Boulder River
Last modified
Oct 23, 2009 03:33 PM
Contributors:
Dahlia, sharonmattnadia
Boulder River waterfall by Bama Rose.
A good hike any time of year, the trail is perfect for beating summer heat, enjoying winter rain, savoring autumn color, or being wooed by waterfalls that are swollen with spring rain. One thing about this trail remains constant: the trees. Whatever the season, you'll travel through a forest that has defied time. Boulder River's moss-draped giants represent one of the last remaining large, low-country old-growth forests in the Cascades. Protected within the nearly 49,000-acre Boulder River Wilderness, these ancient trees are as impressive as the wild river they embrace. Recent Trip Reports
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Boulder River
— Nov 29, 2008
— Kim Brown
Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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There's a pretty gnarly sinkhole on the road starting at about 1 mile from the trailhead. It's on the...
There's a pretty gnarly sinkhole on the road starting at about 1 mile from the trailhead. It's on the creek side of the road, and is corraled off by a make-shift stick-&-flagging-tape crib.
When you get to the clearcut area nearest the trailhead, watch for it. OK for cars & trucks to get around now, but the mud on the side of the road might become mookey and slick with time, so I don't know what folks will have to deal with in weeks to come. Trail in typical Boulder River trail condition; from great tread to boot-sucking mud - but a joy to hike, as always. A brand new Boulder River Wilderness, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie NF sign has been installed - but they mispelled "Snoqualmie." * * Ha! Just joking. Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes
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French Creek Road to the trail head is passable by passenger car. That is all that can be said...
French Creek Road to the trail head is passable by passenger car. That is all that can be said in its favor. It is really in dreadful shape.
On a Wednesday, we had the entire trail to ourselves. A kindred mushroom hunting soul had clearly been there the day before and cleared out most of the hedgehog mushrooms. There was a huge variety of mushrooms. Candy caps and sulfur tufts were ubiquitous, and many others popped up occasionally - yellow foot, oyster, Zeller's bolete, violet cort, grisette, fluted black elfin saddle, bear's head, toothed jelly fungus, and many we couldn't identify. In addition to the double falls (actually triple falls when we were there) at mile 1.25, there is an even more glorious waterfall at about 3 to 3 1/2 miles. The trail is in pretty good shape. It starts out quite broad and even (old logging road), although some of it does seem to be undermined. No serious mud until after the second falls, but then you'll want your hiking boots. Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes
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Driving up the highway it was incredibly tempting to throw caution to the wind and hike up high for some...
Driving up the highway it was incredibly tempting to throw caution to the wind and hike up high for some views, but I forced myself to be good and stick to lowland trails for another week while my knee gets back to strength. Back to Boulder River, one year to the day since my last visit. This time I brought my tripod along since it was a significantly drier day.
I was surprised to see seven other cars at the trailhead on arrival! It turned out to be a boy-scout backpacking trip along with several other parties camping out too. I wandered up the trail at my normal sluggish pace, dropping down to the river level at Feature Show falls for some photos. I dinked around here for a long time until the sun rose high enough over the ridge to spoil my fun. It's a very pretty trail on a bright day but much more atmospheric under clouds. Goofing around with my macro lens I actually hit my turnaround time of 1pm, surprising give it isn't a hard trip. No matter though, the end of the trail is pretty anticlimactic, petering out at the river. The river was really raging and I found enough mushrooms and other small things to keep me busy. I made the return trip in significantly less time. Boulder falls was really raging loud, tempting me to drop down there, but I left for later to give myself a reason to return. Trail conditions: Road to trailhead has some potholes, drive careful. One spot where the road passes through the clearcut looks like it might be a little undermined. Trail is very muddy in the last half and a little slick. Some small creek crossings are running above boot-depth. Trekking poles helpful. Full trip photos here: http://www.pbase.com/billcat/boulderriver2
Boulder River #734
— Jul 22, 2008
— Chuck Gustafson
Day hike
Issues:
Bugs
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Cloudy and light mist on and off all day with tops of peaks obscured in the clouds. Tread in excellent...
Cloudy and light mist on and off all day with tops of peaks obscured in the clouds. Tread in excellent condition except for some stream crossings damaged in prior storms. A few wet sections, but few had deep mud if you were reasonably careful. Mosquitoes were out, but not much of a problem today. No signs at the parking lot that there was even a trail, but they appeared further up the trail. Trail register was damaged beyond repair. Car window glass in the parking made us nervous. We saw no one all day until the last 20 minutes. Stats were 9 miles, 1,200' gross elev. and 6 hours at a leisurely pace. Day hike
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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What a great day for a hike. 80 degrees, sunny and hardly anyone was on the trail today. I started...
What a great day for a hike. 80 degrees, sunny and hardly anyone was on the trail today. I started late (2pm) but was only the 4th person/group to sign in at the trail head. I passed the first group just after I left the trail head, the next at the falls, and the third about half way to the end of the trail. After that I didn't see anyone until just before getting back to the falls (a young couple on their way up to camp on the river). I had the falls all to my self for a nice lunch break. My dog enjoyed being able to romp around in the water. The trail is in pretty good shape. There is water and mud periodically on the second half of the trail. I was wishing I brought a tent with me as there are a couple of great campsites right on the river at the end of the trail. I was off the trail at 6:30. I stopped a lot to take pictures and water my dog. I also took breaks at the falls and the end to let my dog cool off in the river. I did Otter Falls last week and this hike was another great low land, forest/river hike, with impressive waterfalls. There are many places along the trail where you can see out to the river below and the hills on the other side, but on a hot sunny day the shade was very welcoming. |
Driving Directions
Take exit 208 off of I-5 and drive 4 miles east on State Route 530 to Arlington, and then continue east on SR 530 for 20 more miles. At milepost 41, near a subdivision, turn right onto Forest Road 2010 (French Creek Road) and continue for 3.7 miles to the trailhead (elev. 950 ft). Privy available at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources campground 2.8 miles east. |
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