Really nice little hike. There is a steep climb down toward the water and you have to come back out the same way so be aware, but lots of nice plants and the water is beautiful. There were spawning salmon visible from up on the cliff.

We do this hike nearly every year. This late in the summer, we expected to see stressed foliage. But the trees and understory were fine. Lovely as usual. An easy hike for "creaky knees".

We go to Ranger Hole every year. This trip was not disappointing. It is a short hike to a very special spot. The forest is truly lovely. The Duckabush River is wild here and the gorge is awesome. We saw several large fish.

Yesterday Washington Trails Association staff and some of our partners from Outdoor Alliance of Washington, including the Mountaineers, took Congresswoman Emily Randall out to explore this trail in her district. We discussed the economic and health benefits of outdoor recreation and why it is so important for everyone to have easy access to nature. We also talked about the partnership between the US Forest Service and WTA and the key role that volunteers play in helping maintain our public lands and trails. We all agreed, how important it is to invest in the infrastructure and upkeep of our trails and public lands to ensure they can be enjoyed for generations to come. 

Trailhead has room for about 10-15 cars. The bathroom was cleaned and stocked. 

The trail is generally in good shape, but there are a few minor issues to be aware of. There is one tree across that trail that you must go over. Also the steep portion of the trail that others have mentioned is worth noting not for the grade but the fact that the soil is loose and can cause you to slip in this area. 

It was a lovely day outside. Note, you could smell the smoke, but the AQI map on WTA’s hiking guide looked clear and the air didn’t feel smoky or like it was hard to breathe. 

Pro tip: You can rent the cabin behind us in the group shot! 

Getting there- no issues going up the road and the signage was really clear.

Bathroom- it was a pretty nice vault toilet and it looks like it’s shared with the lodging there. It’s maybe 50 ft into the trail.

We hiked this and did the small interpretive section which provided some really cool history of the area. As others have mentioned it does get pretty steep doing towards the river so no shame in your game if you need one. There were some cool vistas of the water. Definitely a fun trail.