This trail is an awesome one. I first hiked it back in the mid 80's. Back then the road continued beyond the washed out bridge and came to an end at the river. It is amazing how quickly the road is going back to nature. In some places you can't even tell it was a road. This time of year there is a lot of muddy areas and small run off streams but nothing deeper than your ankles.

About a mile in you have to cross the river and after a week of rain it was a bit deeper than I figured it would be. There used to be a set of cables you could use to cross but those are long gone. There are logs that span the river but they were not very accessable, so I had to just wade across. I'm 5'10" and the water was up to my crotch and pretty swift. Getting across with my pack was a bit of fun.

The next mile or so used to be a road also but how long ago im not sure. It was overgrown with alders in the 80's. My step father told me people used to live up there and my first trip through there as a kid I had found spots with old floor boards and even an old wood stove that was full of bullet holes. Over all it is a pretty easy trail to follow.

At this point you have to cross the river again and it is much easier to cross. On this side the trail gets a bit harder to see but you can still clearly see it for quit a ways. Again the first time through here as a kid there used to be a cabin about 40 yards up the trail from the river. It said Pine Flats Mining on it and there was a claim post outside. Inside we found pieces of newspaper from world war 2. Some time in the late 80's it was tore down.

Past this point it gets harder to see the trail in a lot of places and starts climbing. I didn't go much further than this my last trip so I can't say how the trail is further up since I haven't travelled it in 8 years or better.

The wild flowers were just starting to bloom but in the summer they are everywhere. In the summer months you will also find all sorts of berries. In the fall there are lots of hazel nuts. Wild life is very plentiful. As far as bigger animals go there are lots of deer, some elk and I've seen sign of bear but have never actually seen one. Luckily just tracks, mauled berry bushes and droppings. It's a very secluded trail and if you like the sound of the river and not much else I highly recomend it.

Trail in good cond. Very beautiful, the Lewis River with the color turning of the trees. We went to La Center bottoms and followed the river 2.2 mile rt.

As the other trip reports indicate, the East Fork Lewis Trail (#139) is a tricky one to find. The bumpy drive along Forest Service Road 42 is likely impossible if you don't have a high clearance vehicle and even if you do, you're forced to go pretty slowly. In the directions listed above, it should be noted that if you are coming from Sunset Campground, the parking area for the trail will be 5 miles down Forest Service road 42 on your right, not your left.

Due to time constraints on my end I wasn't able to hike the whole trail, but got far enough in to experience the two river crossings. There are some big trees along the first one that make for easy crossing, and the second one has a piece of parachute chord that was strung along above a log that can be used as a good means to steady yourself for the second crossing. However, if you're feeling nervous about crossing on a log, the water is calm enough and shallow enough to walk across, as long as you don't mind getting a little wet.

I went another two miles towards the summit and the trail in there could use some widening and bench cutting in some sections.

The trail is a nice peaceful hike with some great views. It's too bad that its a challenging one to get to, but if you've got the car I would definitely recommend checking it out!

The East Fork trail (#139) isn't easy to find by any means. If you are not paying attention you may miss it. However, I suspect you will be paying attention as the road conditions prevent anyone from going very fast. The trail head is practically unmarked. A short brown post is all that remains of the trail head sign. The post is next to the gate for the 559 Rd, which is also unmarked. If you have a map it isn't too difficult to figure out.

The trail itself is in rough shape. It needs work. Even so, it is easy to follow and may offer some beautiful views. I was there in cloud cover so it was difficult to tell. Though, I believe the cloud cover offers a distinctive beauty that cannot be found any other way.

Right now this whole area is flushed with Huckleberries as well as pickers. While on this trail I heard some loud crashing noises very close and getting closer so at a certain point I felt uncomfortable and turned back. I noticed some claw marks on a few trees. Berries=Bears?

I came in from Vancouver and went through sunset falls campground up the 41 Rd. This road is pretty bad. It took about 45 minutes to do 13 miles. I went out toward Carson down the 43 Rd. The way out was much better. It may be the better way to go.

All in all, I really did enjoy this trail. There is camping near by and it would be a great overnight destination.