Has anyone done much backpacking in the Nyack/Coal Creek camping zone? I've done backpacking trips in most of the other areas of the park, but havent been in the Nyack/Coal Creek zone and I'm wondering if the views there are worth the more difficult cross country travel.
The only part of the "loop" I would be wary about is the section from Nyack creek to Coal creek, as it was virtually non-existent in a few places closer to Nyack creek, and that was a few years ago so it is likely even worse now.
The rest of the hiking is actually quite easy (as long as there are no trees down, can't emphasize enough checking if trail crew was in there last year) since the only pass it goes over is surprise pass.
FWIW, I have done this loop 4 times and it is one of my favorite places in the park to hike. The alpine scenery is nowhere near say a Hole-in-the-Wall or Fifty Mountain kind of hike, but the fires from 2015 should have opened up some of the forest and it is empty.
Don't kid yourself about that crossing of the middle fork Flathead though, it won't be fordable until mid-July this year. It is also about 50 yards of thigh deep water (at the Nyack entry).
I haven't done this either, but I am curious how the fire from 2-summers ago affected things. I've wondered if it may have opened up views that didn't exist from the trail previously... and it may not have. But it seems reasonable.