Timberline Trail

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Is it safe to hike timberline trail as early as July? I had heard where there is a fair amount of snow pack still left on the trail making it difficult to stay on the trail. In addition, many of the rivers are still raging and difficult to cross due to snow melt etc. Has anyone hiked it this early? Would they recommend it to a moderately experienced hiker? Thanks

Isn't part of the trail still washed out? I head that it wasn't going to be repaired. Please let me know if it is fully navigable again. Thanks! And, do be careful crossing rivers especially this year. My friend and I hiked this trail two years ago in July and they were treacherous - several snow bridges with water running underneath. Definitely take trekking poles to help with crossings and try to time them for the morning if possible before you are tired from backpacking ten miles. These pictures are from July 2006:

Hope you get to hike this trail....it's a beautiful experience!

In a normal year I think it's possible, there would be some areas with snow but it should be doable, especially past the middle of the month. This year is a different story with the extremely high snow pack. I always check the snotel site (http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/maps/oregon sitemap.html) for good snow depth information. I think currently, at 5,000 feet there is still over 100 inches of snow right now so it may be sometime in August before the trails will be open.