The loop we hiked included many trails: Connector Trail, Northwest Timber Trail, Joyride Trail, Silent Swamp Trail, Preston Railroad Grade Trail, Bailout Trail, Crosshaul Trail and Masterlink Trail. Including some additional exploration, the loop is about 12 miles. There is good signage along the trails to get you from trail-to-trail, except to a lesser extent along Crossover Road where you need to have the orientation to at least head in the correct direction for the next trailhead. All of the trails are in great condition, nicely wooded (for now - see below), have no or very gentle grades and were close to bicyclist-free (on this day).
The gate to the trailhead parking lot is still closed. The massive new parking lots look like they are paved, stripped and ready to go -- just collecting twigs, needles and leaves in the mean time.
We arrived at the small parking lot adjacent to SR-18 at 9am. The parking lot was about 75% full. Most of the cars had bike racks. By the way some of the cars were parked when we returned after 2pm, it must have filled up and then some in during our adventure.
We wanted to see the new parking lot so I started in that direction. From there we hiked the Connector Trail to the Northwest Timber Trail. This is a very nice mature forest with and under-story of ferns. Unfortunately, it might be de-timbered soon. A long sections of the trail was marked for the "Red Osier" timber sale. I could not find an auction date, so stay tuned. In the first two-miles of walking, we met one bicyclist and their friendly dog.
From the NW Timber Trail, we transferred to the Joyride Trail. The vegetation here is a little scrappier and damaged, but nice enough. We had the trail to ourselves.
The next leg is on the Silent Swamp Trail. We were back to a much lusher forest. Excellent forest bathing and soul calming subtle stream sounds. There was one step-over log across the road, and a solo bicyclist passed us.
The transition from Silent Swamp Trail to Preston Railroad Grade Trail is a short walk along the Crossover Road. Along the road there were several bicyclist, but once we were on the Preston RR Grade Trail we had the the forest to ourselves. In the first quarter mile the grade might be about 10%, but after that it moderate to a pretty consistent 5%. We bailed out at Bailout Trail, which drops back down to Crossover Road. A few puddles on the road were iced over, but easy to walk between. Again, the bicyclist we saw were concentrated on the road.
We left the road at Crosshaul Trail. There is another timber sale in this area. It is called Forest Stump and goes to auction on March 25, 2026. if the deal closes, there will probably be trail and road closures, and tree removal in this area in the next couple of years.
Crosshaul Trail climbs gently for the first 3/4 miles and then starts to descend. The descent continues on Masterlink Trail back to the parking lot. There were still no other hikers and only a couple bicyclists on this stretch.
Once the big parking lot opens, and the weather warms up I imagine there will be a lot more bicyclists in the area. Until those conditions are met, it is two thumbs up for a great forest experience.
Comments