We like to hike the section of the Lewis River Trail downstream of the falls for solitude, big trees, fungi and fall foliage.
We start our hike at the trailhead on Forest Road 9039. Turn off Forest Road 90 and drive down hill about .75 mile to a single lane bridge across the Lewis River. A large parking area is located on the south side of the bridge. Park here and walk across the bridge to the trailhead on the north bank of the river.
The first .75 mile of the hike consists of rolling ups and downs along the side of a steep ridge above the river. The trail then descends to river level, crosses a small seasonal creek on cinder blocks installed by the mountain bikers, and enters a large, flat bench above the river.
The next mile is a delightful meander through a narrow band of old-growth Douglas-fir and western red-cedar trees that have never been logged. This is typical west-Cascades rain forest with lichens and moss covering every surface and the forest understory deep in ferns. We stopped often to admire the fungi along the trail, mainly Lobster Mushrooms on this hike, but also others like Angel Wings and Dyer's Polypore and the poisonous Scaly Pholiota.
Those with sharp eyes will notice where loggers long ago cut trees down to and sometimes across the trail. The tell-tale signs are the old stumps and the lack of really large trees.
At the end of the mile, the trail veers away from the river and climbs above and away from cliffs dropping to the river. This traverse extends for about .25 mile.
At the 2-mile point, the trail descends to river level and passes several nice riverside campsites that offer good lunch spots.
The trail continues on, passing not only old-growth conifers but also some really large Big-leaf Maple and Black Cottonwood trees. The trail also passes old Western Red-Cedar stumps of trees that were cut long ago to made into the cedar bolts that give Bolt Camp its name.
At about 2.5 miles, reach the historic 3-sided Bolt Camp Shelter, which makes a good turnaround point.
The trail continues fairly level along the river for another approximately .25 mile before it ascends steeply to climb to the top of cliffs lining the river and then goes onward to the Crab Creek Bridge trailhead in about another 8 miles.
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