North Fork, Tieton River
WHERE: From I-5 North take US Highway 12 twenty-nine miles east of Packwood to Forest Service Road 12 (Tieton River Road) near Clear Lake on the right. Follow the road to its end following the signs to the trailhead.
THE HIKE: The hike starts at approximately 3,200 feet elevation and stays well above the river passing many creeks and traveling from Montane forests to subalpine forests and meadows. At .2 miles there is a junction with the Tieton meadows trail. If you take the Tieton meadows trail you stay left then immediately right at the next junction .1 miles further. This trail is easy to follow for a few miles but eventually needs route finding skills to reach McCall Basin. It does offer side some bushwacking opportunities to a beautiful meadow well below the basin.
Take a right at the first junction following trail 1118 for one mile and stay on the trail at that junction will take you another 3.7 miles to Tieton pass (4,800 feet elevation). The lower elevations follow Douglass Fir, Hemlock and Yellow Cedar stands intermixed with some, Engleman Spruce and Lodgepole Pine. There is also a lot of Skunk cabbage in the lower elevations especially on the Tieton Meadows trail. At the higher elevations you encounter more Engleman Spruce, Whitebark Pine, Yellow (Alaska) Cedar, and Pacific Silver Fir with stands of Mountain Hemlock at the Highest elevations especially as you merge with the Pacific Crest Trail at 4,800 feet. Follow the PCT for 1.6 miles with many views of the Western side of the crest which would include Mt. Rainier if there isn't cloud cover (which there was unfortunately when I did this hike in early June of 2005). At this point the crest trails will take you near Old Snowy Mountain (Washington's highest point on the PCT). To get to McCall Basin follow the sign on the left trail at the previously mentioned junction. It goes slightly downhill for .5 miles before reaching the Basin where it meanders into several trails in an open meadow with views of Bear Mountain and Tieton Peak. There are several babbling creeks and a waterfall if you continue on several hundred yards. Unfortunately I think the Mountain Goats where at lower elevations still.
At the basin you can use route finding skills in getting back to Tieton Meadows on an old army trail that only partially exists. This was my first trip to Goat Rocks and I was impressed. I cannot wait to do this later in the summer. As an afternote don't forget your tent like I did: It gets cold up there compared to the same elevation on the Western half of the crest.
