Laurie and I checked off another hike in the 100 Classic Hikes book. Hike number 12, to be exact. Thunder Creek is way up in the North Cascades by Diablo Lake, and the trail stays at a low elevation, which means we didn’t have to deal with any snow.
We went out and back for a total of 14 miles, and never saw a single hiker! Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the bridge across Thunder Creek was obliterated, there was a rope stretched across the trail, and there were several signs implying that the route was impassable. After driving 2 ½ hours to get here, however, we weren’t going to be easily deterred. So, we carefully weaved, twisted, and tiptoed our way across the big logjam until we were safely on the other side. Piece of cake!
The trail gradually became more wild, with several blowdowns and bridgeless streams beyond McAllister Creek. We stopped at Fisher Creek since this looked a tricky crossing, and it seemed like a good enough spot to have lunch and turn around. We had a few rain sprinkles here and there, but it really started pouring once we started to drive home. Got out just in time!
Popularity: 20% [?]
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am
The hike posted on September 2008, seems to have been done in the year of 2005. When the bridges mentioned, were out. However as of September 2008 the bridges were in place. For more trail information visit: http://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/trail-conditions.htm
Thank you,
North Cascades National Park