First real hike of the year, Lost Valley Loop, clockwise from the Fall Creek trailhead.
The road from the Sherman Valley road to the trailhead is 99% snow free- a bit of snow still lingers in shady spots. That also describes this elevation of the Capitol Forest in general.
The trail is in surprisingly good shape. The roughest patch was from the trailhead up the Margaret McKinney to the upper junction with the LV. Occasional snow, and quite a few downed trees, some 1-2 foot in diameter. It was easy to get past on foot, might be somewhat annoying for bikers. A very nice gentleman and his dog were heading up with a chainsaw when I left, so things should be improving. Yay Friends of Capitol Forest!
Once on the Lost Valley trail proper, it was mostly smooth sailing. One nice surprise was that the .5 mile road walk in the middle has been eliminated by a new trail section, thank you trail builders! Super nice.
Saw 2 other hikers and 2 trail runners, a bunch of pacific wrens and chickadees, plus heard a ruby kinglet. As usual several ravens were patrolling the Forest, keeping an eye on things.
Also as usual a fair amount of gunfire was audible, but it died down after a while so maybe the Hatfields and McCoys worked something out. Part of the price of hiking on DNR land🙄. Still, a great day out in the woods👍🏻
Comments
rkjenner on Capitol State Forest-Lost Valley Trail
Great report! I love that new trail in the middle of the loop. I suppose by now it’s lost its new-trail look and blended into its surroundings.
Posted by:
rkjenner on Jan 15, 2022 02:05 PM