By toolbear in October, 2011
Now here is an idea TrailBear likes - a shuttle bus between Rattlesnake Lake trailhead and Hyak.
That means that you can start at the top, do the tunnel, then head downhill to Rattlesnake Lake. The summer schedule is service on Friday - Sunday and holidays. He wants to give this a try in 2012 with his new trike.
From the brochure at the Hyak trailhead...
"Agate Pass Transportation and Washington State Parks again offer Bus Up 90 service along the popular John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Rattlesnake Lake and Hyak trailheads..."
WEBSITE...
"Snoqualmie Shuttle Fall Schedule is now in effect!
Washington's John Wayne Pioneer Trail and Snoqualmie Tunnel are both still open, and we're still shuttling hikers and bikers up to Hyak. You can once again experience the tunnel and trail now that they've reopened after a three year closure! Service will continue until the tunnel closes for the season, or at least until the weather gets too bad, too often.
Plan now to take the shuttle and trail to enjoy spectacular FALL FOLIAGE in the Cascade Range! For an awesome description of the ride through the tunnel, and then on down the trail, visit http://www.mysnovalley.com/?page_id=21
Hike or bike down the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, but save time, fuel, and hassles. Take the Bus-Up! Make your reservations now for 2011 Fall shuttle service between Cedar Falls and Hyak Trailheads.
Fall 2011 Shuttle Schedule:
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, (Labor day, till further notice):
Upbound, Leave Cedar Falls Trailhead at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM.
Downbound*, Leave Hyak Trailhead at 10:00 AM, 12:00 NN, and 2:00 PM.
* Downbound walk-up service is not assured. While it may be available, it is always best to make reservations!
Fares: $22 per person each way, with discounts for military, children under 15, and family groups of 5 or more. Pre-paid reservations are highly recommended, but walk-ups will be accommodated on a space-available basis.
Our online reservation system is not yet operational, however you can make pre-paid reservations by phone, between 9 AM and 5 PM, using your Visa or Mastercard, by calling 1-877-BUS UP 90. (That's 1-877-287-8790.) Each trip can accommodate 21 passengers and bicycles. Additional shuttle services for hikers may also be available."
Ride/bus on!
TrailBear
Do they take trikes? It folds up.
By Eckart in September, 2011
This section of the Iron Horse Trail from South Cle Elum Depot to Tunnel 47, one of the two closed Thorp tunnels, does not see much bicycle or hiking traffic while the tunnel closure continues. Tunnel 50 (Snoqualmie Pass) fortunately has been reopened in July 2011 but is usually closed for several months every winter, starting in November. It is not known if and when Tunnels 46 and 47 will be repaired and re-opened so that we can travel all the way to Ellensburg without having to use a detour.
All trail sections west of Cle Elum have received multiple descriptions posted by other trail users on this TrailLink website, but the section east of Cle Elum has not received much attention. Actually, the section along the Yakima River is so scenic, that it was even included as a hike in "100 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes", 1st Ed. (1985), page 184. I have supplemented this trail report with GPS coordinates and photos in the hope that RTC staff can use them later to add geocoded info to the trail description. The photo number in upper left hand corner is keyed to numbers in [brackets] in this report. I hope that my photos will display in the numbered sequence and not randomly interspersed with the other photos already posted.
A Discover Pass is required to park at the South Cle Elum Depot. Sightseeing at the Depot is worthwhile and has already been described in detail in a posting on this web site by ToolBear on September, 3, 2010.
Going east, the first four miles of trail surface are quite loose gravel, a little more strenuous to ride on than the remaining 8 miles where maintenance trucks have packed the gravel for easier riding. Several culverts under the trail have recently been replaced and those heavy construction trucks helped to pack the trail bed. Actually, for the last part of the 4-mile loose gravel stretch, a road (Lower Peoh Point Rd.) parallels the trail with several driveway connections crossing the trail, and one is tempted to leave the trail and opt for smooth asphalt pavement (as long as you find a connection to lead you back to the trail where the trail and paved road diverge). Starting at the Depot (mile 0, N47.18387, W120.95373, elev. 1932), the trail crosses two streets (6th Street and South Cle Elum Way, but no white stripes on the street mark the trail crossings) and several driveways and at 2.9 mi. comes to a crossing with River Ranch Lane road and the start of detour instructions** [1] [2] (N47.17656, W120.89542, elev. 1900) before the (now dead-ended) trail continues under the freeway I-90. There is a yellow sign with a bicycle and an arrow pointing right and 14.5 MILES (presumably the length of the detour). From here Lower Peoh Point Rd. on the south continues to parallel the trail until you come to a gate [3] at 4.3 mi., N47.16742, W120.86567, el. 1900. (Someone suggested to cheating and parking at this gate and riding from there - there is no designated parking and don't block the gate! There is no designated parking at this location). While up to here the scenery left and right of the trail was not too enticing (pastures and isolated ranch houses), the scenery becomes more dramatic at mile point 5 where the Yakima River and its confluence with the Teanaway River come into view. At 5.3 mi. is the first of three picnic areas with a picnic table [4] N47.16735, W120.84793, el.1860.43. From here on the trail stays mostly within view of the river and sometimes old Highway 10 on the other side of the river. At 6.25 mi. is the second picnic area, Turkey Gulch [5] N47.16489, W120.82948, el.1866. At 7.3 mi. is the third picnic area, Ponderosa [6] N47.15821, W120.81028, el. 1844. At 8.1 mi. the overflow water from an irrigation ditch comes cascading down a steep hillside [7] and spills into the river N47.14769, W120.80868, el. 1813. It looks like a waterslide in an amusement park but it is a bit too steep for my taste and instead of landing in a pool it funnels through a narrow pipe, deadly for sure. Along the trail is an old dilapidated shack [8] and two cattle gates. At 12.5 mi. the trail ends (for now) at Tunnel 47 [9] N47.12250, W120.73223, el.1759. Even at low water, there are no easy bypasses past Tunnel 47 on the river side since the river has carved out a steep cliff [10] and going steeply overland crosses private property. The cement lining on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel is crumbling [11]. There is not much elevation loss between the Depot and here (-180 ft.) and riding back up is easy. It is unfortunate that at no point the trail provides an easy access to the river, presumably because Washington State Parks owns only a narrow strip of land and all land left and right of the old RR grade is still private land. In the future, Washington State Parks should look into acquiring some of the chord-shaped pieces of land between the trail and the river that otherwise have no established access road.
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** Just for those who did not read the detour instructions at
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Iron%20Horse
here is a repeat of what is posted on that web site and at the trailside where the detour starts:
Tunnel 46 and 47 detour directions are as follows:
Eastbound travelers will find a map and detour signs three miles east of Cle Elum.
Follow the yellow bicycle signs with orange flags south off the JWPT.
Westbound travelers from Thorp will find the same detour signs east of Taneum Road; this route is south of the JWPT.
From the west, the detour starts at River Ranch Lane. Travel south to Lower Peoh Point Rd.
Travel east approximately 150 feet to Watson Cutoff Rd.
Turn south on Watson Cutoff Rd to Upper Peoh Point Rd.
Travel east four miles on Upper Peoh Point.
When the road turns to Thorp Prairie Rd., travel east on Thorp Prairie Rd 13 miles to E Taneum Rd.
Then travel northeast on E Taneum Rd. for two miles to the trail crossing.
By gwenandjoe in July, 2011
To me, it's a thigh burner on the way up, but oh so heavenly on the way down. Gorgeous views. Quiet and not at all crowded. "Normal" (somewhat) bathrooms and picnic tables make it nice.