Lewis River Falls — Monday, Jul. 12, 2021

There is no doubt, this is a beautiful area; however, you need to plan accordingly.  It is a slow long drive through the forest road an NO, it's not in the town of Cougar.  It's about 30 miles from there.  Yes, the permit parking system is fully enforced.  We didn't know and were turned around to get a permit.  So we drove to the closest area where we could get internet service, the  convince store parking and that  was an additional 22 miles.  Also know that the pass is only good at the location you select.  if you are planning to see all three falls and get the pass for the middle falls, it will add miles to your trip.  Once the parking ordeal was settled, I was able to get a permit for the Crab Creek parking lot.  That is a mile hike to the lower falls.  Very pleasant a long the river and it's a well maintained trail.  Shaded for the most part.  We eventually made it to the higher falls but it took some planning.  Overall, I loved the area but it's a long drive and you definitely need to plan ahead. With no traffic, it took us  almost four hours from Olympia to get back.  I plan to go back some time,  but camp and take advantage of seeing the surrounding areas.