We arrived at the Middle Fork parking area around 1 PM on a beautiful Friday afternoon and there were several parking spots available. Privies are available and they are in good shape. A NW Forest Pass is required to park in this lot. We forgot about this requirement and had to stop at the Sinclair station in North Bend on our way in to purchase one.
From the parking area, we followed the Middle Fork Connector Trail to the Garfield Ledges parking area and then proceeded up the trail to the ledges. The trail climbs steadily and was enough to get the heart pumping a little bit. Fortunately, there are flat sections that allow you to catch your breath as well. The trail is in great shape with no obstacles to note, but there are lots of rocks and roots to contend with so solid footwear and maybe a trekking pole would be helpful. We did not see too many other people out today and had the beautiful view at the main ledge to ourselves while we enjoyed our snacks. We followed the trail back to the Middle Fork parking area and then followed the Middle Fork Trail for a bit to get more views of Garfield Mountain from the trail.
Our second hike of the afternoon was the Oxbow Loop. The parking area is along the Middle Fork Road and a Discover Pass is required for parking here. The trail is easy to follow and we did not see any obstacles to note. The trail descends in both directions from the parking area, so you have to go uphill at the end of your loop, but is otherwise pretty flat and mellow. Along the way, there are nice peek-a-boo views of Oxbow Lake but there are not really any places to get unobstructed views. We only saw two other parties hiking this trail today, so again we had the trail to ourselves most of the time.
Strava measured our two hikes to be about 6.5 miles total, including the Middle Fork Connector Trail and our short hike on the Middle Fork Trail.
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