Roman went hiking April 8, 2012 6.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

Cedar Falls - Cedar Mtn - PCT little loop

2

Finally did this little loop - started from Aldrich Butte TH and went clockwise. There is a trail/use path for maybe 95% of the way and where obscure it was well flagged so its not a bushwhack per se. However, it turned out to be a lot more elevation gain than I expected - I'd rate it harder than nearby Hamilton Mtn. I didn't have to deal with brush or snow at all, just several steep ups and downs and minimal route finding.

Cedar Falls is beautiful now in high water. The scramble along Cedar ridge is very interesting with many small meadows and nice drop-offs (be careful though as dropoffs are not solid rock but rather gravel glued with clay/sand - it's not a good idea to stand on the edge). Many grass widow flowers in places. We spooked more than a dozen of elk just north of Cedar Mtn but didn't have time to take a picture. Lots of cougar sign along the route.

Approx. route Cedar Falls Small falls just above Big Cedar Falls Scramble up Cedar Mtn - hiking along the edge Grass widows As many grass widows per square yard as I've ever seen (though it was a small patch like this) The narrow meadow runs - with few interruptions - along the top of the ridge Hamilton Creek drainage and North Bonneville East face of Hamilton Manzanita flowers Cathole - a sign of cougar Another, very fresh cathole - looks like we spooked an animal in the middle of the job? 8-/ Here's general condition of trail N of Cedar Mtn - though faint it was well flagged and easy to see Rock formations near Table Mtn Once we hit PCT near Westway kiosk for Table, we took the trail back down to the car

Trail Talk

2 people have hearted this trip.

Nat Turner · April 9, 2012

I've looked at this from the top, where the intersection with table connects.

Walked a bit down the meadow ridge to that 1st campfire area.

Where did you pick up the trail from the lower startpoint, thought of descending from Table that way, but you climbed up.

Just follow the power-line west, and look for a use trail on the right?

Roman · April 10, 2012

Well the key to finding that trail from lower start point is taking the correct road - one road runs west under the powerlines and another, just uphill, runs in the trees parallel to the powerlines. You need one in the trees - hike for about 10 minutes on it (maybe less) and look for a trail on the right where terrain flats out a bit. It's a good trail but kind of hard to spot from the road. May be easier to do the loop in the opposite direction (descending from Table) for the first time.

The trail by campfire you checked is the only non-flagged portion of the traverse (not counting a couple of flags near Table intersection), but if you start from there just go down the ridge and you'll hit flagged route at the bottom.