Type of Hike
Day hikeTrail Conditions
Obstacles on trail:Difficult stream crossing(s),
Bridge out.
Road
Road suitable for all vehiclesBugs
No bugsSnow
Snow free
A little disappointing. We have done this hike many times in the past and thought it would be a great lowland hike. Little did we know that the road is closed from October 1 to April 30 so we hiked up the road for 5 miles to get to the trail head. We then hiked through fabulous old growth forest to Rule Creek crossing. The log bridge was slippery and sections of the hand rail were missing so not a comfortable crossing. We then hiked to the Skokomish River crossing only to find that the log bridge was gone and the only way across was to forde the river. Because the river flow was strong and the rocks unbelievably slippery, we elected to have our lunch in a sunny spot and turn back. It was still a beautiful day with trillium and salmon berry in bloom, the weather warm, and the sun out the whole day.
Comments
the bridge at the first crossing of the Upper South Fork Skokomish has been gone for years. about 50 yards downstream from the former bridge location is a very large cedar tree down across the river. it makes a reasonably secure "bridge", even with heavy packs. there is a well established way trail down to it, tho you cannot quite see the log/bridge from the main trail at the point the way trail branches off. FYI - the bridge at the upper crossing of the Upper South Fork also out. It's been broken but useable for some time, but it is completely gone now. at that location, the river is small enough and wide enough to easily ford. no bridge left at Startup Creek either.
Posted by:
smdk on Apr 20, 2015 12:22 PM