Arrived to the parking lot at 10:30am and lot was nearly half full. Trail in great condition. Encountered six other groups (of three people or less) on the trail. By the time we approached the summit of Mount Margaret, the fog had completely taken over so we missed the views from up top. The late season wildflowers and emerging fall colors were absolutely incredible!

My husband and I (in our 70's) arrived at the Norway Pass trailhead around 7:30 am. Google steered us up FS 26, which is a single lane road with turnouts; it had sloughing, potholes, dips, etc. which made for very slow going. Fortunately, we were told that we could return by driving 26 to 99, then to 25. FS road 25 had gravelled sections and some sloughing, but it was a 2-lane road and much better than 26. Huckleberries were ripe and plentiful along the trail. The mountain ash berries ranged in color from green to bright orange, sometimes lining the trail. We liked that the trail had quite a lot of shade, and although there were steep sections, they were interspersed with more level ones. When we reached the pass, we hiked a short way up the Independence Ridge trail to the fantastic overlook of Spirit Lake and Mt. St. Helens. We got out our trail chairs and ate an early lunch while feasting on the view. There were quite a few bees buzzing around, but they didn't disturb us. We didn't encounter any flies or mosquitoes the whole hike. When we got back to the trailhead, there were three Forest Service reps there to service the restrooms. They had just repaired the well also, and I was the first person to try the water! It was cold and so refreshing that I dumped out the water we'd brought from home and filled up the bottles with the well water. What a great way to end the hike!

Started at the Norway pass TH for an overnight at Obscurity Camp. The entire trail is bursting with plump, delicious, ripe huckleberries. Even more so after going over Bear Pass. The weather was HOT and the trail was dusty but the tread was in great condition and there were multiple good running water sources along the way. After setting up camp at Obscurity, continued along the lakes trail past the glass-like Panhandle lake and up to take a peek at Shovel Lake before heading back to camp. Saw no one in between Norway pass on the way out and Norway pass on the way back. Cancel your unused permits people. This hike was very strenuous and was exceptionally challenging during this current extreme heat wave. But plenty of water, berries, and of course good views to keep you moving.

Lots of dips and potholes that can damage your car if you’re not careful and slow. Put toilets at TH as is the option to pay for a day of you don’t have the proper pass. Was raining when we arrived and trail is exposed. By the time the rain stopped the ashy trail didn’t look wet at all. Lots of paint brush, St. John’s Wort, and Fireweed along with huckleberries ripening. Saw some thimble errors and salmon errors that weren’t quite ready too. Lots of vistas along the way. Incline not too taxing. Turn onto Independence for a bit for a better view but note if you continue up that trail it doesn’t appear to be maintained. We went back a bit and almost made it to Bear Pass with more layered mountain goodness but since thunderstorms were possible we turned back. Maybe next year the way to Iron Creek Falls will be open for a nice add on leaving the park to the north. If you need a poncho, the store near the turn into Randle sells them!

Norway Pass: highly recommend.  This hike exceeded all my expectations. Road to the trailhead was paved the whole way, albeit there were some potholes (what road in Wa doesn't have potholes, right)? I believe FR 25 is under construction, so you have to jaunt over to FR 26 at some point, but still paved the whole way.  It was a fairly easy hike and very uncrowded trail. We saw two other groups hiking in, and two groups while hiking out. Beautiful views along the trail of Mt Adams and Mt. Rainier. And then a you arrive at Norway Pass and turn the corner you finally see St. Helen's large and in front of you!! Tip: once you get to Norway Pass, turn left and go up the hill about an 1/8 of a mile... that's where these great views were.  Very little shade, so bring lots of fluids. Outhouses at the trail head in decent shape. Good sized parking lot at the trailhead as well.  Really, really great hike. Also I hear the hike is even better if you continue up to Mt. Margaret, but that was not in the cards for us this day.