Lowest Elevation: 3200'
Highest Elevation: 3700' (Looking Glass Lake is just below 5600' while Trail #9 is mostly above 6000')
Trail Length: 4.0 miles (6.4 km)
Trail Traffic: Moderate. This trail is a fairly heavily used access point for hikers planning to camp at Looking Glass Lake. Weekends bring a fair amount of day hikers, campers, and climbers. Midweek on the trails here tend to be much more quiet, and sometimes, no one else is seen en route.
Permits: Display the Northwest Forest Pass on your dashboard or on a mirror at the trail head, which is regularly visited by Forest Service personnel and sheriffs deputies. Also register and carry a wilderness permit while on the trail (The greatest chance of coming across a ranger would be at Looking Glass Lake or on the nearby Trail #9 above it.). If you plan to hike above 7000' or climb on the mountain itself, visit the Mt. Adams Ranger Station in Trout Lake to register with details for your climb and purchase a Cascade Volcanoes Pass.
Water: Boil or Filter all water in this area! Except early in the season, water is not present along much of this trail, although although both Cascade and Salt Creeks have running water into early fall most years. Salt Creek has a high mineral content which increases past mid-summer as snow melt decreases.
Proceed from the trailhead at first along an old roadbed, and then along a quite sandy and dusty trail upon entering the wilderness at about one mile. The trail soon climbs steadily through fairly dense forest at first before entering more clearings about one mile from the wilderness boundary. At this point, glimpse of ponds can be seen downhill to the west. These were largely filled by sedimentation resulting from glacial outburst flooding suring the winter of 2006-07. Past the ponds, the trail ascends more steeply, then descends to follow close to the east bank of Cascade Creek for about one-half mile. The maintained trail ends near the junction of Salt and Cascade Creek. I have not proceeded past this point, but evidently there are trails which can be followed up the Cascade Creek drainage to Looking Glass Lake.
Partial Plant Lists:
June 2, 2007: Salt Creek Trail #75 (along Cascade Creek)