We took 4 kids under the age of 5 on this beautiful trail. It felt all too short for us, I desperately wanted there to be more trail :)

The trees at the center of the loop are magnificent, and the sparkling emerald waters of the river are very cool too.  It's everything else that is the problem.

I wouldn't rate the cloudy, sometimes rainy Thursday we were there as a busy day in the park, and yet by the time we got to the loop around mid-day it was a circus.  Cars were parked for hundreds of yards along the roadway near the trailhead as the lot was filled up, and buses and vans were dumping even more people to the loop.  One could have always arrived early to beat the circus, and arrive early we did, but we spent that early time across the street hiking the Silver Falls Loop.  It's clear that this trail has become a focal point for families to visit in the park, even though its one of the furthest from the Seattle area. 

The crowds wouldn't be so bad except for that the suspension bridge, as cool as it is, is only suitable for one or two people to cross at a time, and won't support people coming from the other direction.  Naturally, you can expect to wait quite a while to cross the bridge to get to the loop, and then once you're on the loop you're trapped until you can wait the long time it will take to get across again - unless you want to swim, which wasn't an option with my camera gear but might have been otherwise.  On the way there, we did see quite a few families doing what we thought was just playing on logs across the river.  It turns out they were probably crossing the river here, which I saw in all seriousness was probably easier and quicker than using the bridge.  If you're like me, having to wait a long time trapped in one spot with hordes of people until you can cross a bridge is not my idea of a relaxing time in nature, and bear in mind, this wasn't even on a busy day.

With that aside, the trees were super impressive along the loop.  Washington is a state just filled with massive trees, but somehow the ones in the grove are even bigger.  The river near the bridge was a mesmerizing color, and nice to walk along, though I think it would have been far more fun to see had the water not been so low.

Heading to the bridge back towards the parking area there was a sign warning of an active bee hive along the trail 1/2 a mile ahead.  I've no idea where this was supposed to be located, as I saw no beehive on the way back to the parking area.  Its possible it could have been along the Eastside Trail heading away from the parking area, but that begs the question of why the sign would have been put at this part of the trail.  I'm allergic to bees and I'm usually keenly aware to concentrations of stinging insects, and I didn't see any.

Enjoy Grove of the Patriarchs at your own peril.  It's got nice scenes, but its up to you to decide if its worth a far greater time investment than a normal 1.5 mile trail, owing to the crowds and bridge.

Great hike with 3 kids under 9. 

Spent over an hour playing in the river which was very low and slow. Should have brought water shoes.

Be ready to wait in line to cross the suspension bridge both ways.

I brought my parents out for a walk through the trees, and it did not disappoint. The beginning of the hike is just along the Ohanapecosh river, and then after you cross the suspension bridge (one at a time, per the signage by the bridge), you reach the boardwalk that winds through the beautiful old growth forest. My family loved the moss, the glacial color of the river and the many interpretive signs along the path that helped us identify different trees. We saw lots of families there, it seemed very friendly for all ages. Its a lovely, shorter hike for a rainy day, albeit a bit muddy on the non-boardwalk sections. Parking is pretty minimal -- be prepared to wait for one of the few spots, hope you get lucky, or you can also hike in using the Silver Falls Trail.

It had been a while since visiting this trail, but it hasnt changed a bit!  We got to see all the giant trees and the beautiful green Ohanapecosh River.  Getting over to the loop wasnt a problem, but we did have to wait a bit to cross the suspension bridge on the way back.  Lot was very busy and we had to park on the shoulder.