south fork hoh river

[shroomtoon]

can anyone out there provide some current beta on the south fork of the hoh river? Big Flat area.. I hear there's some really big spruce in there?

 

searched the forum but came up pretty empty.. looks like not too many people venture there compared to the hoh river itself.

[Lazyboy]

Check out the Valhallas to Olympus Trip Report.

[shroomtoon]

Thanks Lazyboy. Is the trail called The Trail that Time Forgot? so I've heard.. Going to check out the area next weekend.

 

Gotta spend this weekend checkin' to see if the boletes are poppin' on the coast!

[javman]

Hey Shroom. The S. Fork Hoh trail is one of my favorites, and I do it a couple times a year normally. I've never heard it called the trail that time forgot, but it's fitting so maybe it's referred to as that in a book somewhere. It's a prime example of a coastal rainforest, and there's towering trees along the length of the trail once you pass the park boundary at 0.4 miles in. The trail is easy goin all the way to the end, and very few people go further than that. If the weather is nice and it doesn't rain, the river is fairly easy to cross beyond the trail's end. I've been about 7 miles beyond it. If you want to venture beyond trail's end, I always take my amphibious shoes and hike up the river, crossing as necessary. It seems easier to do this than to venture through the woods... It gets hard climbing over downed trees that have 4+ foot diameters when you're packing a heavy load. Past the trail's end, it's easy going up the river for about 3.5-4 miles, at which point the river takes a bend to the south. At the bend is a pretty nasty box canyon, and you have to find the elk trails in the woods to get around it. But it's a beautiful place. I've been there probably 7-8 times and only seen people past the end of the trail on one occasion, and they said they were headed to the Valhallas.. If you want any more info, let me know. Here's a pic I took of the box canyon about 8 miles in.

[Fairweather]

Wow! Nice gallery. Did you ever fulfill your self-promise to climb Hoh Peak? More pics! Thanks!

 

[javman]

Thanks Fairweather! Nope, I haven't been to the top of Hoh Peak yet. I took the following pic in July of the south face, at which point I determined that I don't have the skills to make it. I don't have any climbing experience whatsoever, so that dip in the rock is what deters me right now I'm hoping to sign up with the tacoma mountaineers this year to take the basic climbing course.. That seems to be the most recommended way to start? I don't know what the pace of the course is, but I really want to take on Olympus/etc. sometime in the next few years..

 

[shroomtoon]

thanks javman.. that's the beta I was looking for.. nice pic of hoh peak. We only planned on going in 7 miles or so but any good camping just before that box canyon..

I'll be with some less experienced people from LA. We're doing some filming for a documentary..

[javman]

There's a lot of good, flat, mossy places to setup camp between Slate Creek and the next creek. If you go that far, head into the woods off the south side of the river around Slate Creek, and follow the elk trails. It's rutting season though, so watch out for the big boys. Oh and if you do follow the river past the end of the trail, there's one place (probably about a mile past trail's end) where the river punched through a large chunk of old growth two years ago.. It's easier to stay on the now dry river bed and make the large corner than it is to deal with the downed trees where the river currently flows. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

[bremerton_john]

This looked like a good opportunity to share a couple more pictures of the river from our recent trip up there, but alas I cannot get the photos to upload for some reason this evening. Anyway, there are numerous spots to camp along the river, particularly before reaching the area where it gets to be narrow and canyon-like. There is a high, flat and often open-wooded bank on either side that runs for a good portion of the river. I also think though having a pair of water shoes would make live easier. I brought a pair of shoes I use kayaking with me and the other two guys agreed that if they had them also we could have simply walked up the river much of the way. As it was the single pair worked out for crossings, as we just threw them back and forth for each of us to wear.

 

The South Fork is indeed a neat place to visit.

[Ricardo_Montalban]

don't forget "chicken of the woods"! image

the younger the better!!

i've seen them growing all over dead and dying conifers in the Hoh!