Washburn Lake to Red Devil Lake Via Red Peak Fork?

[Pbattler]

Have any of you hiked from Washburn Lake to Red Devil Lake via Red Peak Fork? I am planning a backpack trip with my boys (they'll be 12 and 14) for next summer. The current itinerary has us going from Washburn Lake to Red Devil Lake on one of the days. If we follow the trail it'll be about 10.5 miles which is similar to the longest day they've done with full packs. If we go cross country up Red Peak Fork it's more like 4.5 miles. I can see some of the challenges of the cross country route on the map (e.g., the steep climb off the trail into Red Peak Fork, a mile or so after leaving Washburn Lake). What I cannot tell from the map is whether there might be an informal "use" trail, how thick the vegetation might be, if loose rock or multiple river crossings make the cross country route more trouble than it is worth. Any thoughts?