FR 23 from Randle to Trout Lake

Man, what a bunch of fine route finders!!<br><br>A few years ago I tried on a whim to drive the route (Trout Lake to Randle) while returning to Seattle from a business trip to Portland.<br><br>Fully prepared with a 1/4 tank of fuel and a laminated state map I hit the road.<br><br>I was probably lost within 6 miles. Be warned, there are many, many spurs. The place is a maze of logging roads.<br><br>But the terrain is pretty great once you master the art of ignoring the blight of clearcutting. It definitely is much better than I5. Just have a full tank and know your route.

FS 23 rocks!<br>Just got done w a madcap trip where I drove it both there and back in 24 hours to get to Adams. Took only 3:45 from Kirkland/Redmond to Trout Lake, which has got to be at least 45 min faster than going around via 5 and 84. It's not a typical forest road. Much of the road can be driven at 50 mph and is paved. The 11 miles of unpaved is reasonably typical dirt road and will slow you down but it is pretty. Not even that much traffic on a July 4 weekend. And the views of N side Adams are outrageous.<br>It is also extremely well signed including lots of mile markers. It would be hard to get lost on now, other than that it is NOT signed when you come directly down the Adams wilderness before Trout Lake, where there is a very sharp R turn to get onto it.<br>The road up to the South climb proper, now that is another matter. That road is really annoying ...

FS 23 is indeed a fine driving route from Trout Lake to Randal.  Sunset views are incredible.  The clincher for me was spying the road from Pikers' Peak and imagining the view from the road.<br><br>I echo the statements made by wolfs.<br><br>As far as eats go the Chevron in Morton has a Subway that was open at 10:30pm on the 4th.<br>

Another reason that FR23 rocks is that it is windy enough to keep you awake behind the wheel, something that is usually a concern for me after a solid trip. I took FR23 to Hwy12, then Hwy7 from Morton back to Tacoma. Never felt noddy at all. I would have been battling my eyelids the whole way back had I gone the interstate route.<br><br>The views of Adams alone are worth the drive. Just watch out for unmarked corners. Countless times you'll be driving at 55 mph and a 25 mph corner will come out of nowhere...

Best reason for going south to 14, then the interstate is the Mexican restaurant in Skamania!

Last year ron j suggested ( thread here ) another backroads variation:<br>

FS Rd 23 appears by the map to be the shortest to Trout Lk, opens later in the year and is at least 50% dirt, some of it single lane. The other route [FS Rds 25/90/88] opens earlier in the year, is 95% paved and all 2 lane and thus a much nicer drive (and I believe faster) than Rd 23.

<br><br>Anyone else have experience with this route, and maybe Ron could add some more details?