I've been trying to do the loop hike over Dodger Point for quite a while, but work, life, washed out roads and high water keep interfering. Finally got to it, just in time before the rain started.
I hiked up the Elwha River Trail to Michael's Cabin, then down past Humes Ranch to the Elwha River bridge. The trail is all in decent shape there, although just before the bridge there are some steep and loose stretches around landslides.
The hike up Long Ridge Trail is a really nice gradual ascent up recently maintained trail. Even I could make good time going uphill on this. Pack trains have been hauling materials for the Dodger Point lookout restoration up here, so some trail damage from that, but they've done extensive footbed work and some brushing. After some seeps down low, the first water is at about 3900', where there is first a small seep, followed shortly by a nice small stream. At 4400' there is another small stream followed by a seep. Finally, at 4100', about 50 vertical feet below the trail there are two clear ponds - they have a bit of a scum layer of dead insects and such, but the water is good once you figure out a way to get to it past the vegetation and soggy shoreline.
Some blueberries on the upper part of the trail, but mostly sparse and small. The dry summer must have been bad for blueberries - the bigger ones were always in places that probably had lingering snow. I saw 2 bears roaming around the basin below the peak (near the camping area) both in the evening and morning. They were busy eating blueberries and seemed to completely ignore the people around. Saw 6 hikers coming out from the Bailey range, then 3 more of undetermined origin.
I spent the night on Dodger Point, enjoying the great views of all the peaks surrounding the Elwha drainage, and Olympus. Watched bears for a while. Was entertained by a large flock of band-tailed pigeons that were feeding around the summit both in the evening and morning. In all my hiking I've never seen a flock of wild pigeons before! Then in the morning I hiked out the old trail along Ludden Peak as far as the constructed trail goes, just to check it out. It's mostly easy to find and traverse, although plenty of downed trees and steep sidehill. Even found a few Mimulus blooming in a gully this late in the year!
There is a small brown pond, and camping, right at the junction of the Ludden Peak trail, Dodger Pt. primitive trail, and the trail up to the summit of Dodger Pt. The water did not look very appealing...
Then headed down the Dodger Point primitive trail (as the park service calls it) or Semple Plateau trail (as my old Green Trails map calls it). It's definitely not been maintained in a while, but was mostly easy to find. There are a few spots where it disappears in meadows, and one spot where it transforms into a small gravelly streambed for a bit. Most of these are marked with suitably minimal flagging or the old orange metal tags on trees, but one was a little tricky to find down-bound (the streambed), and one would be a little tricky up-bound, where you just have to climb straight up a narrow cleaning for a while, then head left. Lots of trees and branches down, but mostly old dead wood that is easy to get over. One short stretch of trail is a bit of a mess through alders and mud. The lower part descending through the salal zone was rather unpleasantly steep going down - would be a hot climb up! Some fairly good blueberries (the glossy black kind) on the upper part of this trail.
Once you get down to the Semple Plateau, the trail starts wandering somewhat unpredictably, and numerous elk trails crisscross it. It can be difficult to find the "right" trail amidst the maze, and there are some muddy bits (even after a very dry summer), but it's not too bad. There are some orange-tagged trees in places to assist.
Headed up, you might have some trouble finding the trail after you for the river. After fording, you cross a bar covered in first small, then larger, alders. On the far side of the bar is a sandy flood channel; if you follow along that you should see the steep trail climbing the bank, or pink flagging marking it.
The ford was no problem. A little bit more than knee deep on me at the deepest point - you could probably find a shallower route. Flow at the Mcdonald bridge gauging station well downstream was about 400 CFS (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?12045500) when I crossed - see attached picture. 6 years ago I had tried this ford, the other direction, at about the same time of year. River had been around 500 CFS the day before, but it rained overnight, and the flow climbed to 1000 CFS the next day when I attempted the ford. The water was much more turbid after the rain, so I could not see the bottom, and that was thigh deep on me, and I gave up after a couple of tries. So I would suggest that generally 1000 CFS might be about the highest flow to attempt the crossing, and 500 CFS should be pretty safe.
There's pleasant camping right by the ford and Remann's Cabin on the east shore, although I went a bit further downstream to some nice camping just before Elkhorn guard station. Then an easy hike down the Elwha back to Whiskey Bend. Got out just as it started sprinkling rain for the first time in 3 months...
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