[mvkazit]

Road still closed 8 miles from trail head, and looks like it will be closed for long time. Most of hikers using bikes for first 8 miles on road. It is mostly up-hill, so on way back you will get this 8 miles for free. First ~ 2 miles on trail have tons of roots, some fallen trees and bushes. But trail still in very reasonable condition. From forest to Tin Can Gap trail is easy and scenic, a lot of flowers and berries. After Tin Can gap you have a choose: - cross short but steep snow section (only in boots and if snow is soft); - by-pass this section using moat (easy and safe, but will take additional 5-10 min); This year is extremely dry, not many water sources. Few creeks on the road, 2 creeks before Goat Flat, small lake and creek just before scramble to summit. Looks like locals using trail head as shooting range, so it can be noise... http://mvkazit.blogspot.com/2017/09/three-fingers-lookout.html

[RobfromFLA]

Do you think the road is closed for seasons to come? Planning to head out there later this year so I'll need to arrange a bike rental during my trip

[Schroder]

Road is permanently closed. There's an alternate route - the original trail over Meadow Mountain.

[mvkazit]

Looks like road closed forever, at least it is looks like this.

[iron]

[mvkazit]

Is this short-cut still in good shape ?

[Tomlike]

[Schroder]

Someone has been brushing out the Meadow Mountain trail for the past several years. When the road was pushed up to Tupso Pass this was still the trail that stock used for quite a few years after. It was also a sometimes-used trail back in the 70's when the road was washed out for a number of years. Alternatively, there's a small ridge just to the west of the creek out of Noble Lake that can be followed through mostly open timber from the Canyon Creek Bridge to Goat Flats. This was a climbers trail a long time ago. Very steep (2400' in a mile) but not cliffy as long as you stay on route.

[fourteen410]

When did the forest service say it was permanently closed? I remember a closure order effective through this summer, but don't recall hearing anything beyond that.

[iron]

i think folks are reading between the lines given the state of affairs for the FS

[Schroder]

I remember hearing that the Canyon Creek Bridge was damaged beyond repair and a specific statement that the Forest Service won't replace it, nor is it in any planned budget. That's not to say if there's a timber sale around Tupso Pass in 20 years that they won't reconsider.

[Riverside Laker]

The Meadow Mtn trail was worked by Everett Mountaineers. I'm not sure if they finished the whole thing though. They sure did a lot of fine work!

[Gwen]

A small group of us have been maintaining the MM trail for a number of years. It's a process, to be sure, and I doubt it will ever be "complete", but the whole (previously "lost") trail has been located and worked, to varying degrees, all the way to the jct. at Saddle Lake. Biking the road to Tupso Pass is still the easier way to go though.

[hikerman77]

Gwen, do you know the length of the meadow mountain trail. I was up there about year and half ago and ran into a couple of NWhikers members exploring like I was. I am planning to go up Three Fingers this summer and heard that there is a wash out about 2 miles from trail head. My plan is to go up Meadow Mountain trail. Anything that I might need to know, I have been a short distance up the trail. Thanks Rob

[Gwen]

Rob, Green Trails 111SX shows it as 6 miles to the jct at Saddle Lake with about 2,000' of gain and 400' loss. Can be hard to follow thru the meadows. It's been flagged but the flags are getting old and fading/falling off. It's been awhile since I had the chance to walk it, but folks are headed up Friday for early season recon.