Big Creek — Monday, Jan. 24, 2022

Many of the roads to the other river trails in the SE Olympics are closed with snow but the road to the Big Creek campground from Hoodsport is clear of snow. The campground still has lots of snow but the Big Creek loop trail has portions of trail that are snow-free. There were many blown down trees across the trail, however a trail crew was working on the trail today and cleared about 1.3 miles and plans to return on Thursday and next Monday to clear the whole trail. I hiked the first 2 miles clockwise with my dog until the blow downs became too hard to navigate through with a leash. We retraced our steps and logged 3.9 miles. I tried one of the restrooms and found it was open. We saw mossy trees, lovely forest duff trail, slidey snowy patches, sun shining through the trees in the mist, and the beautiful Big Creek. In addition to the work crew, I saw about four pairs of hikers - two with dogs. It felt surprisingly cold in the campground but was warmer (and more clear of snow) at higher elevation.