This was on my list in the spring but I didn’t get out to the Methow Valley. But it worked out this weekend to be here and the weather cooperated along with the fall foliage. Left Twisp at 6:10 am and got to the trailhead about 7:45. Regarding the road, the 10 miles on the forest road is in pretty good shape but could be tough if you don’t have great tires or have exposure issues as there are some decent drop offs. There is room to pass or pull over on most of the road but be mindful of your speed on some of the hairpin corners. The road is in relatively great shape for a Forest road.
There is no privy at the trailhead and there were about 8 cars when we arrived. This is no tent camping allowed but we saw one tent pitched. The start of the trail is clear from the parking lot. But we looked for a sign indicating the north and south directions of the PCT but did not see one. We were heading south. The trail starts off with a small climb, then goes through a grove of larches up on the crest. The light at 0800 offered nice views of the foliage. The entire trail is very exposed and high as it runs the crest. You can see it far in the distance as stays high and steady. The trail also descents most of the way all the way out to Grasshopper Pass. It’s an easy paced descent. The larch were surreal and so were the surrounding peaks, rock walls, huckleberry, and sky. Just stunning! We passed one camp area about 3 miles in and there is apparently some water access but you have to descend a bit to get to it. Better off just carrying it. We hiked a bit past Grasshopper Pass and took a side trail to a ledge and spectacular outlook to view a massive glaciated peak which I think was Azurite but not completely sure. We hung out there for a bit then started back at a nice pace admiring the surroundings from a different angle. On our way to the pass we saw maybe 6-8 people. On our return, maybe 15-20. Very manageable. You could look out to Hart’s Pass from the ridge about 1.5 miles from the car. Back at the parking lot, we talked to a PCT through hiker who will be done in 2 days with some mixed emotion. We gave the hiker some water and food. The parking lot had about 18 cars in it on our return counting the ones parked on the road as this lot is pretty small. The drive out was dusty and cautious. Very happy with our choice today. Would love to come back in the spring to see the flowers. It’s quite a haul and would plan accordingly.
Length
Elevation Gain
Comments