A MTSG group gathers for work on the new Mailbox trail
National Trails Day on Mailbox Peak
Granite Creek bridge railings
An old deteriorating log stringer bridge crossing Granite Creek was pulled out last year during the DNR road-to-trail conversion of the Granite Lakes trail last fall. Concrete pads were poured for a pedestrian bridge that will sit far above the creek even at high water, but it will not be installed until this fall, or possibly spring 2014. In the meantime, a temporary bridge constructed from pieces of the old log stringers was put into place. Last winter it was at times a hazardous crossing, especially when icy. Now railings have been added which should provide for a secure crossing until the new bridge arrives.
New railings for a safer crossing (photo by bikejr)
Temporary stringers shortly after trail conversion
Top is flattened, but still hazardous when icy (photo by Richard Perkins)
2012 creek crossing on old log stringer bridge
2012 view of old bridge from below
Spring grading completed
The Forest Service graded the remainder of the Middle Fork road to Dingford during the first week of April, 2013. What was probably the worst pothole season ever has come to an end.
Grader blade
Smooth road at Camp Brown
Smooth ride to Bessemer
The gravelled and graded road has been extended as far as the Bessemer Road at MP 7.3. Beyond that it’s pothole city to the Dingford turnoff.
Grader returning after working on another mile of road just beyond the concrete bridge
Another mile graded
The road is getting better bit by bit. Another mile had gravel added and was graded today, making it a decent ride for the first 6.2 miles (2.5 of which are paved). This probably means King County will keep going for another 1.5 miles to the yellow gate. Hopefully the Forest Service will work on the last 5 miles to the Taylor Bridge soon — even one mile in the current condition is slow and hard on cars.
Grader returning after working on another mile of road just beyond the concrete bridge
2013 Peak Flow?
On March 13, 2013 the Middle Fork river flowed briefly at 7,000 cubic feet per second. A significant amount, but well below flood stage.
Has the Middle Fork River had it’s peak flow for the year? As of March 15, it’s been a mild year for river flow levels. That’s a good thing because extreme levels cause wash-outs and road closures. Check out the graph below and decide for yourself. The top of the blue band is the 95th percentile river level for each day over the last 51 years. Excluding the top 5% river level readings eliminates the rare flood events and gives a more “usual” sense of when the river flow can peak. The bottom of the blue band is the absolute minimum, and since it’s not dangerous, except maybe to fish, there’s no reason to use a percentile there.
Middle Fork Snoqualmie TANW1 river flow statistics as of 2013/03/15
Music is Will Be Arriving by Brokeback, available from Song Of the Day, Apple and Amazon.
Road graded to concrete bridge
During the first few months of 2013 the Middle Fork road has been as bad as it ever gets. There have been suspicions that maybe King County was conserving maintenance dollars because of the pending construction, but that doesn’t start for another year. However, in early March the road was graded and had gravel dumped on it as far as the concrete bridge at MP 5. Beyond that it’s still terrible, only getting slightly better after crossing the Taylor River and turning south to Dingford (still some snow on that section though, but driveable).
End of pavement before grading
End of pavement after grading
Rock slide blocks road to Hardscrabble
Some time this spring as the upper Middle Fork Valley melted out, tons of rocks fell from cliffs just over a mile from the Hardscrabble trailhead. A few of the rocks are too large to be pushed or winched off the road, so blasting is planned for sometime in the first half of August, 2013. Expect both the road and Middle Fork trail beyond Goldmyer to be closed. The trail passes directly under the rock slide site so hikers and bikers would be in the line of fire of huge boulders rolling down the side of the valley.
Under the 2005 Access and Travel Management plan, the Forest Service is “required to perform all maintenance required on the segment used as a National Forest System trail.” In this case that probably means clearing enough rocks for a 40″ wide passage. Some of the inholder’s mining claims are beyond the rock slide, so they may assist with the cost of clearing a wider path to maintain access for vehicles. This rock slide is several miles beyond the Goldmyer turn-off, so access to the hot springs is not affected.
Even a gate key won’t get you to the Hardscrabble trailhead. Photo by chiwakum@nwhikers.net
Possible origin of slide
Location of 2013 rock slide near Hardscrabble trailhead
From 2005 ATM plan (emphasis mine) — Access to Mining Claimants on Road 5600
Mining Claimants will be given a key to the Dingford Creek gate and granted motorized access to their mining claims.
- They will not be required to perform maintenance, but will be allowed—at their choice and expense—to complete routine maintenance that will allow their continued motorized access. This will include cutting falling trees, removing rocks or brushing the private road/trail.
- If other than routine maintenance will be needed for their continued motorized access, claimants will first propose the work to the Forest Service, via either a notice of intent or a plan of operations related to their mining claims.
- Any work will be considered to be an integral part of their mining activity and will be process under the Forest Service’s mining regulations at 36 CFR 228, subpart A.
Paving project open house
Potholes
Notes and materials from the previous open houses are posted on the paving project website, and not much new was presented at this meeting. However, the schedule is getting more definite:
- 2013: The project is anticipated to be awarded in the fall
- 2014: Active construction from late April through October
- 2015: Active construction from late April through October
- 2016: The actual paving will occur from late April through July
Construction will only take place between Monday’s at noon and end each week Friday at noon. During construction the Middle Fork Road beyond Valley Camp will be closed to all non construction vehicle traffic.
Milepost 10 bridge
Construction traffic will stay off the lower couplet road (SE Middle Fork). Once construction is complete the Lake Dorothy road (upper couplet road) will be repaired to the condition it was in prior to construction beginning. No upgrade or improvements will be done on either of the roads in the couplet area.
There was much discussion regarding slowing traffic down on the entire road length, access, traffic, and the exit 34 area. The design speed for the proposed project is 35 mph with an expected posted speed limit of 30 mph.
FHWA road diagram
Pratt River Bar trail proposal
Precarious crossing to Pratt River bar trail
The Forest Service has proposed improved access to the Pratt river bar, including a new bridge across a creek and a toilet. Currently the trail to the river bar requires negotiating a few carefully balanced steps on logs spanning a small creek, then deciding which of several gravelly paths to follow to reach the river.
In their words this project will “provide safe access to the Pratt Bar, by converting 1,100 ft. of closed non-system road to a USFS system trail. A 35-40 foot bridge would be constructed over a creek and a toilet and trailhead sign would be installed in the existing parking lot.” The comment period ends in March, 2013. Funding for this work is pending approval of a package of enhancements associated with the FHWA paving project.
photo by Mark Griffith
New toilet facilities along the Middle Fork road are always welcome. This old model near the bar follows the privacy-by-obscurity model — good luck finding it!
Pratt Valley view from the bar
Dispersed campsite by the river bar
Based on the number of fire pits, this is a popular area for dispersed camping and for good reason — the views on both sides of the river are outstanding. During low water periods, it’s also a short-cut to the Pratt River valley if you’re willing to ford the river.
Pratt River bar trail proposal map
Note: The Google satellite imagery has an offset error for most of the Pratt River valley and some outside of it. That’s why the annotations on this map are off. The line for the road and other items are correct, the satellite imagery is shifted north.
View Pratt River Bar trail in a larger map
PDF archive of the Forest Service proposal