The week of Thanksgiving is looking to be a wet one. However, it's been a bit
warmer in the past week, with a snow level around 5000', so I decide this is a
good time to return to the Middle Fork and check out the road past the
Dingford Creek trailhead. This road was permanently gated in 2006 after a lot
of controversy, putting the destinations of Big Snow Mountain and Dutch Miller
Gap out of the range of day hiking mortals. It's 8 miles from the
Dingford Creek Trailhead to the former road end at
Hardscrabble Horse Camp. Nonetheless, I resolve to make this my
destination for the day, and I want to try something a bit different by taking
my bike along. Since I'll be on old road the entire way, I can hopefully save a lot of
time by biking the first five miles on the way
there and back, turning a 16 mile hike into a 10 mile bike with a six mile
hike. I consider this an experiment to see if the bike + hike
idea would work for a family backpacking trip, or it's just as well to hike
the entire way. Taking four, or even two bikes along in a high-clearance vehicle would require investing in a bike rack.
I haven't been on a bike ride of this sort in years, and I hope my old commuter
bike holds up to the punishment. My tires are wider than street tires, but
they're certainly not mountain bike tires, and my bike has no suspension either. I arrive at the trailhead at about 9:45 AM after a brutal drive down the
Middle Fork Road, which takes about 35 minutes once I leave the pavement. The
Forester seems to enjoy it, especially the two sections where the road has been
completely obliterated and I have to drive through piles of large, loose rocks.
It's certainly not true off-roading, but it does add a bit of excitement. As
expected for a rainy weekday, there are no other cars at the trailhead, so it
looks like it's going to be another one of those lonely hikes!
I check out the general area a bit before heading out. The Dingford Creek Trail
is on the north side of the parking lot, leading to Myrtle Lake, Hester Lake,
and many others. I will certainly be back to do that trail multiple times for my
Alpine Lakes mission. On the south side of the parking lot, a connector trail
leads down the hill to the Middle Fork Trail on the other side of the river - I
resolve to check that out on my return if I have time. For now, I don all my
waterproof gear and hop on the bike. Just a minute down the road, I cross over
Dingford Creek Falls on a large concrete bridge. This is a spectacular waterfall
- be sure to check out the photo album below to see it in motion.
The road is pretty good, but care is needed to avoid rocks. The
grade starts out fairly level, but I bike up some gradual hills in a
lower gear. There is only about 400' of elevation gain between Dingford Creek
and the turnoff to Goldmyer Hot Springs, which is about 4.5 miles up the road.
We have never visited Goldmyer, but it's definitely a "must do" in the
Middle Fork area, and is actually quite nice in times of COVID, since they only
allow one party to use the hot springs at a time. The views are fairly minimal today with low cloud cover, but I see some of what I think must be Wright Mountain on
the other side of the river, and I know about halfway up to Goldmyer is where the
Rock Creek Trail heads up to Snow Lake. It's probably a trail we'll use for a
loop from the Middle Fork at some point.
I make good time on the bike and arrive at the fork that leads to
Goldmyer Hot Springs in just under an hour. My tentative plan was to leave the
bike here and then hike the three miles up to Hardscrabble Camp. However, the
road is in such good shape that I figure I might as well take the bike up as far
as I can, so that I can ride it back down. After Goldmyer, the road gets a bit
steeper, so from here I'm mostly pushing my bike uphill, and riding for brief sections. The clouds still obscure the tops, but I see hints of mountains
towering around. The sun even makes an appearance for about 5-10 minutes. From this
road I can see some of the Snow Lake area peaks like Snoqualmie Mountain,
Avalanche Mountain, and Lundin Peak. The horse camp itself is between Burnboot
Peak and Big Snow Mountain, though Big Snow isn't really visible from anywhere
on this trip, as far as I can tell.
I finally ditch the bike at about 2600' when the road becomes entirely
snow-covered. However, puzzlingly there are tire tracks in the snow. I'm
guessing that someone from the forest service drove up this road recently,
possibly looking for fallen logs. For a road that has been closed for almost 15
years, it's in remarkably good shape, and my Forester could have made it up here
no problem if it weren't for the large steel gate at Dingford Creek. In fact,
the road above the closure is in far better shape than the road below - this
seems like good evidence of the toll that regular vehicle use can have on
unmaintained roads. Hiking up the Middle Fork Trail from either Dingford Creek
or Goldmyer is another option, though it's a bit longer and may involve some
difficult water crossings, so not ideal in spring or winter.
