[lopper]

Thanks Hiker John for getting that scoop from the USFS. Not sure how concrete would be any problem for the fishies. I think the stranded bridge is a rather impressive artifact.....it would be sort of like the towering trestle remains above Cavanaugh Creek. (Whatcom Co.)

[Phobos]

Just returned from backpacking the west side of the WFWR. The bridge has been completely removed, along with the temporary damn. Contractors are now removing the pavement on 74. As for the east side, it’s almost fully reclaimed. Only made it a little past Viola Creek. The bridge there is completely washed out. After that the roads (74 and 7430) have been completely reclaimed by the forest. Was trying for Clear West Peak. It will take days to get there now. But it was beautiful and pristine out there.

[MyFootHurts]

How did you get across the river?

[Phobos]

Spent nearly 3 hours scouting and finally crossing the river. Found a location where the river was separated into 4 sections.

[Owler]

Did a gravel Bike ride heading up past the washout and up to Haller Pass. Bridge is totally removed and as hiker John said the road had been stripped back to where to intersects with NF 75. I’m wondering how challenging walking up the river bed would be to get to the Northern Loops Trail. Distance wise it doesn’t seem crazy (especially if you could use the forest road on the west side of the river, but who knows the condition) and the river bed does seem pretty wide ... at least at the washout. However , it does like it gets narrow at points. Probably not worth the effort but just a thought... Hiker John did I see you driving up at Haller Pass? Saw a USFS truck and thought it might have been you!

[HikerJohn]

[RatSuey]

Thanks everyone for the info. I used it to take a trip up there on 05/15/21. I parked at the gate and the road is bike able to the junction with 75 (besides maybe the first washout. Since 75 is still snowed in at the top this is the only real way in to 7550. Then I went up the short section of 75 to 7550 which could be biked for a majority of the road before it completely deteriorates at the end. There is a steep down hill to the park boundary and from there is is a bush wack to the N loop trail. Van Horn falls did not disappoint. All in all 26.5 mile roundtrip. Hope this helps some people out attempting the same thing. I think this is a new favorite early season trip for me.

First washout

75 Junction to 74

7550, how it starts

7550 how it ends

Van Horn Falls

[LookForFood]

I was up here yesterday on the west side of white river. Using the Hancock pass coming in on Rd 80 aka the mysterious locked gate across from 70. I was mostly rambling in my vehicle and I eventually ended up on West Martin gap road from the backside (coming down from the forestry roads to the north). Was unable to continue by vehicle to Viola Creek/75 due to the road being washed out and completely overgrown. Was unaware the bridge was out. Will continue exploring the area another time.

[Owler]

Did Hancock open up the White River area? I thought they had that closed off for a while. Also, I am pretty sure that is Muckleshoot land...do they just leave it to Hancock who manages it for them?

[LookForFood]

It is open now, they just opened all the white river land on Sept 24th 2021. I was driving on muckleshoot land most of the time. It's labeled as muckleshoot federal corporation which is distinct from muckleshoot indian tribe land. There didn't seem to be any noticable difference. I will point out that this road is new, and wasn't connected until recently.

I'm not sure why they put the effort in to build a new road, because once you get into the martins gap area you're pretty much stuck.

[Martin S]

Last week I drove the FS-75 road over Haller Pass and down to the site where the bridge used to be. Waded across the river and pushed my bike up the FS-74 road to Martin Gap. The first mile was in bad shape with brush, deadfall, and washouts, but after the 2835 elevation switchback where LooksForFood got stopped when driving down from above, the road quality improved and it was ridable all the way to Martin Gap. From there the old trail up Frog Mtn is still easy to follow although it obviously hasn't seen much use in the last 15 years. Great place to find some solitude. Tip on the river crossing: You can check this site to get an idea of relative water levels. When we crossed it was showing around 500 cfs and the crossing was a bit under knee deep. It could get sketchy trying to cross with the flow any higher, and it's rarely that low, so plan your visit carefully.

[crock]

[LookForFood]

If I was going to make an educate guess yea. It's a pretty substantial and powerful road and it's the only way to drive to martin's gap right now.