Short non-technical loop paralleling the Sauk River. The trail was in decent shape and was good for getting my infant daughter into the forest via jogging stroller.  The view point on the river was beautiful and we got to see a group of rafters and some families of water fowl.  Some wildflowers blooming along with some berries. Certainly peaceful. 

We've done this trail as a part of the Old Sauk River Trail a couple of times. Today, I drove out with the kids to meet up with other hiking families to just do the ADA loop. Its confusing to tell people how to get there because when you search "Old Sauk ADA Loop" on google maps, it takes you to a different trail head, and the coordinates on WTA also take you to a different trail head. I've submitted for a change, and submitted the actual ADA loop trail head location to google maps. Hopefully it gets updated soon, one of our friends was delayed because the coordinates took her to the wrong location for this trail head. You'll be fine if you go to the 2nd parking lot but I know some people just google locations.

It was very rainy (somehow I've only ever done this trail in the rain), but the kids were suited up in their rain gear. Some fun puddles to splash in, but still accessible; one friend brought an all terrain double stroller and did fine.

The bathrooms are well stocked, clean, and in good condition.

One last thing that's unclear is the recreation pass status. One website says you need a NW Forest Pass, WTA says no pass required, and there is no signage at the trail head specifying either way.

The Old Sauk Trail is a great one for rainy/hazy/cloudy/foggy/smoky days like today. We arrived at the north parking lot around 1 PM and there was only one other car in the lot. The trail is in great shape with no obstacles that I could see. The trail is covered by trees for much of the hike so we could not even tell when it was raining. This trail is also known for big trees and at this time of year there is a lot of green everywhere, including the moss found along the trail and hanging from trees. 

I have not hiked Old Sauk for a couple of years and today I noticed that the main trail that used to run mostly parallel to the river has been rerouted into the ADA loop for a short distance. When you get to the river viewpoint around 2 miles from the north trail head, follow the sign pointing toward Murphy Creek and you will end up hiking on the ADA loop for a brief distance. From here, you can continue on the main Old Sauk Trail by following the sign to Murphy Creek to your left. The ADA loop continues to the right and the parking area and privy are about .1 miles from this point. For good measure, we hiked the full ADA loop as well, which added about a mile to our hike. 

We did not see any animals on our hike, though we did hear loud vocal animal noises coming from the bushes about .5 miles from the Murphy Creek end of the trail so we decided to turn around at that point and return to the north parking lot. We could not identify what was making the sounds but decided to be cautious about it because we had our dog with us. We returned to the parking lot around 4:45 PM and were the only car left. We only saw one other family out hiking so we had the trail to ourselves for most of the 6.5 mile hike.

Old Sauk Interpretive ADA Loop
If you don't want to hike the entire length of the Old Sauk trail, and you have a little spare time after completing the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway in a counterclockwise direction before driving home, doing the accessible Old Sauk Interpretive Loop is a good compromise, the frosting on the cake.  The size of the Douglas fir trees is impressive, and one can sample the Old Sauk trail by hiking a short stretch of it downriver from the river viewpoint.  It would be nice if there was a place to sit down at the river viewpoint platform.  Although the official name of the trail is "Interpretive Trail", there are no interpretive signs along the trail, only the information kiosk next to the parking lot.

Sidelined waiting for my shin to heal from a Melanoma mole excision (slather on the sunblock, people!) but wanting to get out a bit, I hoped the ADA loop still counted as "taking it easy." I've always been moved by the care and work that went into creating the ADA loops on the Old Sauk River Trail and at Rockport State Park in how they gave access to some genuinely beautiful woods to people who might otherwise not get to experience big trees in a sea of moss and ferns. And now, wanting a trail mild enough for a rehabing leg but that still felt like the real woods, I appreciate this loop on a whole nother level and am grateful anew to all those who made this, and trails like it, happen.

We had the place to ourselves late on a Sunday afternoon, and though hot at the house, it was idyllic in the shady woods. The dog and I both thoroughly enjoyed this toe-dip of woodsy-immersion complete with a view of the Sauk running fast and high, and a few wild strawberries to sample. Salmonberries were also ripening, foxglove and orange Hawkweed blooming as well as Wintergreen along the trail.

This loop is meticulously maintained: wide, level and graveled, and is the perfect spot for those wanting a short hike in the real woods.