Back in December 2024, I met a Forest Ranger and a couple of guys near the trailhead. They’d been surveying the North Loop between the trail junction and the falls, assessing changes to the trail, as it had become eroded and rough in places. That work looks to have been completed, and the start of the South loop has been rerouted too. According to my GPS, this junction is located a tenth of a mile from the old trail junction. For the North Loop, take a left, for the South Loop go straight on.
My only concern about this change is that the most popular route for ‘Sunday afternoon hikers,’ the North Loop to the Falls and back, is not clearly identified. There is no mention of North/South Loops or the falls on the signs to help people who don’t have maps or know the area. Wildernesses are not supposed to have blazes and signs, but more blazes and signs seem to be appearing all the time. This has been driven by a need to cut rescue efforts and costs, as cell phones embolden people to venture out without the correct preparations and gear. So, leaving the trail names off these signs, to me, defeats the reason for having them in the first place.
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