Hike along a wild river sporting big bends and wide gravel bars that'll have you thinking you're in Alaska. Massive Sitka spruce, gargantuan western hemlocks, and corridors of mossy maples and speckled alders grace the way. Retrace part of the Press Expedition's 1889-90 route across the Olympics, and visit the former site of a lodge that provided warmth and hospitality to trekkers during the 1920s and '30s. Along the North Fork Quinault River, you can embrace the pure wildness and raw beauty of the Olympic rain forest.

Like many trails following rivers deep into the Olympic interior, the first couple miles of the North Fork Quinault River Trail were once a road. Building roads up these narrow, wet valleys was difficult enough, but maintaining them proved to be even more challenging. Winter storms and spring floods have a way of wreaking havoc on them. Over the decades and faced with limited budgets, the Park Service allowed some of these disaster-prone roadbeds to be converted to trail-a plus for wilderness and solitude seekers, but a minus for hikers seeking easier access into the backcountry. The decision to convert, not always met with approval, occasionally induces rifts within the hiking community.

The North Fork Quinault's first 2.6 miles were converted long ago, making for an easy and enjoyable hike to a wide riverbank camping and picnicking spot known as Wolf Bar. Much of the way is right along the roaring river. And as in the past, the river continues to jump its bank, forcing reroutes and new tread to be built.

About 1 mile from the trailhead the first of several side creeks is crossed. While easy during summer, winter rains can make this and the other crossings difficult. At 1.5 miles traverse a huge gravel outwash area arranged with boughs of sword ferns and columns of maples swathed in moss. Next, cross a channel bed that may or may not be flowing. Traverse an alluvial island; then negotiate the channel once more. Now travel over more outwash, through groves of towering old growth and along newly exposed riverbanks.

At 2.6 miles arrive at Wolf Bar, a suitable destination for a shorter hike. Head out on the broad gravel bar for views of the surrounding steep-sided ridges adorned in swirling clouds. When the rain is in remission, worship the sun from this extensive outwash.

Beyond Wolf Bar the trail climbs a terrace, pulling away from the river. On an up-and-down course through thick forest, but always within earshot of the North Fork, the trail winds up the deep valley. At 5 miles, come to Wild Rose Creek, requiring a ford that may be dangerous during high water. The Halfway House site lies just beyond. Now a backcountry campsite, nothing remains of the old lodge. But the area's charm is still in full swing. Find a piece of ledge to sit on to watch the swirling, gurgling river negotiate a narrow chasm.