Greg, I think Bull Pass will "probably" be open, but it might still be snowed in. I haven't driven by there for over three weeks now, but the higher elevations were all still solid snow cap then.
If it's open all the way around, I'd just do the loop - go up Bull Creek and choose your direction at the fork, then keep going till you get back to where you started. Can easily be done in half a day. That's with plenty of stopping. Or head up Crescent Creek and do the same thing - choose your direction at the fork and keep going all the way around.
Campsites... Up high, where I like to be in the Henry's, good campsites are slim and grim. It's just so steep, not many flat places you can pull off. I like Nasty Flat on the west side of Mt. Ellen. By dropping down on any of the many side roads your camping opportunities open up substantially though - basically anywhere that suits you. On any of the sides. If you don't mind developed campgrounds (I mostly avoid them...), you have Lonesome Beaver not too far below Bull Creek Pass. Starr Springs is a long way from there, on the lower reaches of Mt. Hillers on the south side - I actually stayed there about two months ago (first time in a campground in as long as I can remember...), nice enough as developed campgrounds go, I guess. It's a lot lower than Lonesome Beaver though, and a lot further from Mt. Ellen, which is where I prefer to spend my time up there.
Go explore! See what you can see!
Worst case, you get snow blocked from the high country and have to circle around and do a lot of exploring in the lower elevations, but that's totally cool too, especially now, before it gets too hot.
- DAA
