Oregon Hikers

How often have you taken a hike where the best scenery was at the trailhead? Last summer my son and I hiked up the Killen Creek trail. We had both been up the trail on several occasions many years ago. We had not been on the trail since they added all the log stairs. I really didn't like the stairs so when I saw a description of the Muddy Meadows trail in these pages, I wanted to try it.
Road 2329 had been somewhat improved in the year since we had been on it but we were still happy to have my son's Jeep. The Muddy Meadows trail had been substantially improved not very long ago. The trail has been rerouted out of the meadows and into the adjacent forest--very nice tread. Some fairly long switchbacks have been added in steep places.
For the first almost three miles up to the junction with the PCT the Muddy Meadows trail is in forest. After the PCT and on the Highline Trail that leads to Foggy Flat the trail passes through many small meadows. We were too late for most of the wildflowers. However, the huckleberry leaves were starting to turn red and there were lots of clumps of purple gentian which is pretty much of a fall flower. There was only one place along the trail where we observed a view of Mt. Adams through the trees.
Foggy Flat is nice but for this very old hiker hardly worth the walk. We had lunch at Foggy Flat with a good view of Mt. Adams
After lunch we returned to Muddy Meadows for the best view of the hike.

If you continue less than a mile past Foggy Flats you would have even better views of Adams than at the trailhead.

I love Foggy Flat as a base camp for exploring the alpine areas further up the Highline Trail. Agreed that the views are incredible about a mile beyond FF, and just get better and better as you go toward the reservation boundary. I was up over Labor Day weekend a few years back, and only saw one other group of people over three days. I love the solitude in that area.

A couple questions since you were just up there, and I am looking at going in a couple weeks:
1) How is the road between 2329 and the Muddy Meadows trailhead, like that last 1/3rd of a mile? Last time I was up there it was real bad and I nearly got stuck... is it doable with a 2WD car?

2) How are the bugs?

1. Very deep ruts. Troublesome in a jeep. If you drove with wheels on one side on the middle hump it might work in a 2WD drive car.

2. Plenty of bugs but liberal applications of bug spray kept them at bay.