Distance: 27 miles
Vertical: 7800 feet
Weather: Sunny mornings, thunderstorms building in the afternoons, but only sprinkles and lightning; no wind; 70F high, 40F low
Road/Parking: Road is clear with some rough patches. Trailhead is very nice with good parking and a restroom.
Trout Lake Trail: A recent trail crew has helped here and it shows! Good trail at a reasonable 500 ft/mi pace with evidence of extensive blowdown removal. Trout Lake itself was a wonderful place – for mosquitos. Humans are welcome only as food. We did not linger.
Jack Ridge Trail: No one has touched this trail in a WHILE and it shows! A truly incredible number of blowdowns obscuring the trail at points and requiring a lot of gymnastics. This in addition to the steep 1000 ft/mi grade on both sides.
Trail Junction Camp – The camp at the junction of Jack Ridge/Creek trails was in fantastic shape, well cared for and with a very nice fire ring.
Jack Creek and Meadow Creek Trails – VERY pleasant hiking thanks to the work of the local trail crew! The ford was reasonable and Meadow Creek remains a well-maintained trail.
Cradle Lake Trail – The trail on most maps does not match with reality. Also, the blowdowns, brush, and damage are more abundant here than Jack/Meadow Creeks. The creek crossing was possible dry using a moderately sketchy log balancing act.
Cradle Lake – Lovely area with wildflowers in bloom. Camping spots were easily identified on the nearby meadow. Lake was cold, but swimmable! The trail around the North side of the lake led to a scenic overlook (after a mile) made for a fantastic sunrise vista via an easy scramble.
Takeaway: Avoid the Jack Ridge trail unless you're one of the angels with chainsaws that frequent this area, and maybe try the West leg of the Snowfall-Cradle trail. The Jack Creek Trail and Meadow Creek Trail are both fantastic.
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