Trip Reports

Excellent short hike this time of year. There was a lot of fall color, plus some clearing of the clouds allowed good views to the south of the Olympic Peninsula.

This hike is steep and a little slippery but well maintained. On a Sunday, I only saw 3 other people on the trail - not bad for a hike that is only 30 miles from the Puyallup/Sumner area.

The trail is well-marked & easy to follow. It is steep enough to provide a decent workout. No bugs, lots of birds, some hunters off in the distance. Wear orange if you do this one during hunting season. It is about 3 hours (give or take) from the gate parking area to the top and back.

Yes, it is dog friendly (on leash).

First off, ignore the WA-7 closed ahead signs when you get to Eatonville. Don't take the detour. The entrance to Pack Forest is right before the road closed sign.
We didn't actually hike the Hugo Peak trail, but we hiked several other trails in the forest. We parked just before the gate on 1000 road, then hiked up the road a little way to an unmarked trail on the right. We followed this trai/road in a little way and found the intersection with the Wildlife trail which we followed to the Resevoir Trail. We saw some of what I think were Cougar tracks along the trail, my pictures came out horrible or I would post them here. Something to keep in mind.
The Resevoir Trail is great, a little steep in places and some blowdowns, but a really pretty hike. There are also some interpretive signs along the way that really help you "see" what you are looking at.
At the top of the Resevoir Trail (near Kirkland Pass) we took the one mile hike along the Trail of The Giants. There are some amazing trees here that are hundreds of years old, parts of the trail has you actually walking on huge fallen trees.
We then hiked back along the road back towards Kirkland Pass, where we took the "Advanced" Horse trail. This is a very steep, rocky trail. There are also some serious mud holes along the trail too. I don't know anything at all about horses, but I couldn't imagine a horse going down this hill on such a narrow trail.
Near the end of the horse trail there is some serious mud and muck, which is mixed with lots of horse poop. My husband in boots made in through okay, but I was wearing Five Fingers. Let's just say, they went into the wash as soon as we got home.
Sound a little confusing? Yeah, get a free map when you first enter the Forest, you could be in there for days if you don't.

I had a business meeting Saturday morning in Puyallup so afterward I continued south to Pack Forest. A drizzly day with moments of sunshine. I saw only one group on 4 other hikers in 6 1/2 hours. A nice long loop of 13.5 miles with 2650' of elevation gain. Wildflowers are in bloom in many places. I made a first visit to the New Forestry Trail. It could use more boots as the tread is being swallowed up by low brush.

As always I finished the day with a visit to Little Mashel Falls. More water coming over the falls than I have seen. Thanks to the four kids I met at the falls I made a first time trip behind a waterfall (video included). This forest makes for a fine hike with few people, lots of looping roads and trails, and a nice falls.

I have posted a more detailed report including 36 annotated photos, two videos, and a GPS track on my site at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2012" on the left margin.

With another semi-sunny weekend upon us, we decided to check out Little Mashel Falls, next to the Pack Forest.The trail was a bit rough, but the falls were full of water and were well worth the trip.

A shortish hike in an area I had not been before, Pack Forest offers a number of walking/hiking opportunities while the high country and most moderately high trails (above 2500 feet) are snow bound.

The gate to the experimental/teaching forest was open but we parked in an area just beyond the gate and walked up to the main administration/teaching area and then took road 1000 to the right to the Hugo Peak trail.

The road was open to vehicles but we only saw one car, a van, at Kirkland Pass.

The Hugo Peak trail is moderately steep with a fair number of steps but the best way to experience the forest. Some sections of the trail appeared to be in regrowth while others were mature forest.

There are limited views from Hugo Peak but some nice benches on which to sit and have lunch.

Bring bug juice for this hike, mosquitos and small flies were in abundance at Hugo Peak and on Road 1000 back down to the vehicles. Tom shared his bug juice with a number of us and some mountain bikers we met on the way back down.

The weather we had was great, cloudy, cool but no rain.

Tom suggested dinner at the Copper Creek Inn, a great choice with excellent food (I had the beef stew) and friendly staff. This was a great way to end our day of walking.

This week we headed out to Pack Forest, an old favorite from our childhood. It had been years since we wandered along Pack Forest’s trails and we thought it would make for a decent winter hike. After doing a little research and plotting out a rough route, we packed up and headed out to Eatonville.

