Beautiful easy/intermediate trail with great scenery and a wilderness feel. Last mile up to the Pacific Crest trail is the only serious climbing. There was a fire here in 2004.
Beautiful easy/intermediate trail with great scenery and a wilderness feel. Last mile up to the Pacific Crest trail is the only serious climbing. There was a fire here in 2004.
How to Find It
Use Green Trails Maps #51(Mazama) and #50 (Washington Pass) or Amazing Maps West Methow Trails (Series MV-1) for this ride. From Mazama, drive about 6.5 mi west on Lost River Road. You will reach the end of pavement, and continue on FS Rd #5400 (Hart's Pass Rd) for about 2.3 mi to FS Rd #060. Turn left onto FS #060, where the Hart's Pass Rd starts climbing steeply out of the valley. In 0.6 mi you will reach the West Fork Methow River Trail trailhead.
Typical Conditions
This trail is snowfree late May (lower 6.5 miles) to mid-November. The last mile or so, at higher elevation may hold snowcover into June.
In early August, storms caused a slide that overran part of the West Fork Methow trail. The 200 ft wide slide is passable on foot and is approximately 6 1/2 miles in from the trailhead.
The trail is generally dry and firm, with only a few seeps and stream crossings. The tread is generally dirt and fine gravel, but there are substantial areas of scree.
Most of the trail passes through a burn area. There can be significant treefall in spring and early summer, and well as following large windstorms.
