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Trip Report    

Day Hike - Middle Fork Snoqualmie River

8 of us had a fabulous time hiking to Dingford Creek Bridge and back with clear, crisp conditions, over/around/under 42 blowdowns, and across 33 bridges and walkways. A beautiful trail in need of some TLC.

Courtenay Schurman Courtenay Schurman
January 20, 2026
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • I enjoyed this hike so much in November that I had to offer it again. And I was not disappointed. Despite the fact that we clambered over, under, and around 42 blowdowns (I counted on the trip back) and across 33 boardwalks or bridges, this trail delighted us all.

    There was no TP at this trailhead this morning, but at least the rodent/critter issue from last week (when I led Pratt River Trail) was no longer evident. The road into the Middle Fork still has one-way closure and one-car-at-a-time from road repair, but it IS open. 

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    Beware of frozen bridges and logs, they are SLICK. The ice and frost definitely added to the "wow" factor on this trip. Also pay attention to some undercut areas near the river; I would guess this trail has another year or two before massive flooding will take out portions of the trail if nothing is done this year.

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    A beautiful trail that needs some TLC. We opted NOT to go down by "river access" on the way back based on a scouting report by one of our participants from the week before. Given Revive-I-5 I think we all agreed it was a wise decision to leave a bit earlier than intended. It was fun to see how people handled the blow downs; butts, bellies, bumps on the head - everyone was safe and we all had a great time.

When 8 of us arrived at 7:30 there was only one other car parked in the parking lot; by the time we returned at 2:10 there were 11. We headed out at 7:47 for a trip all the way to Dingford Creek Bridge and back, stopping at the water crossing both times and at the campground on the way back for a 20-minute lunch.

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Not as many mushrooms as the November trip I led but the blue skies, mosses, and frost made up for it. Plan for extra time navigating the 42 blowdowns; 5 of them need some time, the rest are duck-unders, step-overs, or walk arounds. Watch closely for ice (and icicles!) We even heard a pair climbing (yelling "Rock!") and saw one dog (a Frenchie) and about 8-9 other people on the day. Most of the others must have been doing one of the shorter Middle Fork hikes.

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The new-to-me today was the bizarre rhyme ice formations on lichen. And number of blowdowns. I counted them rather than birds (only 8 species on the day). Lovely Tuesdays with Court hike. I'm definitely keeping it on my winter rotation.