Pack Forest is always open, and almost always free of snow in the winter. While some of the trails can be a little challenging, forest roads can take a hiker nearly anywhere in the park. With minimal elevation gain and easy access, this is a great pick for winter walks, hiking with youngsters or bringing out the dog for an adventure. We suggest that you bring along a map, as the multiple roads and trails can be confusing, and maps are not always available from the Gatehouse in the winter. If you make it out to Pack Forest, we highly recommend you take the time to head out to the waterfalls, which are well worth the trip.

Check out the full report at:

http://www.hikingwithmybrot[…]ttle-mashel-falls-hugo.html

Jer

Pack Forest is located near Eatonvile, drive Hwy 161 through Eatonville to Hwy 7 or drive Hwy 7 direct from Tacoma. At .2 miles south on 7 from the junction is the Pack Forest entry. We decided to hike to the Little Mashel Falls. From the entry gate we drove up 1/4 mile to the parking lot left of the administration building. To get to the trail walk left from the administration bldg, signed "Lathrop Drive, Murphy's Ranch". Proceed on Rd. 1000 North about 1.8 miles. The road is flat then starts up hillgradually and eventually comes to a Y on the road. Go left. It is supposed to be Road 1070, but there is no sign there. Go 1/4 mile until you come to a rock on the left that says Falls with an arrow pointing to the path. Follow the muddy path. It will take you through a patch of tall grass, then more mud. The path will eventually descend down the hill. The path will Y, take the path on the right, do not continue down the hill. Continue on the flat path until it Y's again. Take the trail to the left and start down. There is a trail to the right that will take you to the top of the Bridal Veil Falls. There are deep pools below the upper. Return back on the trail and watch on the right for an obscure track that drops down. There will be steps going down, down, down. Turn right to the rock-slab pools at the base of Bridal Veil Falls. The Falls always amaze me. Very well worth seeing. It's about 4 miles round-trip.

Pack Forest is also a great place to take your dog for a walk. Rd. 1000 is a 5.1 mile loop. Very beautiful.

UW Pack Forest is closein, free, and great for a rainy day, or if you are alone. Few hazards...Got another copy of the map,took 1000 road left (west) from parking lot...then got onto 1300 road, steep uphill (along this road heard some large creature walking along a stream beside road loud splashing as it/he (?) walked along it...I got very quiet and made my way past uphill. Turned left and went along 1335 road to Bethel Peak (where the cell towers are) had lunch looking at the valley and farms (clouded in)...returned by way of going downhill at end of road...at bottom found horse trail and followed that to 1070 road, passed a nice grove of bleeding hearts; passed Mashel River/falls (very very loud and forceful now), and so back to 1000 road and trailhead. Saw several deer (white rumped).

Audrey, I and bobbie dog picked up the Hugo Peak trail just off the outer gate parking lot that was not open when we arrived at 10am. A clearly marked trail made this short 2.5 m but rigorous hike a joy on this clear calm day. Mostly views of trees but a small clearing gave you a nice view of the valley. An extended hike 1 m through the valley of the giants was really impressive with trail brochures available at the trail head.

TUUC Intrepids, The Bobster, Eric, and I (tatooshie) got the gate key for pack forest 1000 road, and drove the 3 mi to Kirkland Pass in this, the UW Pack forest enclave (UW experimental forest which is open to public (best on wknds)), and hiked the Trail of the Giants (1 mi or so loop through rare old growth cedar,spruce, fir, hemlock)...magnificent trees! Also wonderful lichens, liverworts,many types of ferns. No rain fell, although the wind came up. We then hiked the 3 mi loop 2000 road, peekaboo views of foothills and possibly Puget sound to east. Still some great autumn colors. Also hunters, wear bright colors! This is a great hike when you need a mud-less trail or road! Thanks, Pack Forest! Another good point is it's proximity to south sound/I5---it is just east of Meridian S. and Mtn Highway intersection.

Pack Forest is just outside of Eatonville off of HWY 7. There are a couple ways to get on the Hugo Peak trail, including right by the gatehouse or up the road at the Campus parking via the hugo Peak Connector Trail. I took the latter, the connector being about 1/2 mile long. The trail crosses the Eastern Railroad Grade, and then starts climbing. About 940 feet over 2 miles to the top from there according to the trail map. This is an interpretive trail, however there wern't any interpretive handouts so I had to use my imagination at each of the numbered signs. The trail opens up at one point as it crosses a clearcut area. This is the best view on this hike. It was overcast with low clouds, so I could see down into the valley of autumn colors but not far enough to recognize any major landmarks. There are several wooden boardwalks covered with wire mesh, which was definitely necessary for traction. Near the top, the trail intersects a dirt road (1081) which leads about another 1/4 mile to the top. There are a couple benches and a peek-a-boo view. The best part of the hike was all the birdlife. It was really quiet for a Sunday afternoon, so I saw juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, a sapsucker, varied thrush, towhees, and kinglets. I did finally see a father with his 2 kids as I was coming down. About a 1 hour 20 minute round trip which included a few stops.

