Beware of yellowjackets! One of our dogs got stung at the first river access point just past the switchbacks and we saw another dog get stung on the banks of the river at Homestead. Thankfully we had enough Benadryl on hand for everyone, but be forewarned - they are extremely active right now and they can be particularly nasty if they get caught in your dog's hair.

Otherwise: got to the TH at around 8:30 and it was much cooler (and foggier!) than I would expect, but of course it was short-lived and the sun broke through not long thereafter. We only went as far as the riverbank at Homestead and the trail is in fine shape throughout and all of the creek crossings are very low and easy. An outgoing backpacker showed us pictures of an elk skeleton somewhere out in that area, but we didn't see it for ourselves (nor did we look that hard).

No other bug issues and saw surprisingly few people on the trail for such a lovely day, though there were a ton of people camped out on the river by the lower TH.

I followed wakx's trip report for this trail for an overnight trip at Camp Comfort and it was extremely helpful. Recommend relying on that report if you are planning a trip.

We arrived on Friday at 9:30 AM and there was only one other car there. We expected to be joined by other folks in the evening, but we were lucky to have all of the area to ourselves! We did see a few overnighter parties coming in Saturday morning as we hiked out.

Signage on the trail was confusing. At one point we accidentally went down a wrong turn as we didn't see the trail we were supposed to go down (kind of went around a bend) and ended up logging an extra 1.5 miles. Stay left whenever you see a split in the trail! Also be aware that the elevation is either flat or punchy. It's less of a gradual incline.

There were a decent number of wasps that would come check us out whenever we ate, though they weren't too much of a nuisance when food was packed up. Mosquitos did start to appear as we approached dusk. They don't tend to find me interesting and I had about 5 bites total when I got home, whereas my sister had 7 just on her face that night. Bring your bug spray!

Unfortunately, the trailhead itself was quite loud, as a nearby family camping across the road from the parking area had both adults and children yelling at each other quite frequently. Thankfully, we quickly left the noisy family and instead heard the lovely sounds of robins, dark-eyed juncos, red-breasted nuthatches, Pacific wrens, and olive-sided flycatchers. From the trailhead to Comfort Camp, the trail is well maintained, with seven bridges and a few small creeks to rock hop over. We only encountered a handful of dayhikers. 

The three of us backpacked for about 5 miles during 80+ degree temps to the Comfort Camp sign and then took the left path toward the river, which brought us to four flat areas with makeshift fire rings. There was already a group at the first site, so we chose the site farthest from the turnoff, which also ended up being pretty close to the river. Although on the hike out, we also saw tents pitched on the riverbanks about a quarter of a mile before the Comfort Camp turnoff, so there are quite a few creative places to pitch a tent.

Unfortunately, the heat brought out all the bugs! That first night was full of mosquitos, gnats, and other tiny black bugs. Thankfully the next night was much less buggy. And while you encounter a few bugs on the trail, they were never a nuisance. (Though we would still recommend you use mosquito repellant if you are sensitive to their bites.)

With Comfort Camp as our base, the next day we hiked the entire rest of the 5 miles of the Lower South Fork Skokomish River Trail. From Comfort Camp to the end, the trail is not as well maintained, with a few soft climbs and descends, similar to the first half of the hike. We passed numerous areas where the foliage was overgrown on both sides of the footpath. If you decide to venture into this part of the hike, we highly recommend you wear pants because quite a few prickly plants were crowding into the trail! While, we did see a lot of horse hoof prints (and poop) and bike tracks in this area of the hike, we had the entire trail to ourselves.

The path takes you pretty far away from the river, but there are a couple of creek crossings where you can refill your water filters. The Lower South Fork Skokomish River Trail dead ends into the South Fork Skokomish River. You can cross the water to get to the connector trail that can take you to more campsites and the Upper South Fork Skokomish River Trail. And if you are not into getting cold feet, it looked as if you may be able to cross via a few recently downed trees. We decided to stop here, have our lunch, and enjoy these new views of the river. After lunch, we headed back to our camp. We saw a couple of Rufous hummingbirds and heard some kingfishers, northern flickers, ravens, Stellar's jays, and more Pacific wrens. And that night, we were seranaded by nighthawks and barred owls.

The last day, we hiked back out to the car, with much cooler and bearable hiking weather, where we passed many more day hikers. Unfortunately, that noisy family was still making their noises by the trailhead! We highly recommend this trail for a quick and easy backpacking getaway. As a bonus, you can take a detour to the High Steel Bridge, and enjoy the spectacular views of the South Fork Skokomish River Gorge.

Backpacked for 5 miles (8.2km/2:30h) to a camp site near (or at?) Camp Comfort. The camp site on the river bend has established fire rings and multiple flat areas to pitch the tents. Note that there was also a shaded campsite under the trees at 2.3mile mark.

The scenery was beautiful. The weather was intermittent showers. The trail is well maintained but empty; We saw only one hiking party each day, and haven't seen any wildlife other than birds.

An absolutely perfect hike on an excellent trail through superb ancient forest (though surrounded by logging) with everything bursting out in green. The vine maples passing light through their leaves gives a green glow to all around, leaves forming tiers like layer cake under the canopy of the ancients. The WTA trail crews have done excellent work. 

We went in between 5.5 and 6 miles and ended up camping in a broad flood plain area where several other people were camped. Nearby was a deep pool in the river along a magnificent eroding wall of loose sediment and we all jumped in for as long as we could stand the frigid waters. 

Too many people bring dogs, and one couple had a dog in this camp that was barking and threatening anyone who even walked near that part of the river, as though they owned the National Forest! Then when the dog was mere feet away and threatening to bite, they half heartedly try to call it back, which it doesn't do. In my opinion, dogs do not belong anywhere in the backcountry. So few places for wild animals and us humans to go to be away from domestic life. 

Our group was mesmerized by the ideal weather, verdant growth, and experience of deep time among the ancients. How this narrow band of the Skokomish didn't get logged I don't know, but I'm sure grateful it was left uncut.