May 2019
A buddy and I have been wanting to get up this trail and decided to make the drive from Bellingham to check it out. We had a great time. The lower trail before it crosses the road was completely open but we got to impassible snow around 4600 feet. We will be back again to complete this trip.
The lower section is fairly uneventful. Easy going with some tight spots. This is marked on the map as 4wd trail. That is accurate. Depending on time of year and traffic will determine your day. Pinstripes are guaranteed. All-in-All a great easy trail. Extra clearance is nice but might not be a must if you have spotters. We found it to be worth airing down not only for some comfort but the added traction in places was nice.
The upper section to Gallagher Head Lake was snowed in so we were unable to make it to the Lake. The section we did get through was not to technical and mostly just a trial. Again, high clearance made this relatively easy. However, there were a couple of spots that some scraping did happen.
The Van Epps section was my favorite. The whole trail was washed out and just rocks. They were small and no issue but there a few boulders here and there to have to get around. This trail was also steeper. Feels like you are always headed up the mountain side. Again, snow stopped our progression but we had a great time.