Six people and one dog went to Hugo Peak. The trail was in pretty good shape, needs some pruning. Only encountered one other party. The flies at the peak were agressive and biting.

Hiking partner Goober Canari e-mailed me an article about Hugo Falls in the Pack Forest area owned by University of Washington. After my initial reaction of, huh?, I read on. Also went on Pack Forest website where there is a map and descriptions of the trails/roads in the area. Robert Michelson's trip report on this site from last year gives good info on Pack Forest. It is near Eatonville off of Mt Hwy (7). I got back to Goober and we decided this sounded like a good Spring hike. We hit the upper trailhead by 8 AM. There were maps at the trailhead. We started out on the south 1000 road until it bisected the Hugo Peak trail. There is some elevation gain and the trail is somewhat steep at first. The trail ends at an intersection with roads 1080 and 1081. We took 1081 a short distance to the summit. There are limited views of the valley below and partial Olympic range. There is also a register which we signed. Hugo Peak brought back fond memories from HS of Tommy "Hugo" Tomal. Before you say, huh?, note that would be exactly Hugo's response. We continued back to 1080 road and took the Reservoir Trail. There were some large (standing and downed) trees on the trail. The large blowdown was easy to traverse over. The 1060, 1000, and 1070 roads respectively take you to the (Little Mashel) Falls Trail. There was one clearing along the road with a spectacular view of Mt Rainier. The Falls Trail is not very long, but a bit muddy. We went to the Middle Falls which had a lot of water crashing down. Nice cool spot for a break. We retraced our route back but took a couple of side trails (Regeneration and Wildlife). We briefly spotted a dear on the Wildlife Trail. Also coralroot. Watch out for nettles on part of this trail! We either made one wrong turn or one of the roads was mis-signed. Either way, it was a short backtrack and we were on 1000 road north, which took us back to our car. Overall, the roads and trails are well signed and marked. We did not see anyone on the trails/roads all day until just before returning (2 ladies out for a stroll) even though the weather was perfect. I recommend this hike for families or adults. Good Spring exercise.

Hiking partner Goober Canari e-mailed me an article about Hugo Peak in the Pack Forest area owned by University of Washington. After my initial reaction of, huh?, I read on. Also went on Pack Forest website where there is a map and descriptions of the trails/roads in the area. Robert Michelson's trip report on this site from last year gives good info on Pack Forest. It is near Eatonville off of Mt Hwy (7). I got back to Goober and we decided this sounded like a good Spring hike and we were off.

We hit the upper trailhead by 8 AM. There were maps at the trailhead. We started out on the south 1000 road until it bisected the Hugo Peak trail. There is some elevation gain and the trail is somewhat steep at first. The trail ends at an intersection with roads 1080 and 1081. We took 1081 Road a short distance to the summit. There are limited views of the valley below and partial Olympic range. There is also a register which we signed. Hugo Peak brought back fond memories from HS of Tommy "Hugo" Tomal. Before you say, huh?, note that would be exactly Hugo's response. We continued back to 1080 road and took the Reservoir Trail. There were some large (standing and downed) trees on the trail. The large blowdown was easy to traverse over. The 1060, 1000, and 1070 roads respectively take you to the (Little Mashel) Falls Trail. There was one clearing along the road with a spectacular view of Mt Rainier. The Falls Trail is not very long, but a bit muddy. We went to the Middle Falls which had a lot of water crashing down. Nice cool spot for a break. We retraced our route back but took a couple of side trails (Regeneration and Wildlife). We briefly spotted a dear on the Wildlife Trail. Also coralroot. Watch out for nettles on part of this trail! We either made one wrong turn or one of the roads was mis-signed. Either way, it was a short backtrack and we were on 1000 road north, which took us back to our car. Overall, the roads and trails are well signed and marked. We did not see anyone on the trails/roads all day until just before returning (2 ladies out for a stroll) even though the weather was perfect. I recommend this hike for families or adults. Good Spring exercise.