Raven Roost — Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

I hiked this trail a few years ago and reported that although I lost the trail a few times I was able to find the trail again shortly thereafter. This time, I lost the trail a couple of times in both directions. Either I'm less observant than I was two years ago or the trail is simply fading away.

The area where I lost the trail was in the last mile approaching the PCT. Close to the PCT, the trail generally stays near the top of the ridge -- if you lose the trail, keep heading on east or west (depending on your direction) near the ridgeline & you should recover the trail quickly. A bit further east sticking to the general route of the trail is a bit more difficult. My advice is to keep looking for cut logs -- those are where the trail was -- and to keep a map handy. (I have the 7.5 maps on the Avenza app. That & and the FarOut! app were helpful. But I pulled out my compass just to be safe.)

On my way west, I noticed what looked like a good campsite just up the hill from where the junction with the Cougar Valley trail is. I'd sleep little the night before I decided to make this a short day, so I camped there instead of making this a day trip. (Truth be told, I just wanted an excuse to spend the night outdoors.) It has a slight slope to it, but it looks more sloped than it is. The ground is soft, there's a stream running nearby, and there's a nice rock to sit on next to the campsite. Early in the evening, a heard an elk bark loudly. She was just north of me, across the meadow, about 100 yards away. For the next ten minutes, she slowly made her way to the east, grazing, occasionally pausing to stare at me, and letting out several more barks. In retrospect, I may have taken her group's preferred bedding-down spot. This may not be such a great campsite after all. 🫢

I'd spent the previous night sleeping in my truck at the trailhead. The stargazing was amazing. I saw one mosquito at the trailhead, and I had no issues with bugs until I reached the PCT. (I wore my bug headnet while taking a break near the junction with the PCT.) Despite sleeping near water, there were few mosquitos.

I may go back later this summer and try to trim the branches off the blow-downs along this trail. I think part of the reason I lost the trail is going around the blowdowns put me off the trail and I ended up following a game trail or just random bare sections of ground. Without some action, this trail may revert to nature. Part of me thinks that's a shame because it makes a nice loop with the PCT & Crow Lakes Basin, but I also recognize that we can’t save all the trails.