Access   Darrington:  About:  Access     In early June 2011 the main fork of the Clear Creek Road was reopened following blockage by slide damage, miles short of the crags. The road is open to the approaches for Exfoliation Dome and Three O'Clock Rock. However, the road toward The Comb and Green Giant Buttress deteriorates after the Three O'Clock Rock trailhead so the classic climb, Dreamer, requires a longer approach than it used to. As recently as a few years ago, the Forest Service was proposing to gate the roads to Exfoliation Dome and to Green Giant Buttress, and the trail to Three O'Clock Rock had all but disappeared where it approaches the crag. However, climbers wrote letters generally objecting to the road closures and voicing an active interest in working with the Darrington district headquarters to keep the area open. In 2005, the Clear Creek road was blocked by a major washout about four miles short of the closest climbing destination, Three O'Clock Rock. Initially, the Forest Service decided not to re-open the road, but a letter writing and telephone campaign spearheaded by the Washington Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund, two climbers' access advocacy groups, succeeded in getting this decision reversed. Thank you to all who helped with letters and telephone calls. In 2000 and 2001, the Access Fund, The North Face, and the Washington Trails Association (WTA) sponsored work parties on the Eightmile Creek trail. In 2003, a Forest Service trail crew or contractor performed further maintenance on up toward Squire Creek Pass. In 2006, the Everett Mountaineers sponsored a trail project targetting that portion of the trail leading to Three O'Clock Rock. The Forest Service has a very limited budget for road and trail maintenance but your support can make a difference. Please contact the WTA to sign up for trail project or contact the Access Fund and the Washington Climbers Coalition to offer support for, donate to, or get directly involved in efforts to promote and perserve access to Washington climbing areas. The recreational management staff in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, and the local staff at the Darrington Ranger Station have been helful and responsive in dealing with related concerns. Letters of support for continued roadway and trail maintenance may be helpful there as well.       Jacob’s Ladder, photo by Matt Perkins