I hike another half mile in the snowy tire tracks, passing a junction with the
Middle Fork Trail. Someone else has hiked in this area within the last few days
with a furry friend, according to their boot and paw prints. However, it looks
like they hiked up the Middle Fork Trail and then back down the road, since the
tracks only lead downhill. No sign of anyone is present at Hardscrabble Camp,
other than the tire tracks. It has taken me about 2.5 hours to reach here, so I
consider the bike + hike a great success so far. The camp is in a beautiful spot
where Hardscrabble Creek empties into the Middle Fork Snoqualmie, and this is
where the official trail to Dutch Miller Gap begins. I explore around the camp a
bit, but the snow is about a foot deep in places, so it's hard work post-holing
around everywhere. I do manage to find the start of the trail, where a very nice
bridge crosses Hardscrabble Creek. This looks like it would be a great place to
set up camp for adventures further up the Middle Fork, or up Big Snow Mountain.
I find some logs in the campground after digging away the foot of snow on top,
and sit down to have a bite to eat. On my way out, I actually find a rustic
park bench next to the river. Drive-in campgrounds converted to hike-in
campgrounds always feel like luxury with their benches and picnic tables. In
this case, there are also posts for tying up horses, though I don't know how
many people actually ride horses in the Middle Fork anymore. I suspect it
might be difficult to pull a horse trailer up the terrible Middle Fork Road.
After having a bit to eat, I put on my spikes for the walk down. They're not
strictly necessary since the snow is soft, and the road isn't steep here, but they seem to reduce a bit of slipping and sliding.
I reach my bike after about 15 minutes. After walking through a washout
section, I hop on and start the long ride downhill. It's pretty exhilarating
but I am very cautious since I'm not any more than a novice mountain biker,
and the large number of rocks in the road could easily lead to a wipeout if
I'm not careful. On top of that, my brakes don't seem adjusted quite right, as
they don't provide as much stopping power as I would like. But even going
slowly, I am going a lot faster than walking and it's kind of fun trying to
pick the best path through all the rocks sticking up out of the road. Some
sections are really easy, but a few require getting off and walking. I
safely reach the fork to Goldmyer in what seems like record time, only about
20 minutes later. Six miles per hour seems fast when you're dodging rocks and
hanging on for dear life! I am definitely wishing my bike had some sort of
suspension, but I manage pretty well just standing on the pedals through the
rough parts.
Since I've got lots of time left, I check out the bridge across the river to
Goldmyer and the Middle Fork Trail. It's a very sturdy metal bridge that
provides great views of the bluish-green river below. The clouds have filled in more on my return, and
a moderate rain is now falling. Fortunately, all my waterproof gear is working
great. I hop back onto my bike for the remaining 4.5 miles. My bike is holding
up better than expected, though the constant pounding of the rocks is loosening the one bolt
that holds on my rear fender. The fenders on this trip are a must unless
you're doing it in summer - the road is very wet, and in spots I need to ride
through puddles 6-8" deep. Without fenders I'd have a wet streak all the way
up my backside in no time flat.
I make it back to car in about an hour, stopping along the way to take a few
pictures and check out the river. It's a pleasant ride even with all the rocks
and bumps, and the very slight downhill grade makes it easier than the ride
up. There is now one other car in the lot, and a second one drives up just as
I arrive. At least I won't be the last one out this time! I take a quick
detour down to the river to check out the Dingford Bridge. This is another
very sturdy bridge that looks like it will last forever, which is good since
it's the only way across for five miles upstream or down. On the other side,
some awe-inspiring cedar trees reach for the sky among the moss-covered
landscape. The Middle Fork Trail winds through it all, and is highly
recommended for those who want a classic Northwest forest experience.
In total, the adventure today adds up to about 16 miles, and I estimate about
12 of those miles are on my bike. It has been a successful experiment,
though the verdict is out as to whether it would be worth taking bikes on an
overnight trip. On the uphill climb, the bike might save about 60-90
minutes, or maybe two hours if one could hike the Middle Fork Trail all the
way, which is not currently possible due to water crossings. On the
downhill, the savings is slightly more, but one could probably still hike it
in three hours. So, all told, the bike option is probably best viewed as a
way to add a little excitement to the trip, and give tired legs a bit of a
break on the way back. Note that on odd-numbered days, it is also possible
to bike the Middle Fork Trail itself for the true mountain bike adventure.
However, I'm definitely not enough of a biker to try that!
Stats
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 16 miles
Elevation Gain: 1600'
Sights: Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Hardscrabble Horse Camp
Photos and Videos
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