Trail Report: North Fork Drainage — early July conditions

Snowpack was heavy this winter, and it’s coming down late. As of this week the North Fork drainage crossings — the three fords between Elkhorn Junction and the Switchback approach — are running higher and colder than we’d like for a normal early-July week. This isn’t a “stay off the trail” report. It’s a “here’s what we’re doing about it” report.

What we’re seeing. The lower ford at Elkhorn Junction is knee-deep and moving fast on the far bank where the channel narrows. The middle crossing near the old cabin site is fine — wide and slow, no concerns there. The upper ford, right before the Switchback climb starts, is the one giving us pause: cold water, slick rock underfoot, and a current that’s stronger than it looks from the bank.

What we’re rerouting. For any trip with the North Fork on the itinerary this week, guides are swapping the upper ford for the horse-trail bypass that climbs the east side and rejoins the main trail above the crossing. It adds about 40 minutes and a couple hundred feet of extra gain, but it keeps boots dry and keeps everyone off water we don’t love the feel of right now. Day-hike groups doing the out-and-back to the cabin site aren’t affected — that itinerary never touches the upper ford.

What this means for you. If you’re booked on a North Fork or Switchback-approach trip in the next week or two, your guide will walk the reroute with you at the trailhead briefing. Bring trekking poles if you’ve got them — even on the bypass there are a couple of short, loose sections. If snowmelt keeps up at this pace we expect the upper ford to mellow out by mid-July, and we’ll post an update here when it does.

The short version: the mountain doesn’t care about our itinerary, so we don’t force it. We reroute around water we don’t trust, every time, no exceptions. That’s not us being cautious for the sake of it — it’s just how we’ve kept people dry and upright for years out here.

Questions about a specific trip this week? Call the office and we’ll walk you through exactly what your route looks like.