It is an alternate route into the BOW, but I think "shortcut" is in the eye of the beholder. It requires fewer miles of hiking to get to Battle Creek...

I went back yesterday to make another try at finding this trail, and this time I found it. A logging road, now abandoned, destroyed the first 0.4 mil...

I can tell you that Road 6350 from Graham Pass south to the south trailhead for the Rho Ridge trail is completely snow-free. I drove it last Wednesda...

The road to the upper end of the trail, Rd 4696, is open and is a very good road. Very easy access to that area, about 6+ miles from FR 46. That's ...

Regarding that mystery trail east of Battle Creek shelter...I have followed that trail for about 2/3 mile from Elk Lake Creek. I will post some photo...

Kirk, you're not mistaken. It is Burnt Granite.

No, it's not. It's farther east than that.

This trail is not in a wilderness.

Rhododendron Creek trail?

I guess I was right in thinking that it might have something to do with fish, but I haven't seen anything quite like this before. Interesting. Thank...

Grouse Point trail? Looks a lot like the view of the upper end of Cache Meadow from the campsite where the shelter used to be.

I stumbled across this reference to the seed orchard on a forest service website. It doesn't add anything helpful to the story other than to show tha...