Wright Mountain, from the Middle Fork side.
Road Conditions. The Middle Fork Rd was nice and smooth (watch out for two very short one-lane sections), and the final 6 miles to the Dingford Trailhead were rough as usual, but at least the larger dips appeared to have been filled in a bit?
Trail Conditions. No issues with the Middle Fork Trail, several stream crossings, all bridged or easy to step across. The Rock Creek Trail was more of a Jekyll & Hyde situation: Wide, moss-lined duff one moment, then brushy, rocky, narrow and slanted the next moment. Repeat. Several large blowdowns, including a few that required climbing over, but none overly awkward. The even grade of this trail makes me think it was built for stock use, but no stock is going up this trail in its current state... The trail from Snow Lake to Gem Lake is a bit lumpy but well-travelled. The short climber's trail to Wright Mountain was straightforward.
Highlights. Pikas were very squeaky today. Fall colors have faded.
Crowds. Encountered 5 or 6 parties on the trail between Snow Lake and Gem Lake, no one elsewhere.
Length
Elevation Gain
Comments
Great photo! It has just about everything you'd want in a PNW hike, all in one photo.
Posted by:
thirdeye99 on Oct 13, 2026 01:57 AM
Maybe... Need to add a few larches 🤪
Posted by:
ejain on Oct 13, 2026 11:15 PM