NOTE from late July, 2011: The McMurdo Creek FSR is very rough in spots.
Synopsis: Easy hike, idyllic setting, loooong approach. (Of course, if it wasn't at the end of the proverbial 40 miles of bad road, it would be utterly overrun, wouldn't it?)
Access: From the lights in Golden, drive south on Highway 95 and turn right on the Parson River Crossing road. Set your odometer to 0k at the Radio Call sign. Cross the Columbia River and its back channels on the three bridges and head up the hill on the Spillimacheen FSR. Do not turn right on to Thomas Road or left on to Sanborn Road.
There are many branches off this road, but stay on the main road. At 17 km, take the north fork (straight ahead.) At 45.8 km, turn left on the McMurdo Creek FSR and cross the river on a bridge. (This is the first left after the very sharp corner.) Follow the road for another 10.4 km. It is rough and muddy in spots. At 56.2K, the bridge is gone, and you need to make sure you don't drive into the creek. The road turns rocky and grassy with a slight rise, but there is no other indication the bridge is gone, so pay attention. If you want, you can check out a road on the left that lets you drive through the creek. It's a bit sketchy. Otherwise, park on the left side of the road in the wide spot, just before the bypass road.
Trailhead: Descend to the creek and cross on the precarious plank, or rock-hop.
Trail: Follow the skid trail from 850 metres until you come to a junction. There is a vertical post that shows McMurdo Hut is to the left and Silent Pass to the right. Follow the old logging road to the right for another 1.9 km. It climbs to the right, and then switchbacks to the left. When you reach the landing at the end of road, go to the end of the landing and follow the very obvious track that climbs sharply up the hill on your right. This is the second steepest stretch on the trail.
The trail winds through the forest and is fairly easy to follow. After about 800 metres, you will come to a section where a wide path has been slashed through the trees. The slash has been carefully positioned to fill holes between rocks. This is the snowmobile trail. The altered surface makes smooth sledding but terrible hiking. At this point, the hiking trail turns sharply to the left. Look for it.
The trail then enters a flat, boggy meadow where the track is faint before the final climb to the pass, up a lightly treed draw on the left. Once in the pass area, the trail heads to the west end of the meadows, past several smaller lakes, to Silent Lake.
If you follow the trail around the lake, you can gain the height of land and look over at the peaks on the west side of the Duncan River, including the Battle Group and Schooner Ridge.
Cautions: