The "Old" Mt Mitchell Trail

[kepPNW]

Wow, I've wanted to get there ever since hearing about it, but still haven't. Maybe this is the final inspiration.

How's the road access (to, and on, S3000)? Thanks!

The road is a good gravel road, plenty wide for two cars passing in opposite directions. S3000 is good, too, but narrower with a few small potholes. On weekends, when no logging is going on, you can come in from either the north via Cougar or from the south via Chelatchie Prarie. The way from the north is faster by about 20 minutes, but longer. Have a good forest road map with you as the signage is almost nonexistent and the junctions aren't always obvious.

And I'm showing it's road S1000 that you turn off of onto S3000? Looks like, long ago, I squirreled away some coordinates (N46.02270° W122.24150°) for this trailhead. But I see S3000 isn't on Google Maps, so following GPS to get there may be a bit problematic, but getting to the turnoff ought to be "good enough."

BTW, The hike is only 7.4 miles RT and 2,200' vertical. Adding Sugarloaf Ridge on to the hike would only be another 6/10 mile and 240' vertical.

Well, maybe combine it with something else up there. Definitely worth tagging "one of these days" in the not too distant future!

BTW Karl, congrats on getting published this morning! Does this mean that we have to add "Sir" in front now?

I was tired of seeing all the lame shots of flowers and frogs and children and such - what could I do?

For anyone wondering, Kelly is referring to page D1 of today's Columbian...

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  Full album, including this shot.

Thanks!

And, thanks to both of you, for doing all you have done to get this peak back in circulation!!!

[K.Wagner]

Karl,

When I get home this afternoon, I will copy some driving directions for you, and anyone else who is interested.

Don, we may get some boots on that trail yet...

[kepPNW]

When I get home this afternoon, I will copy some driving directions for you, and anyone else who is interested.

Don, we may get some boots on that trail yet...

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[Webfoot]

beargrass harvesters (or poachers, as the case may be)

That's a thing? What is beargrass used for?

[Don Nelsen]

...And I'm showing it's road S1000 that you turn off of onto S3000? Looks like, long ago, I squirreled away some coordinates (N46.02270° W122.24150°) for this trailhead. But I see S3000 isn't on Google Maps, so following GPS to get there may be a bit problematic, but getting to the turnoff ought to be "good enough." ...

You nailed it. Once you turn on to S3000, just go to the end - the TH is obvious, though steep for the first 100 feet or so.

Also, I second the congrats for the photo in the Columbian. Funny, I buy a Columbian only about every couple of months but today I did and read it while eating supper and there you were!

dn

[Don Nelsen]

beargrass harvesters (or poachers, as the case may be)

That's a thing? What is beargrass used for?

I have been told it is used in floral arrangements. I have seen huge piles of it awaiting transportation on Silver Star and overloaded pickup trucks full of it driving down FR54 in Skamania Co.

dn

[kepPNW]

You nailed it. Once you turn on to S3000, just go to the end - the TH is obvious, though steep for the first 100 feet or so.

Great!

Also, I second the congrats for the photo in the Columbian. Funny, I buy a Columbian only about every couple of months but today I did and read it while eating supper and there you were!

Oh, thank you! I was pretty startled myself, as I saw it this morning in the <cough> "reading room."

beargrass harvesters (or poachers, as the case may be)

That's a thing? What is beargrass used for?

I have been told it is used in floral arrangements. I have seen huge piles of it awaiting transportation on Silver Star and overloaded pickup trucks full of it driving down FR54 in Skamania Co.

Definitely! I've seen them actively involved on Silver Star and (the nearby) Larch. And yeah, it's for florists. They used to use their ORVs to make hauling it far easier, but I think they've messed the trails up enough that that's harder for them now.

[K.Wagner]

OK, here is the "official" driving instructions from Skamania 231:

The Drive: Drive Hwy 503 to Chelatchie Prairie, turning east at the store on Healy Rd, which turns into GPNF 54. At 6 1/2 miles pause a moment and look up to your left, and notice the layers of “mud” in the road cut. These are ponded outwash deposits, the result of the ice flows that came down the Lewis River. It is thought that the ice was 850 deep and blocked Canyon Creek. Learn more about the Lewis River Glaciation here. At 6 3/4 miles find the unmarked (but with big yellow gate) road (actually, this is the second left fork possible after crossing the bridge), which climbs steeply, but is good (although coarse) gravel. At 3/4 mile, stay left. At 1 1/4 miles, stay left. At 1 3/8 miles, pass through a gate with signs that say “Discover Pass Required”. At 1 3/4 miles, stay right on what is now the S1000 road. At all intersections, stay straight ahead on the major road. At about 4 miles cross the bridge over wild Siouxon Creek. Continue straight ahead, climbing and then dropping to the bridge over the North Fork Siouxon Creek. About 7/8 mile past this bridge, look for the North Fork Siouxon Trail head on the right, on a sharp left turn. At 3 1/4 miles from the bridge, turn right & down on S3000 (unmarked). Look at a satellite view to see this newer road connecting to the S1000--S6000 Rd (S6000 is the connection with the 10 Road on the north side of the ridge). If driving from the north, drive 1 mile past the crest of the ridge, then make as sharp left turn (which is not particularly obvious coming from that direction). Then drive 1 3/4 miles to the end of the road & park, staying on the major road at all intersections.

[kepPNW]

So you're recommending coming in from the south? When I run routing software from Chelatchie to the TH, it's recommending (probably based on shorter distance?) heading up to Cougar, east, then south...

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[Don Nelsen]

So you're recommending coming in from the south? When I run routing software from Chelatchie to the TH, it's recommending (probably based on shorter distance?) heading up to Cougar, east, then south...

Your map shows the correct way to come in from the north via Cougar. However, if you are already at Chelatchie, it's much shorter to come in from the south. From the Chelatchie store, it is 16.7 miles to the TH from the south but 23.2 if you go north to Cougar first. I wouldn't trust a mapping program once you get into the forest road network. Here's an overview. Gravel roads are blue, paved are white:



dn