Forum Index > Trip Reports > South Fork Hoh River - ONP - 2/17/07
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javman
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javman
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PostMon Feb 19, 2007 10:06 pm 
I spent the weekend at my friend's family's cabin on the Hoh River. The South Fork Hoh trail is only about 5 miles up the road, so I hike it several times a year. This was my first time since the floods / snow / wind storms. Surprisingly none of the trail washed out, but there are at least 20 blowdowns along the 3.5 miles. Many are small, but there's a couple huge old growth spruce blocking the way. And the trail is kinda muddy. It was sunny starting out, and my friend and I reached the end of the trail in less than two hours. There were two large trees spanning the river, so we climbed up the bank and crossed on them to get out onto the island at the end of the trail.
We crossed on the lower log hidden behind the branches, and then ran up the upper one for the photo. Gotta love the 20-second self-timer sprints... From the end of the island, Hoh Peak was visible. Sorry for the over-exposure...
I took some long exposures, we ate lunch, and the fog started rolling in...
Then it started raining, and it didn't stop the rest of the day smile.gif On the way out, we spooked a small herd of 13-14 elk. One rag-horn, two spikes, and the rest cows. The elk here don't see nearly as many people as their cousins on the main Hoh, so they spook easily.

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l
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l
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PostMon Feb 19, 2007 10:33 pm 
Javman, pretty nifty (risky?) scramble in 20 seconds. How close were you to those elk?

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javman
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javman
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PostMon Feb 19, 2007 11:28 pm 
Risky? nah smile.gif The top of the log was flatter than it looks. I wouldn't recommend it though wink.gif The elk were probably 75 feet away when they saw us and we saw them. One cow took off and they all followed. The pic was taken with a telephoto at 250mm. From the looks of it, they'd just crossed the river to our side, and then they all ran back across. This was only the third time I can remember seeing elk from the trail (and I've hiked it at least 25 times). They seem to keep their distance from the trail, and in the summer most of them are up in the alpine.

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summithound
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PostTue Feb 20, 2007 11:05 am 
Thanks a lot for the trip report javman up.gif The South Fork of the Hoh is one of my favorite hikes and the only rainforest hike I've ever done. Have they replaced the sign at the trail's end yet? I remember when I hiked it I had trouble finding where the maintained trail technically ended.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body.
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javman
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PostTue Feb 20, 2007 1:03 pm 
Hey Skimpy – no it's not really marked where the trail ends. I don't remember there ever being a sign – the trail just kind of fades away into a mess of blowdowns now. Oh and I forgot to mention that all of the pot-holes have been filled in on the gravel road as far as the SF Hoh Campground.

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GoBlueHiker
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PostWed Feb 21, 2007 8:41 am 
Cool! up.gif Thanks for the report, Javman. Any plans to head back up the Queets sometime? I'm really curious to see what November did to that valley. I may head back up there in August, if I don't go back to Alaska this summer. We'll see! - Mike

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javman
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PostWed Feb 21, 2007 12:51 pm 
Hey Mike! Yeah I hope to spend at least a couple nights up the Queets again this summer. If I do, it will probably be mid-August. Did you see that the NPS might restore access to the trailhead? The storms probably changed the Queets quite a bit. I was at the Hoh the day before the river levels peaked, and it was pretty crazy watching huge logs and stumps float by. Walking up the river off-trail will probably be easier, as the floods tend to wipe out all of the young alder thickets and widen the banks. It's always interesting to see the changes that the rivers make from year to year... The amount of rock and earth they can move in a matter of hours/days is amazing. Good luck on your adventures this summer. I always look forward to your reports. Shoot me a message if you go up the Queets -- and if I'm in the area I'll have a cold beer waiting for ya on your way out wink.gif

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GoBlueHiker
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PostWed Feb 21, 2007 5:46 pm 
javman wrote:
Good luck on your adventures this summer. I always look forward to your reports. Shoot me a message if you go up the Queets -- and if I'm in the area I'll have a cold beer waiting for ya on your way out wink.gif
Will do! Like I said, depending on my work this summer, I'm hoping to head up to Alaska in July, but if I don't do that, then I'm definitely heading back up the Queets in August. I might have a couple of partners coming this time, and I'm equipped with an Alpacka Raft this time around (finally!). No more chest-deep river fords for me. I'll let you know if/when the time approaches. smile.gif - Mike p.s. - Yeah, I heard about the proposed road re-route to open back up the Queets campground & ranger station. Maybe I'm just a bit selfish (elitist! elitist!), but honestly I prefer it closed & remote. I don't think it's a bad thing that some large areas of the park remain remote and very hard to reach. Such places are the lifeblood of a true wilderness. Ahh... you're making me nostalgic, Jav!

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Luc
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PostWed Apr 25, 2007 6:00 pm 
has anyone ever hiked beyone the the trails "end"? PM me if you want to give me a spanking and some info clown.gif

GNGSTR
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Kellbell
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 11:29 am 
Thinking about a backpack here in February. Your trip report is the only report of any kind I found for that month. So I'm thinking I should just bag the idea. But what are your thoughts? And BTW, your log picture gives me major anxiety eek.gif Check out my website and my poem for long bridges for a laugh if you want dizzy.gif http://slowesthiker.com/blog/wonderland-fail/

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Slugman
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 12:01 pm 
I posted a report for a dayhike on the S Fk Hoh on March 5th 2009, the hike done a couple of days earlier. https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7973570 Not February, but not too far off. I heartily recommend going there in winter, assuming some decent weather. It is a magical place, so different from the main Hoh trail. I had it sunny and warm.

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Kellbell
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 2:50 pm 
Thank you Slugman! Great report, loved the pics up.gif (especially the "ancient salamander") Do you know if the campground is still free? Also, is the pass different than the "Olympic Park Pass" that costs $30? That will be a deal breaker for me. This explains why http://slowesthiker.com/blog/

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Slugman
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 3:04 pm 
Campground is DNR, so it’s free if you have the Discover Pass. That is also the pass you need for the trail head parking. You cross into the national park after you hike a little way. For overnight camping in the park you will need an $8 per night ONP wilderness pass. Dayhiking is free.

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tinman
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PostFri Jan 24, 2020 6:07 pm 
Kellbell, I dayhiked the trail about 2 months ago and it was in great shape. There have been a couple windstorms since then so you might find a few trees across the trail but I doubt much, the windstorms were not that bad. Also, the road to the trailhead was in great shape. Just watch the weather, winter is a great time to be up there.

Wherever you go, there you are.......
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silence
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PostSat Jan 25, 2020 1:57 pm 
It's a magical place once you get into the NP. But, only 4 mi before the trail ends. After that, depending on the river, it may be almost impossible to go any further without considerable bushwhacking or crossing the river (we had hoped to go further but couldn't). Regardless we stayed 2 nights in early Dec a few years ago. https://www.flickr.com/photos/33792231@N00/albums/72157628554011323

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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