Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Upper Dungeness River
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. The Upper Dungeness River Trail begins right beside the tumbling and crashing river, never letting it out of eyesight or earshot for the entire journey to Camp Handy. Through a magnificent stand of sentinel Douglas-firs-200 feet tall and several hundred years old-the trail is well sheltered. Embrace its air-conditioning effects on warm sunny days and embrace its protecting qualities on overcast ones. A couple of times the trail comes close enough to the river to allow mesmerizing glances into its frothy cascading waters. After 1 meditative mile arrive at a junction. The trail right travels 6.5 miles along Royal Creek to Royal Lake. Turn left instead, crossing Royal Creek on a sturdy log bridge, and immediately enter the Buckhorn Wilderness. Through cool glens of Doug-fir and hemlock, across numerous side creeks, and along seeps spawning salmonberries, the trail parallels the majestic river. Raucous rapids and placid pools entice you to slow down and marvel at the beauty. In 2.6 miles the trail crosses the river. In 2006 the log bridge sustained serious damage from winter runoff. Hopefully the Forest Service has replaced it. If not, cross with caution. Once across, the trail pulls away from the river, the chattering of resident birds no longer drowned out by the thunderous waterway. At 3.2 miles reach an unmarked junction. Head right to a lovely meadow on the Dungeness, home to Camp Handy. If the weather is agreeable, head to the wide gravel bar for views and feet-soaking. If it's raining, take to the shelter. Be prepared, however, to fend off snack-sneaking chipmunks.
Driving Directions:
From the west end of the Hood Canal Bridge, drive State Route 104 to its end and veer north onto US 101. Proceed 16 miles and turn left onto Louella Road (just before reaching the Sequim Bay State Park entrance). In 1 mile turn left on Palo Alto Road, continuing for 6 miles. Bear right at a junction onto Forest Road 2880. The road descends and crosses the Dungeness River, coming to another junction in 1.7 miles, where you turn left on FR 2870. In 2.6 miles bear right at a junction to continue on FR 2870 (formerly called FR 2860). Continue 6.5 miles to the large parking area just past the Dungeness River Bridge. Privy available. Recent Trip Reports
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Upper Dungeness River
— Dec 14, 2011
— FreeTheSun
Day hike
Issues:
Road to trailhead inaccessible
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We also couldn't make it up to the trailhead and turned around about 6 miles from it. A lot of...
We also couldn't make it up to the trailhead and turned around about 6 miles from it. A lot of the snow has compacted and basically become ice. We were in a Toyota Tundra 4WD and ended up slipping around quite a bite. Some chains, or maybe a lot more weight in the back, would make it safer and easier to get to the trailhead. Otherwise I'm sure it'd be a lovely hike. The drive in was at least very scenic. There were also some rocks across the road that had fallen from the hill, and a few blown down trees (but there were thankfully mostly cleared).
Upper Dungeness River
— Nov 26, 2011
— Jujube
Day hike
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Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to the trailhead because of substantial amounts of snow and ice on Forest...
Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to the trailhead because of substantial amounts of snow and ice on Forest Road 2870. We were about 8 miles from the trailhead when it started getting pretty icy and snowy. We put on chains on our low-slung passenger car and continued another couple miles, but the conditions just got worse.
When I talked to folks at the Quilcene Ranger Station in the morning, they had advised us that the snow level was at 2500 feet. I think the trailhead is at 2500 feet, and we were well before the trailhead when the road got bad. I'll call them tomorrow to update their information on FR 2870. In sum, unless there's a thaw first, I wouldn't try getting to the Upper Dungeness trailhead anytime soon in a regular passenger car. Day hike
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail
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With the forecast calling for rain this weekend, we decided to follow the WTA's suggestion for rainy day hikes. While...
With the forecast calling for rain this weekend, we decided to follow the WTA's suggestion for rainy day hikes. While we did not get any rain, it began to snow lightly while we drove up the windy road through the hills. It continued to snow throughout the day leaving only a trace accumulation on the ground in open areas. There were some light patches along the trail but for the most part it remained clear and dry (although there are some muddy spots).
We took our time walking up the trail, stopping every now and then to take pictures. The whole hike was pretty laid back and very peaceful. The air was cold, crisp, and clean, hinting that winter will be arriving soon in the next few weeks. Compared to the other hikes I've done this season, this one was relatively flat so it was nice not having to huff and puff up hills for once. We stopped for lunch at Camp Handy before turning back. Didn't have any problems with bugs and there were only a few other people on the trail today. Definitely the perfect hike for this time of year! Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Bugs
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Two nights at Camp Handy, with a day hike to Goat Lake
Sheldon, Brady, and I enjoyed late-summer sunshine and peace...
Two nights at Camp Handy, with a day hike to Goat Lake
Sheldon, Brady, and I enjoyed late-summer sunshine and peace and quiet along the Upper Dungeness. The Upper Dungeness trail is in great shape, with just a few spots where seeping runoff causes the trail to be muddy. The boot tread to Goat Lake is in fair condition, with several blowdowns, easily crossed. Starting from Camp Handy, our hike to Goat Lake took two hours, and hiking back to Camp Handy required the same amount of time. The banks of the lake are largely melted out. A snow patch remains on the Southeast side of the lake, but the flat areas on the west/northwest side are all melted out. Brady didn’t catch fish but we did talk to a fellow who had caught a trout. One hiker left while we were at the lake; he had apparently camped the night before. We encountered three other day hikers at the lake during our afternoon stay. On our hike back down, we encountered two hikers on their way to stay at Goat Lake for two nights. The smoke from the Big Hump/Duckabush fire blew through at times, lightly obscuring the far-off peaks. Bugs were apparent at the lake, but not overwhelming thanks to a fair breeze. During our hike to and from the lake, we did get swarmed by flies during rest breaks. Bugs at Camp Handy were almost nonexistent. Lupine and other summer wildflowers are still showy up at about 5,400 feet elevation and above. Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Mudholes | Bugs
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A family backpacking trip to Heather Basin, with a day hike to Boulder Camp.
We took our girls and their friend....
A family backpacking trip to Heather Basin, with a day hike to Boulder Camp.
We took our girls and their friend. We camped two nights in the first Heather Basin meadow about ¾ mile from the junction with Upper Dungeness trail. The trails are in great shape. We hiked through just a few slightly muddy / soft sections along the Upper Dungeness trail. We were surprised that the bugs weren’t worse in the Heather meadow. We encountered a few heavy swarms of no-see-ums, and sporadic skeeters and flies. The story is different, however, at Boulder Camp, where we lunched on Sunday. At Boulder, flies abounded at midday. We didn’t see any wildlife larger than birds on this trip, but the wildflowers are abundant, especially above 3,500 feet elevation, and are prolific at Boulder Camp, (elevation ~4,900 according to my map). The large flat camp site near the Dungeness River in Heather Meadow is apparently popular with groups riding horses into the valley, as evidenced by the horse “leavings” on the outskirts of camp. We can handle horse leavings, but we were surprised and dismayed by the human messes backcountry visitors have left in the trees and undergrowth at Boulder Camp and also in camps in Heather Basin. Please help spread the word that hikers – everyone – should Leave No Trace, which means burying human waste in a cathole at least 8 inches deep! Doing one’s business on open ground does not constitute Leave No Trace; it’s unsanitary; can pollute the river we drink from; and it leaves camping areas smelly for subsequent campers! |
The Dungeness River. Photo by Jon Lee.
2010, 2011
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