Capitol State Forest - Porter Falls — Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020

Check out this video showcasing the hike from this day: https://youtu.be/kS9xQVGS3e0

I started the hike at about 11 AM. There were 4 other cars at the trailhead but I didn't see anyone. A few other cars were parked sporadically on the road but I have no idea what they were doing because they parked quite far from the trailhead. Even though there were a few cars at the trailhead, I only saw two people on the trail. 

On this day, there were a few fallen branches on the road but nothing big. They can be easily driven over. The main difficulty of the drive resulted from the condition of the road. Once you hit the park's land it's almost all gravel roads until you hit the trailhead. There were rocks but small and manageable. The main annoyances came from all the potholes. Since it's been raining, the potholes were essentially all filled so it was hard to gauge their depth. I drove a Toyota Corolla today and was able to pretty much dodge and drive over all obstacles. That being said and if I could go back, I would've taken my truck. It would've made going through the park roads much easier and faster.

As far as the hike, it's very manageable. About one mile each way with little elevation gain. Going to the falls, it seemed like all the elevation gain was at the beginning. Coming back, all the elevation gain was near the falls. 

The trail was in overall good condition. There was only one stretch of land that was covered in mud. Some of it was enough to try and pull your shoes in. 

The Porter Falls itself was ok. It isn't one of those giant waterfalls but more of a small drop. Still, it was a pretty nice place to be. The fallen trees really added to the scenery for me. 

Overall, I think it's a worthwhile day trip if you're looking for something short and don't require much effort.

There's one other thing that I wanted to note. Walking on the trail I kept hearing engines rev as if people were racing down the roads. Getting back to the parking lot, there was a group of people with their quads. They were speeding around the parked cars. The parking space is essentially dirt and gravel so you can imagine all that being picked up and thrown at the parked cars. Extremely inconsiderate. I doubt this is the norm but it obviously does happen. 

For me, aside from the inconsiderate people in the parking lot, it was an overall enjoyable experience. I don't know if I would do the hike again, but I think it's worth a one time try. 

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.youtube.com/HaiTran
• https://www.HaiHoangTran.com