Main Fork Dosewallips River — Monday, Oct. 28, 2013

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

As we started, we took the trail up to the right that bypasses the washout, there is a sign that asks you to do just that. When you come back down, take note of the trail so you can find it when you come back, its not clearly marked. Once we were back down we hiked the old Dosewallips Rd which is now more like a wide trail. It is a fairly easy hike along-side the pleasant sounding river for the first mile or so. There were still a few fall colors. There are views of the tree covered mountains around you, and a few rocky peaks. I imagine it will be even more beautiful when the snow starts covering the peaks. Although there were a few rock slides and fallen trees, we met two separate mountain bikers along the trail that said it wasn't bad, just a few places they had to walk the bikes. About 4 miles in, we reached the Dosewallips Falls. It cascades 100-125 feet along side the trail. Very beautiful, and worth the hike. It must be truly amazing in the spring with the spring melt. After that, its not too far to the abandoned campground and Ranger Station. You can have a nice picnic at the picnic tables by the river before you hike back to your car. It is funny to see the road signs along the way to remind you that it used to be the road. The approximate 11 mile round trip hike took around 4.5 hours. I'd say an easy hike but a little long for a beginner. A few places where there are drop offs, but its easy to stay away from them with the wide trail. We left at noon and got back at 4:30 with only a few brief stops. We only met one other hiker and two bikers the whole time.