Willapa Hills Trail — Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022

We started at the Pe Ell trailhead and hikes west about 6.5 miles past Pluvius Hill. The trailhead is great. There a restroom, picnic tables and a kiosk with historical info on the trail. We parked in the spaces on the right. The long spaces on the left are for horse trails. The trail is surfaced with small gravel for most of our hike. It's compact and easy to walk on. The last mile or so got muddy. Running shoes or boots are okay. With horses, elk and deer it pays to watch your step to avoid large poop piles. The bridges were all decked and have safety rails. There are about 5 down trees. 3 cross the whole trail but are easy to walk around. The trail reaches the edge of town in about a mile. We went by a house with 4 loud and excited German shepherds. The fence was very reliable and our dog stayed relaxed. The farms and forest outside of town are nice. We got to see elk, ducks, hawks and a turkey vulture. One farm has 4 bison! We also saw a few trees cut down by beavers. They really look gnawed on!  They put up a sign that says "Do not take selfies with the fluffy cows". ;D When you see the size of the bison you'll probably agree. My favorite parts are the areas where Rock Creek comes close to the trail and we get to enjoy rock rapids. At our turn around we saw what looks like trail project activity. We might have gotten close to the end of the maintained trail. We expected to turn around at the Salmon Creek Bridge. But we never found it. Must be further than my information said. We saw 8 people, three dogs and 1 bike on a chilly, misty Thursday. 13 mi rt took about 4.5 hours.