Three Fingers Access

[JasonG]

It is still closed at the bridge over Canyon Creek, with no plan in sight for replacement. Talked with Peter Forbes about it last week when he was at our office. They are pursuing alternate ways of getting to Tupso Pass over private logging roads.

[SemoreJugs]

I really hope it stays as it is currently. In August 2009, I found it half as crowded as Pilchuk on a sunny weekend day. And its cool to have a better chance at snagging a night in the lookout hut. Great access is usually, but not always a great thing in my book. There are more deserving places to put in road maintenance.

[sambataro]

Doug and I did the Sevenmile Creek approach on Friday 4/17/15. We parked the car at the bridge, hiked 30 min to Sevenmile Creek and headed up the slope about a hundred yards west of the creek crossing over FS Rd 35. We headed up about 400-500 ft gain before we found some new-looking flagging that marked the way until you hit a ridgeline. Once you find the flagging, follow it - that helped a bunch. It was steep, about 2K gain in 0.5 miles, but straightforward with no major bushwacking. Snow slowed us down, but we still reached Goat Flat in 3.5 hours from the car. We headed off towards Tin Can Gap, but postholing past our knees in unconsolidated wet snow turned us around. On the way down, the approach was steeper then we remembered and we lost the flagging a couple times. Towards the end, we hiked out near the creek, which is not advised.

 

Overall, Doug said this approach is shorter and preferred compared to Meadow Mt or Tupso Pass. As long as your partners are comfortable off trail and as long as that bridge is out, it appears to be the best way. Due to its steepness, it will never get a ton of traffic and by no means is this Sevenmile Creek rib approach a trail.

 

Approximate path:

[obwan]

Whoa! Good job guys - sounds like a real bushwack, only with deep wet snow. Awesome! - I've been that way once before, and got lost - GPS saved my ass. One must be in top condition.