Trip Reports

This hike was today, July 4, 2008. Your date pulldown needs updating.

Yesterday the road to Staircase opened and ONP, Staircase is in operation. The trail crews have been at work on the North Fork of the Skokomish trail, but so has the weather. Within the 1st quarter mile, where the old road climbed a bluff, the river has reclaimed enough of the road that a new 50 yd. trail has been built back in the woods. The trail is in good shape to the Flapjack Lakes trailhead. From there to Big Log, the trail is pretty good, with only a few logs to climb over. The bridge over Donahue Creek has been washed out and not replaced. However some stone hopping and log scrambling gets you across.

Past Big log, there has been less work. Things are fine to the high bridge over the Skokomish at the Six Ridge trail junction and for another 1/2 mile or so. A small creek descends the western side of the river and it has brought down a big gravel and stone slide that has wiped out the trail in spots. You can pick your way through the slide alder and such and it should be flagged pretty soon. However closer to Camp Pleasant, the river has taken out increasing stretches of the trail and about .1 mile before Camp Pleasant, the trail appears impassable. The river has cut the trail away where it skirted a steep bank and the slope is now blocked by a big downed log, whose roots overhang the river. The slope is very steep, with Devils Club and the log is quite large. Perhaps the only way around is to scale the valley wall and work around above the spot, but who knows what lies beyond. It will be interesting to see how much of Camp Pleasant the river left. The VIP ranger was just getting up the trail today and will access the blockage. There were a lot of parties who thought they were headed to Camp Pleasant, so maybe some of them will force a way trail, or maybe not. Better check with the Park before planning a trip up the Skoke to see how they resolve this one.

I tried this hike a couple weeks ago but the road was closed to Staircase due to SNOW!! We made it this time, and there was no snow, and it was actually quite warm. There were a few patches of snow, maybe a half dozen with one or 2 patches on the trail. I took two women that I work with, who don't hike, and they were amazed at the beauty of the Olympics (and were sore the next day!). It's so nice to share that place with other people! It might be an easy hike, but it's one of the most beautiful places I know of.

No bugs, and no rain! This is the perfect season to hike in - non-hikers think the weather is too crappy, and I certainly am not going to tell them otherwise... I find it incredibly peaceful!

I did not actually go anywhere, but I did talk to 2 rangers today so I thought I'd pass along information for those of you wanting a low-level snow free hike.

You're not going to find it here! Apparently there are over 6 inches of snow at the T in the road after you leave Hoodsport, where you turn left to get to the dirt road leading to Staircase, and the road is closed. It is very icy, I was told. The ranger said we were free to park our car and walk in, but there was another report from yesterday of the same 6 inches at the campground and because it's been so cold and there has been no new snow, it is all compact, and very slick.

I bet it's still beautiful though! We are opting not to go, but my itch to get in the woods is so great we may end up there soon, probably by next weekend.

Our small group of Olympia mountaineers started off on a 3-day backpack trip to Camp Pleasant on Saturday morning. We did all our registering and paid for our bear cannisters (they told us the bear wire was down- it is up, but we're happy to make donations to the park). The hike in to Camp Pleasant was beautiful and uneventful. All the bridges are in. That evening we were treated to a little show by a deer and two fawns. The little fawns zipped around the camp area like 5-year olds and mom waited patiently for them to calm down. They didn't seem to be bothered by our presence. A real treat!

On Sunday we set off for First Divide and marvelled at how many microclimates we passed through on our 3,000 feet of gain. There are a few snow patches remaining but nothing to worry about. There are a lot of flowers above 4,000' including a peach-colored Columbine. We enjoyed the views at First Divide and even took a nap, then made our way back down to camp. There were some unusual mosquitos in that they buzzed around us but didn't bite much. I am normally a mosquito magnet but only got bitten a few times. On Monday morning, we reluctantly packed out under beautiful clear skies and hurried out to Hoodsport to eat ice cream.

