West Fork Dosewallips River — Friday, Jun. 12, 2015

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The four of us departed the current trailhead (the second washout) at 5pm on Friday. There were 5 other cars parked there, and the road was an easy drive (we didn’t have any trouble getting past the first washout in my Subaru Legacy with fairly low clearance). The trail was in great condition, at times still as wide as the forest service road. You can see old traffic signs all the way to the ranger station, about 6 miles in. The road was lined with salmonberries, wild strawberries (so tiny but so delicious!) and even some huckleberries as we got further along. We reached the Dosewallips campground (and ranger station) at 7:30pm, then continued on to Dose Forks campground – with several beautiful sites right near the river - where we stopped for the night at 8:15pm. On Saturday, we left our campsite at 11:30am for a day hike to Constance Pass. Definitely leave the packs behind for this one if you’re able to! Six miles with more than 4000 feet of elevation gain was no easy task. The views make it worth it though, and we felt well deserved eating the delicious treats we packed in to eat at the top. The way up is a pretty steady, steep climb, and changes from thick, forested old growth trees to rhododendron jungles and sparse, gravelly hillsides as you get closer to the pass. There are two small rock structures on the pass that provide shelter from the wind and a good spot to rest before the return trip. Great views to both the north and south. We returned to Dose Forks campground for the night, arriving a little after 7pm, then packed up and left camp Sunday morning around 11:30am for a pretty quick walk back to the car. In summary: steely blue river leads to steep mountain climbs and fresh wild strawberries 🍓