[crock]

The Backbone Ridge trail goes (went?) north about six miles from the Stevens Canyon Road to a junction with the Nickel Creek and Cowlitz Divide Trails. I thought I had done all the hikes in the old 50 Hikes in Mt Rainier National Park book, but I just got the first edition of the book and it has this hike which isn't in the later editions. The book says "an infrequently maintained trail more used by elk than people. At times the path is very faint and occasionally may be confused with game traces." That was in 1969 when no trails had much use compared to now! This is an old trail, showing up on the 1928 1:125,000 USGS Mt Rainier map. The southern part of the trail appears on the 1962 USGS Packwood 15' series map and the 1971 USGS MRNP map, but the northern part isn't shown on the 1971 USGS Chinook Pass 15' series or the 1971 MRNP maps. Has anyone been on this trail or even heard of it? Would trying to find/follow it be utter folly?

[Pyrites]

The start is easy to find. Far W end of parking lot. Trail goes near top of ridge for awhile. The set exposed bedrocks that are the Backbones are obvious, and make the name clear. Past the Backbones I missed the turn on first pass up the hill. It takes a 90 degree left turn in the middle of a bigger patch of exposed dirt that has no evidence of human trail. It drops a little, then continues uphill on the Lt., W. Side of ridge. At least that’s my conjecture. It was too late in day to continue up to trail across the ridge. I don’t think I’d figured out one could look up older topo’s when I wandered around on ridge. Good Hunting. Further. You can search, and see my short trip report for more contemporaneous note. I did lose a set of brown lens sunglasses. Hobbies? It’s been awhile.

[Waterman]

A 1955 usgs shows the trail going beyond junction of nickel creek. From cowlitz divide nickel creek junction it goes to panhandle gap and down frying pan creek.