The Staircase area has some snow, but on a sunny day, it was pleasant walking up the north and south side of the Skokomish River from the road end. Normally, I would have walked the loop and crossed the river on the footbridge, but the weather has been very hard on this area, and the bridge has been washed away. So I hiked up and back on the south side, explored a side trail to the biggest fallen cedar I have ever seen, and then hiked up the north side to the bridge washout. It was twice as far as it would have been with the bridge in place, but well worth the effort. You could keep going on the north side to really stretch your legs, as there is only 3 or 4 inches of snow, no need for snowshoes at this elevation. It is worth the trip just for the solitude, which the guru was craving on this gorgeous winter day. There were a couple of minor blowdowns that were easily crossed. Somebody can let us know when the bridge is repaired.

This, as always, was a beautiful short hike. I had my mother-in-law with us, and a 5 year old, so we just went up the south side of the trail (next to the Red Reef & Dolly Pool) up to a rocky beach just past the bridge (will they ever fix that????). It was a perfect day, and we left the trailhead at 10:30 and didn't run into that many people, considering, until we headed back to the car around 2:00. The bugs were something else, though, I feel like I have the chicken pox, I am itching all over today. My son, however, 10 months old and strapped to my back, has not a mark on him. Mosquitos must not like babies!

What was I thinking? Planning a winter Mountaineer hike in the rain forest! I just wanted people to get off the couches and hike. And boy was I glad. Although it rained our entire drive to the trailhead, the weather was dry with sunbreaks the entire hike. We started our hike at the Staircase area and were planning on hiking along the North Fork Skokomish to the Flapjack Trailhead. Can I repeat that it was a nice dry hike in the rain forest? The moss-covered trees were so different from our views in the cascades. We started our hike at 10:40 and by 12:00 ran into a water crossing that gave us two choices of getting across. One was to ford the water and definately have wet boots. The water was running fast and the stability of the rocks were uncomfortable for some. The second choice was to walk across a downed tree which hung about 10 to 15 feet above the creek. That was uncomfortable for some, but most importantly, uncomfortable for me the leader. So we lunched at the creek making the decision to stop short of our planned destination. But wait...that doesn't mean our hiking has to end. We ate our lunch and hiked back out with the intention of hiking the other side of the river to Staircase Rapids. And that's what we did. This side is so much more beautiful than the other, and it is a very short hike. We made it back to our vehicles around 3 p.m. and after 8 miles of easy hiking. We ended the day at a restaurant and almost got food poisoning. But that's another story for my Mountaineer friends to talk about on another Mountaineer hike.

I've been trying to get one of my friends out hiking with me and it finally happened. I invited him and his 7 year old and 3 year old to join myself, another friend and her 7 year old. I chose the staircase rapids area because the trail is easy, flat and very pretty. I gave the kids disposable cameras and memory books to capture their time on the hike. We had a visual scavenger hunt which included identifying the plants and animal scat (if any). I think the girls got into it. The hike itself was beautiful and lush. All along the hike you can either see and/or hear the river that parallels the trail. At one point, we were next to beautiful rapids, but the children were in blissful delight over the ""waterfall"" in the water drainage along the trail. Go figure :-) The 3 year old did great on his first hike...he walked almost the entire 2 miles roundtrip except for when he tripped and needed daddy to comfort him with a ""carry."" We had our lunch break at the bridge and the 7 year olds colored and wrote in their memory books. The wind started to pick up and to get the kids moving we jokingly said a storm was a brewing...let's get a move on. The 3 year old took over and kept us moving by shouting, ""the storm is coming, the storm is coming."" ""The storm"" never arrived and it was a beautiful sunny day the entire day. The only animal scat we identified was the 3 year olds poop that we measured and took out of the forest with us for futher experimentation (to see if the public sewer system works). It was great to have the two 7 year old girls with us to entertain each other, especially on the ride back home. We adults were worn-out. I highly recommend this hike for little children. I am glad we didn't go during the height of the summer season...it can get crowded.

