[Nancyann]

I’ve been missing one of my favorite places for a while now, so Saturday I did some arm twisting and talked Hiking Partner into checking out the condition of the West Cady Ridge Trail. When we arrived at the junction of F.S. Road 65 and 63, we were the only ones there, but shortly two other vehicles drove by and then turned around. While they chatted with their windows down, presumably about the lake which shall not be named, we began our 4.5 mile roadwalk to the West Cady/Quartz Creek/N.Fork Sky parking lot. That was the last time we saw anyone for the rest of the day.

Forest Service Road 6530 5/18/19

Get used to it, not much hope this section will ever be re-opened. One of my selling points for the long roadwalk was that we would have beautiful views of the North Fork Skykomish River in the last mile before the old parking lot.

North Fork Skykomish River 5/18/19

North Fork Skykomish River 5/18/19

When we arrived, it was an eerie feeling, kind of like visiting an old ghost town. There wasn’t a trace of the notorious marauding mosquitoes waiting to ambush unsuspecting hikers as they got out of their cars. We took a snack break here and then proceeded up the West Cady Ridge Trail, enjoying the view from the bridge of the tumultuous North Fork Skykomish.

North Fork Skykomish River 5/18/19

North Fork Skykomish River 5/18/19

Some work was done on the trail last year and it was still in good shape, with only a few blowdowns to climb over. At 3,900 feet, we encountered patchy snow, and by 4,200 feet, the trail was almost completely covered in several feet of snow. I put on my Microspikes here.

West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

At this point, we began to enjoy some nice views towards Keyes and Monte Cristo Peaks and points south.

Keyes Peak from the West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

Monte Cristo Peak from West Cady Ridge 5/18/19

There was no bootpath in the snow to follow, but we were having good luck using Gaia, so we continued on up to about 4,700 feet. By this time, the snow was probably six feet deep, and I postholed up to my thigh, so we decided to stop here, after seeing a glimpse of Glacier Peak with its top shrouded in clouds.

West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

Vesper, Monte Cristo, Keyes and Sloan all looked magnificent in the late afternoon light, and we really enjoyed basking in the sun and soaking up the views before heading back down.

Vesper Peak from the West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18*19

Keyes Peak from the West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

Keyes Peak from the West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

Sloan Peak from the West Cady Ridge Trail 5/18/19

The snow had become softer and more slippery from the warm sun, so we had to take care on the descent, but it was a pleasant four mile walk back down to the old parking lot. In addition to being serenaded by many varied thrushes, I was delighted to hear the first hermit thrushes of the season. Their melodious warble was a welcome sound during the long trudge back to the car, a perfect ending to a very fine day!

[JimK]

Just a little 17 mile day hike? I can see where there is a lot of solitude now. Thanks for the report. I sure want to get back up that trail again soon.

[Roly Poly]

Wow, that is a long day but you got some great views.

[Nancyann]

It is a very long dayhike Jim, but made for a pleasant day of solitude. Although on the roadwalk back, Hiking Partner good-naturedly muttered something like “so how many miles were you planning on walking today?” I had forgotten to tell him. RolyPoly, of course the views are best once you crest the top of the ridge, but we needed snowshoes to get up there, and who wants to carry snowshoes that many miles?

[timberghost]

I know that road is slated to be fixed but so is a lot of places along the Beckler that haven't been addressed. They usually grade the part before Jacks Pass but when I went over it a week ago it was pretty wash board and pothole laced but that's a sign of the times I guess

[Nancyann]

Yes, the Beckler River Road was very full of potholes. Not so bad once you get past Jack’s Pass. It doesn’t make sense for the Forest Service to spend the large amount of money needed to repair #63. Why would they want to make more work for themselves by making it easier to get to the other trailhead when it is already overrun by a ridiculously huge number of visitors? It will be interesting to see if anything is ever done.

[Kim Brown]

The repairs on the 63 road are an on-going Emergency Repair for Forest Owned Roads (ERFO) project. Looks like the repairs will resume in June (probably when the fish window opens up (certain windows of time they aren’t allowed to do work that might negatively impact fish, perhaps bird nesting as well?). Completion is scheduled for October. EDIT: the complete Date might just be the date they end work this year, not the project completion date

[Nancyann]

Thanks for the link, Kim. After seeing how badly the road is undercut in some sections past the second mile, I remain skeptical .

[Damian]

Yes Kim seems to have it straight. Every year the FS says the repairs are scheduled for the next year. I'm ok with the road walk for now. My prediction is that it will blow out again one year after it's fixed.

[Kim Brown]

[Nancyann]

Thanks, Kim! The original damage to the road is after the bridge over Goblin Creek where a creek with no culvert overran the ditch parallel to the road. It ran right down the middle of the road, and in the subsequent years it has now gone under the road, leaving huge gaping holes in its path.

[lopper]

Thanks for the report & the pics. A lot of things have changed in 38 years, but road frustration is not one of them. Road 63 / Road 65 neighborhood: Here are 4 pics from a recon/climbing outing to Bear Mtn in 1981.

81NfkBridge4

81NfkBridge3

81NfkBridge1

81BearMtnVW

[Kim Brown]

[Snowdog]

Would a bike have been helpful? I have such fond memories of that trail, would love to go back there.

[Nancyann]

Snowdog wrote: “Would a bike be helpful?” This is a very good question. Within the first two miles from the intersection of F.S. Roads 65 and 63, there is one major washout and another minor creek crossing which would be bumpy but a non-issue. Currently there is a lot of water coming down the first major washout and I personally wouldn’t want to take a bike across it. After the bridge over Goblin Creek, there are two sections where the creek or creeks ran down the middle of the road. It would be like trying to ride or push your bike up a creek bed, kind of like the rough spots on the road to Monte Cristo. So it’s not the best scenario for biking, but doable. I find that just walking fast works for me, and this was the third time I have been up there since the washouts. Thanks for the bridge photos, lopper, pretty dramatic!