It was only last year that the section of the Timberline Trail between Ramona Falls and Top Spur fully reopened from the windstorm on 2021. Unfortunately it looks like that section of trail is going to be closed again for a while because of a Timberline Trail washout. An early report from John Datton has two washouts on that section of the trail. They are marked on there map below. I know that section of the trail well and they were always a little dicey with some step drop off down the gully. The washouts look pretty scary and impassible. So I would advise going back to using the PCT alternate.
The pictures of the washout are courtesy John as well.
I’ve mapped out where the trail is impassable and the alternate on the map below. The damage has been reported to both the Forest Service and the PCTA (who manage trail maintenance on that section of trail).
The two washout are marked with red flags. You can see from the topo map that these are both from areas where there are quite steep gullies. John reports that these washouts are very difficult to near impossible to cross. He crossed the first one – heading from Ramona Falls to Top Spur and regretted having to cross back over it when he came across the second washout, which he basically said was uncrossable. Although it’s hard to tell from the photos, the drop-offs are very steep. So this effectively closes the trail from Ramona Falls to Top Spur, but you can still complete the Timberline Trail using the PCT alternate route that is marked in blue.
Wow! The PCTA have already addressed these two areas and have nicely retreaded the trail. John Datton was back out there to see the repair work and posted these photos.
This is tremendous work by the PCTA and a shout out to all the organizations that maintain the trails. This is a very busy time for trail maintenance – just after the winter and spring weather have had their impacts and the trails are now accessible. Both the PCTA and the TrailKeepers of Oregon do a fantastic job and are very much worthy of support.