Traveled up to ole Lake Cushman and the Staircase Campground for a little rest and relaxation, both of which are a little harder to achieve at Staircase this time of year. The sign at the Ranger Station should read: Please turn off your car stereo while you are in the park! Thankfully the primitive dirt road up to Staircase serves to scare off our friends from LowRidersville. Spend a week in the backcountry and then venture into a State or National Park campground and you will know what I mean. Other than that, the campground was in great shape and the rangers were out in force. A recommended car camping trip if you can time it right.

Anyway, we headed up the south side of the Staircase trail past the Big Cedar (which actually had fallen down a couple of years back)and up to the bridge above Staircase Rapids. Lots of day hikers on the trail but the BRIDGE IS OUT so don't plan on making the full 3 mile or so loop back around to the Staircase campground. The North Fork of the Skokomish River is lower than normal and one Ranger even suggested fording the river just above the washed out bridge to get across and actually make the loop. We didn't and I wouldn't suggest this method except for the abnormally low level of the river. The bridge is expected to be fully repaired by Fall of 2001.

If your camping at Staircase, try taking the guided Ranger tour of the Shady Lane Nature Trail, which is fun for the whole family. This short trail ventures down the North Fork of the Skokomish River across from the Staircase campground and back.

Forgot to mention, hardly a bug in site...

Happy Trails...

crazy weather on april fools day , was snowing on the way into the trail head. fortunitly the sun was shining when we arrived on the trail. the river was spectacular w/ run off water. the bridge is still missing , so we cont.. to beaver flats and had a quick lunch in the sun with clouds rolling in fast we decided to head out, we arrived back at the parking lot with a slight drizzle.

Due to the nasty weather of the penninsula this year, we finally were able to make it out for our first hike of the season! Staircase has always been a wonderful first-hike-of-the-year outing. We traversed into the beautiful summer day on a fabulous 7 mile hike to Camp Pleasant. The flora and fauna were amazing! There were traces of snow at Donahue Creek(4.7 miles or so in), with rumors of 7-8 feet of snow .5 miles beyond Camp Pleasant. The trip was great, and all of the fallen trees have been taken care of. There's nothing like the Olympics on a beautiful summer day!

With all of the snow in the mountains I figured a trail with an elevation of 1000ft or so should be snow free. I was wrong. Even with the snow the trail is passable. Hiked up to the burn area and a little beyond. The snow was starting to get deeper and softer (late in the day) so we turned back. It was a pleasant day none the less. It was good to get out into the trees after a long wet winter. The bridge going over the river at staircase rapids has been damaged. It buckled under the weight of the snow at mid span. The bridge was made out of fiberglass. I guess nobody figured on that much snow at 1000 ft. Se ya on the trail.

The Staircase trail is always a
sure thing for a day hike, varied terrain and gorgeous in any weather. Today was sunny, mild temperatures, midweek so only a couple cars in parking lot. We like to start the loop on the west side of the river, it's made for strolling, almost as mossy and green as the rainforests. The collossal cedar that graces the loop has come down recently. Even more reason to visit this area, it must be more than 10 feet in diameter, and is a fresh fall. An awesome, sobering sight. Trail towards Flapjack intersection clear, mild grade. Slushy, shallow snow covers trail just past Flapjack intersection. This trail is really something on a clear day. you get a few great views of surrounding peaks, and more frequently sunrays lighting up the mossy trees, creating golden-green haloes. A real treat for two visiting NW natives temporarily displaced in Iowa.

Staircase Trail free of snow for at least
the first 4 miles. Two blow downs along this stretch. Easily navigated. Trail to Flapjack Lakes snowfree until 1 1/2 miles before lakes. Snowshoes required at about 1 1/4 miles from lakes. Lakes covered with at least 6 feet of snow.