South Fork Cascade River

A hidden gem revealed! The South Fork Cascade Trail was in the Mineral Park Fire of 2003, but recent efforts by WTA crews and other volunteer organizations have helped reopen a section of it, and continue to repair it.

The trail begins about a mile after the Mineral Springs campgrounds, just around a sharp switchback. All that marks the trailhead is a metal gate and a place to pull over and park.

Beginning on an abandoned road, a visible but overgrown path leads along the road to where the trail begins. The trail once led to the junction of the middle and south fork of the Cascade river, a washed out bridge and a trail junction with a climbers route to the Ptarmigan Traverse, which allows hikers to bypass Cascade Pass.

After the road walk, the true trail begins on a bench high above the river. The tread has been recently rebenched, thanks to volunteer efforts. The trail meanders down to the river, and some tread had been restored.

This new trail is a nice alternative to the Cascade Pass trail. The scenery is not as large scale grand, but it is a beautiful trail with mountain views and a destination lunch spot by the river. The trail that once was on the other side of the river had been deemed too dangerous, due to dead standing timber, for volunteer groups to work in, so it may be a while before it is restored to its former status.