Close to civilization, the beginning of the trail parallels the highway so unfortunately, you get a lot of street noise. However, it is a very peaceful hike nevertheless. The ground is compact with lots of pine needles to help deaden your footsteps. A very comfortable walk. It was pretty cold and sunny outside with few encounters with people. Deep Lake had some spectacular shore reflections in the cold clear waters. A few mudholes, but easily circumvented.

This was a quick visit to take an evening break during a Portland-to-Seattle commute and to address a lingering curiosity about the trails in this park. It was easy to find the park, even without directions. I took a stroll through wide, well-maintained paths that traverse old-growth forest. There was a variety of vegetation, including firs, cedars, deciduous trees, and ferns, but the giant old-growth Douglas firs dominated. Their cones with the distinctive three-pointed bracts covered the trails and forest floor. Deep Lake offered a pleasant spot for quiet reflection. No elevation gain needed for enjoyment of this trail.

We camped at Millersylvania SP Friday and Saturday nights and had planned to hike the 3 mile loop described by Craig Romano in his "Winter Hikes of Western Washington Deck". The park received 17 inches of snow in January and was heavily damaged with fallen branches and trees. The CG host told us prisoners were brought in to help with the clearing of the storm damage and will return this week to do more clearing. The Fitness Trail is apparently cleared in its entirety, but the trails we hiked were a mixture of being cleared and areas with trees and branches across the trail. Some trees could be climbed over with varying difficulty depending on their size; others could be crawled under, again with varying difficulty! The area reminded us of a mini Rockport SP. There is evidence of much work having been done, but there is much, much more work needed! We remembered seeing many fungi the first time we hiked these trails. If they're present now, they're buried under the many fallen branches. We probably walked at least 5 miles when we added the many times we had to backtrack! At one point we took a trail whose sign read, "0.3 mile to lake. Shortly we came to a creek with a washed out bridge! We took one of the 2 small loops (0.4 miles) mentioned by Craig Romano and it is a disaster area. By the time we reached the worst part, we decided to continue on as we didn't want to retrace what we'd been through. There are many beautiful ancient trees in the park--cedars, hemlock, Douglas firs, and maples--so it is an area worth a visit, but we suggest waiting awhile before trying to hike the trails. We saw no signs which told which trails had been cleared.

The trail was nice. Fairly flat and a easy walk through the trail. There were a few muddy spots. I spoke to the park ranger who said parking near the camp site was fine for this time of year since the park is not officially open, but during the open season to make sure to park near the front. Chris Knight from Seven Wellness

I am lucky enough to live within a 10 minute drive, so this is one of my favorite spots to do short hikes and go trail running with my golden retriever. The trails are very, very well maintained, although it can get muddy in the winters (not a problem right now though). At most of the trail intersections there is a map telling you where you are and the milage to the next intersection. It makes it really hard to get lost, which is great. The trails are mostly flat, but if you head to the trails on the west side of the park it's a little hilly. I rarely encounter anyone else on the trails when I'm running. Mostly people come to Millersylvania to fish and to swim in Deep Lake. But the trails are an amazing, if under-used, part of the park. Right now there are wildflowers blooming! Including the tiger lilies pictured. It can be buggy, but overall, highly recommended.