Hasn't voted | I haven't been much of a fan of the newer cutoff from the Gold Run Pass trail. It may be a flatter approach but it seems to waste distance doing it, I didn't find it to save any time or effort. I also was disappointed by the manner in which YA Butte has been marred by the trail, and the way it plops one directly into the upper tarn area. The USFS claimed that the old Keep Kool trail was difficult to maintain ( and I suppose it was, though I saw little evidence that they tried ). I will admit that Keep Kool is pretty steep and rugged in places. Still, I find the old trail a more aesthetic progression( even in spite of the recent clear-cut), moving from falls, to the lower meadows, to the lower and upper tarns. In winter or spring, the Keep Kool approach is still the logical choice. Hopefully there's some other die-hards out there who will continue to put their boots to this historic trail and keep it from disappearing completely. For those who wish to find it, the trailhead is at the end of a short spur road that branches sharply left about 3 miles up from the highway. |
North Cascades > Tomyhoi Peak > Additions and Corrections