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Map of the Lower Middle Fork Trail from the Middle Fork Trailhead to Dingford Bridge:
Groves close to the Middle Fork Trail
The Middle Fork Trail (trail #1003) is readily accessible, usually year round and presents an enjoyable hike in any season. The usual start is at the Middle Fork Trailhead, well-marked at mile 11.7 on the Middle Fork Road (all mile markes are from the turn onto the Middle Fork road with the pavement ending at mile 2.5). You can also continue 6.5 bumpy additional miles to the Dingford Trailhead. The road past the right turn after the Taylor Bridge varies considerably in condition. Many times moderate clearance and even low clearance vehicles are fine, at other times water flows across the roadway at seasonal stream beds flowing off the South flanks of Mt Garfield. Proceed with caution but be prepared for great reward at the groves of the Upper Middle Fork Trail accessed from Dingford Crossing Bridge. Starting from the Middle Fork Trailhead: The trail is well-maintained and almost completely flat. Although it sits on an old grade used for logging, the timber was taken early when some, inconvenient trees were left. You might notice larger trees up hill from you as you hike but the first real giant is the 9-hr Giant just before the creek from 9-hour lake. There are some other tall trees just past the creek then even more at Pleasant Surprise Grove to the far East end. Further up the hill are a number of locations with large old growth trees. Most notable is the "Land of Giants". This long section of old growth is above cliffs that both made it hard to log and hard for us to get to. This is serious back country and only the most prepared should go. It is extremely steep, literally forest-covered cliffs, and usually going directly down would only get you hopelessly lost.
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An Easy Giant to Visit (the 9-hour Giant)
It is located along the Middle Fork Trail #1003 about 2 miles from the bridge across the river. To get there, hike East on the trail. It is flat, easy and well-maintained. There are two places where the trail makes an 'S' up slope. Past the second one is a long straightish stretch. You will cross a couple of minor streams then cut into a rocky, mossy ravine just before a major crossing (rocks in Summer, a log in winter). This is the creek from 9-Hour lake. You passed the tree. Go back about 150 yards before the rocky ravine and look North (towards the river). You will see a large Douglas Fir in the woods about 100' from the trail. I measured it as follows: Survey measurement (at 200'): 230' tall Circumferance (measured above the obvious bulge): 29' (or about 9' diameter) This is not anything special as far as Douglas Firs go but it is the tallest tree I had measured as of October 2008. As you go on to 9-hour creek you will see more old-growth near the creek up and down hill. The Land of Giants is up hill a long, hard way, but that's another story.
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In the Land of Giants
This is big-time cross country work here. Extremely steep with, essentially, ramps that lead from various 'shelves' (in quotes because they are only flat relative to the other terrain). Crossing the four stream beds is even more challenging with the first two being the worst. When I visited there in October of 2008, I went up to 1800' along 9-hour creek then traversed up to about 2,000'. I crossed into the brushy rock field at 2,300', right near a tree with a huge base, but splits into three trees about 30' up (almost took a picture by it but thought it would be misleading). This was the hardest cross-country I have ever done in my life, taking over 4 hours to go that mile. In retrospect, I probably should have had a helmet. Although I left a detailed route description at home, I'm pretty sure, had I fallen, I would have never been found. All that aside, this was the longest stretch of large old-growth I have seen in Washington outside of the Olympic NP or North Cascades NP. I think it is the Land of Giants.
I had really hoped to find that they had logged up Rainy Creek but not on the hill to the South. Unfortunately it is only partly true. The ridge top, above Rainy Creek contains some old growth and it quickly ends as you descend towards the Middle Fork. |
Map of the Upper Middle Fork Trail from the Dingford Bridge to Goldmyer Hotsprings:
The Middle Fork Trail leaves the Dingford Crossing bridge heading almost South directly into two-miles of continuous
old growth forest. Almost immediately you pass a large cedar to your right which is 9.5 feet in diameter. Just before reaching an obvious rock cliff over
looking the river note the large cedar to your left next to the trail (180 feet tall). The real treat is actually 200 feet before that (North, back towards
the trailhead) and to your right about 100 feet up in the woods. The large cedar you see is over 11 feet in diameter. It looks much larger, but recall that
tree diameters are measured 4.5 feet above the highest ground level. On the slope you are looking at, that is way high down hill.
The Lunar Giant is a large Douglas fir about 2 miles in by an 'S' in the trail just before a boardwalk. You can find it using the picture to the right or, if you have a Green Trails map it is right next to the 'm' in "Snoqualmie River". The Lunar Giant is a bit scrawny at the bottom but measure over 220 feet tall.
The Lunar Grove has more than ample opportunity to photograph old-growth and giants. There are giants in ravines, giants up hill, giants down hill, giants by bridges, and just about any other location you want. You get to walk in this forest for two miles. Enjoy!
The Lunar Grove ends when you reach the old railroad grade which continues all the way to Goldmyer Hotsprings. You will note a couple of places where the old growth was left including just East of the last creek before Burnt Boot (the creek Goldmyer Hotsprings is on) where the panoramic picture above was taken.
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Click on the image to the right for more information on the history of Goldmyer Hotsprings
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Past the 9-hour giant and then up hill West of the creek from 9-hour lake is a magnificent forest. At about 1600' the stumps stop, it gets steep, and there are a whole lot of big trees. I measured a couple and they were in the 180-200' range, so nothing really big but they went on and on. In fact, that group of trees was pretty continuous for about a mile West until you get to the really brushy rock field just before the Rainy Creek drainage.
I had great hopes for the Rainy Creek drainage but was dissappointed to find it all logged, even into the areas I showed as old-growth. The Land of Giants once was much larger, you can tell by the stumps!