to the Cripple Creek Bridge (4.3 miles) in about 2 hours, but it took us about 50 minutes to hike the remaining 3/4 mile to the lower section of Tin Cup Joe Falls. The trail is relatively easy to follow, as it just parallels the creek the entire way. If it seems like you aren't on a trail at some point, then you need to back up and find where you missed a turn.
The trail gets a bit tricky just before you reach the lower falls. You have to veer left to follow a faint path to the rocks along the creek, then climb back into the trees to your right, where the trail becomes more obvious again.
The lower falls are cool, but the best views of all the different parts of the falls are to be had by following the trail to the right of the lower falls. You have to climb up a short but steep gully, then head left and up a bit more over some small rocks, before finally dropping down into the creek next to the western waterfall. There is a nice big area right next to the waterfall where you can have lunch or hang out. If you're up for adventure, you can scramble up to the right of the falls, or jump across to the other side, if you're really a daredevil!
The falls were raging today - no doubt because of the recent rain, combined with some snow melt from up high. :( Cripple Creek, which feeds the eastern half of the falls, is fed by large Lake Caroline, Hatchet Lake, and Derrick Lake high above. The western falls drain beautiful Elbow and Shamrock Lakes on the side of Preacher Mountain.
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