Dosewallips River Road — Sunday, Sep. 5, 2021

What a great spot for shoulder season camping, and an easy drive from Tacoma! We stayed one night at the Dosewallips campground 6.5 miles into the old Dosewallips River Road. There weren't too many cars parked at the end of the road on Labor Day Sunday, so parking was easy. We saw light foot and bike traffic on the trail, so I guess the bike is a good way to get deeper in faster! The trail is an easy, flat roadbed for the first mile. At the (unsigned) washout where you can go up and over, or down by the river, we chose the river route. It was rocky, but short and easy on foot (would be tough with a bike-- you'd end up carrying it). At 2 miles, you hit Elkhorn campground. There are plenty of big well-worn riverfront camp spots with picnic tables and fire pits. Beyond Elkhorn, the road skirts the river, then heads with a gentle grade up through the canyon. The forest changes character a few times, and you can see burn remnants from the Constance fire. Just beyond a bridge there is a sign for Lake Constance.

The trail passes a lovely waterfall to the left and steep cliffs to the right as it heads up a little more past a bend in the river. A little further up, you'll hit unsigned Dosewallips campground at the horse hitch. It is a lovely, flat area with TONS of campsites. It's super-cool to see how nature has started to reclaim many of the picnic tables that appear to have gone unused for years. There are probably a dozen flat riverfront campsites, half of them out in the open and the other half with forest surrounding for more privacy. Plenty of flat spots through the meadow as well. The river water has a blueish/turquoise  hue at times, which is gorgeous. The trees, many appear to be large old-growth, are lush with moss and hanging moss both evergreen and deciduous. The facilities as well as the pit toilet appeared to be in disrepair, so you should plan on digging a hole for waste. Bear lockers are prominent, although we brought our bear canister just in case. No sign of wildlife other than squirrels and chipmunks while we were there.

We were 1 of 2 parties that stayed the night, which was surprising given it was a holiday weekend. The sound of the river made for a peaceful sleep, and the whole place seemed eerily secluded. Given the amount of campspots available and the seemingly light use, I'll definitely be back for worry-free glampbacking (we're not used to having fire pits, bbq grates and picnic tables in the back country. What a treat!)

Oh, and you don't need to sign in or pre-reserve the campground. It is first-come, first-serve and unmaintained by the park service. I called the WIC to make sure.