Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Lower South Fork Skokomish 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 South Fork Skokomish River Trail No. 873 immediately gets down to business, making a steep little climb of about 300 feet. Rounding a high bluff above the roaring river below, the trail enters a magnificent old-growth grove of Doug-firs, some over five hundred years old. In 0.4 mile and nearing the crest of the bluff, a spur trail heads right to the Le Bar Creek Horse Camp. Stay on the path left to a series of short, steep switchbacks, dropping back to the valley floor. After hopping across a side creek (at 1 mile) you'll traverse a beautiful glade of mossy maples and alders. More old fir giants are soon encountered, as well as a few stumps of cedar giants that were sent to the mills many years ago. At 2 miles pass a campsite, site of an old ranger guardhouse. A half mile farther you may get your feet wet crossing a side creek in a large outwash. The next creek crossing (at 3 mile), however, comes with a nice bridge. Venturing slightly away from the river you'll pass some old slides and then drop back again toward the roaring waterway and more old growth. Encounter several more creek crossings, a nice cascade, and then at 4.3 miles come to a junction. The trail right leads to FR 2355-100. The short spur left leads to the former site of Camp Comfort. Floods in December of 2007 washed away much of the open river bank here. Contemplate the forces of nature while you assess the damage to this favorite spot of many a day tripper and over-nighter alike. If you have any energy left, continue along the trail for another 0.75 mile to an incredible overlook of the river on a bluff high above a big bend. Note from WTA user: If you should consider hiking beyond the scenic overlook to the ford across the river at ~9.0 miles be prepared for serious bushwacking. There are multiple blowdowns, massive trail washouts, and generally difficult hiking or mountain biking conditions.
Driving Directions:
From Shelton travel north on US 101 for 7 miles, turning left (west) at milepost 340 onto Skokomish Valley Road (signed "Skokomish Recreation Area"). Follow this good paved road for 5.5 miles, bearing right at a V intersection onto Forest Road 23. In 1 mile the pavement ends; in another 1.5 miles it resumes; and in another mile enter Olympic National Forest. Continue for 6 miles on FR 23 to a signed junction and turn right onto FR 2353. In 0.5 mile cross the South Fork Skokomish River, coming to a four-way intersection. Turn left, continuing on FR 2353 for 0.3 mile to the trailhead. Privy available. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns | Water on trail
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This was a really enjoyable river hike. We had to take it slow because of my wife's new cancer...
This was a really enjoyable river hike. We had to take it slow because of my wife's new cancer in her hip so only made it about 2/3 of the way to Camp Comfort. We left about 11:30am and got back close to 4pm. The road to the trailhead is mostly paved and in great condition.
There were some big blowdowns, but they have decent detours. Our dog did have trouble getting past one of them. We did accidentally veer off onto an unmarked, but well traveled side trail that cost us 40 minutes. The intersection I think is around mile 2. A highly recommended winter day hike if you want to avoid snow. Overnight
Issues:
Blowdowns | Mudholes | Water on trail
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Overnight at Camp Comfort, with an extra excursion about 4 miles round trip farther along the Lower South Fork Skokomish...
Overnight at Camp Comfort, with an extra excursion about 4 miles round trip farther along the Lower South Fork Skokomish trail
After discovering that the Duckabush Trail was closed, Chris and I settled on this trail as our Plan B. There are three very large blowdowns within the first mile or so from the trailhead; the first two are fairly difficult to navigate around or over. Apart from a few minor puddles/mudholes, the other challenges are past Camp Comfort – another blowdown that you can pass by ducking under, and a bridge at about the 5.8-mile mark that has fallen about 2 feet on one side. It can be crossed with caution, and the nearby sign advises bike and horse riders to dismount. Alongside the trail (but not on it), we saw only a very few tiny patches of snow remaining. We had no issues accessing the trailhead or parking area. The bridges and trail leading to Camp Comfort (the first 4 miles of the trail) are all sturdy and in amazing shape (thanks, WTA volunteers, donors, and others!) Some of the most delightful sights and scenes on this trip were the variety of forest (sometimes deciduous, sometimes coniferous, sometimes mixed), the displays of heavy mosses on trees and forest floor alike, and the scarce but impressive views of the river and its winding course. One of the best views is from the bluff along the trail not far past Camp Comfort. We were the only souls overnighting as far as we could tell, but we saw several day hikers both Saturday and Sunday. Also, on Saturday, we encountered two very nice mountain bikers who were using their handsaw to remove small limbs from the blowdowns to make the way a bit more passable for everyone. I was somewhat surprised by the number of people we saw. It may be that this trail is fairly popular, especially for a low-elevation December ramble or ride. It may also be that the forecast for no rain drew a lot of people outdoors this weekend! Day hike
Issues:
Blowdowns
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We hiked in to the third new bridge and returned. The old growth forest is outstanding and we hope...
We hiked in to the third new bridge and returned. The old growth forest is outstanding and we hope that someday it will be designated as a wilderness area. The recent rains have caused all of the side streams to overflow - which created some intereesting crossing challenges. There is a huge old growth tree down on the trail in the downslope area after the initial high bluff. It will be a big chore to clear it.
Day hike
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Another great river hike in the olympics. The roads were very icey to this hike and spider lake, made it...
Another great river hike in the olympics. The roads were very icey to this hike and spider lake, made it no problem but took it slow. It was awsome to be out today.
Day hike
Features:
Ripe berries
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We hiked from the 'end' to the 'beginning' of the trail. At about 2 miles or less we waded...
We hiked from the 'end' to the 'beginning' of the trail. At about 2 miles or less we waded the river. It wasn't too deep but I hadn't taken river-crossing footwear so had to complete the hike with wet boots. A WTA crew had been working there during the past 2 weeks as the route finding we had to do 2 weeks ago was no longer a problem. Brush had been cut out and a log removed to make a perfectly easy trail to follow. Thanks, WTA. We found masses of chicken in the woods mushrooms, a few blackberries, blueberries and huckleberries. Most of the flowers are gone. One vine maple has changed colors. We met a fellow who was biking the trail, crossing the river, and then biking the 20 miles back to his car. A fine day in the Olympics.
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Old growth trees along the Lower South Fork Skokomish River. Photo by Eric Jain.
2010, 2011
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