Hiked the Tucannon Trail and continued along Bear Creek Trail up to Jelly Spring, where we set up camp for a night in an established site in a large meadow.

Access. FR-47 (Tucannon Rd) was in great condition, including the unpaved section. FR-4712 was fine up to Ladybug Campground, rockier and narrower (with some drop-offs) beyond that.

Conditions. Tucannon Trail had been cleared of blowdowns and patched up all the way to Bear Creek Trail. There was a sturdy log to cross the Tucannon River. Bear Creek Trail up to Jelly Spring had ~20 blowdowns, but only 2 were larger/troublesome. At Jelly Spring the trail disappeared in the meadow, but picked up at a spot marked with a cairn at the other end. Didn't check out the spring, but the stream crossing the trail several times (incl near the top), so I wouldn't have had to carry water all the way up...

Flora & Fauna. Wildflowers in bloom at all elevations. Plenty of deer and bear droppings, but no sightings. No mosquitoes, but found 2 ticks on my gear.

Crowds. Sunday we encountered one party with overnight gear and one hiker who made it all the way to Diamond Peak and back. Didn't see anyone on Memorial Day.

Just a short day hike, turned around where the trail leaves the river right before the intersection with the Hunter Spring trail. The road has a few rocky parts, but with care any vehicle should be able to make it through. The trail itself has a few downed trees but nothing major, and is overall pretty nice. After the first couple of miles you leave the old burn area, and the forest is filled with lichen and wildflowers. There are some nice campsites I'd love to return to when I'm able to get out for a quick overnight.

The W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area is a 16,481 acre wildlife area owned and managed by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife in SE Washington State. There are a few dirt roads that are closed to motorized vehicles that are excellent to walk on for those who like flatter, more open trails. There are not any designated trails on the wildlife area at this time, but the area is open to the public to walk anywhere they want to explore. The area is also open to horseback riding and mountain bikes. 

There are 11 campgrounds on the wildlife area that provide dry camping opportunities. The Last Resort Campground is located on private land inside of the wildlife area boundary and provides full hookup camping options, as well as food, fuel, and camping supplies. 

There are 8 man-made lakes that are stocked with Rainbow trout for a put-and-take fishery. There is also fishing in the Tucannon River that runs through the entire wildlife area. 

For more information on the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area: https://wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/wildlife-areas/wt-wooten-wildlife-area

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife owns and manages many wildlife areas around the state. Links to each wildlife area can be found on the WDFW website.

TICKS ARE OUT. We only saw them at the camp site but make sure to check yourself and your friends.

After reading previous trip reports, we brought my truck for fear that my car wouldn't make it or would get beat up on the rough road. While there were a lot of potholes - some of which were VERY large -, there were smaller cars at the trailhead when we arrived so it is passable if you don't have a high clearance vehicle. My biggest take-away from driving the road is to make sure that your tires are in good shape before you make the trek. Much of the last stretch of road before the trailhead is extremely rocky. I have brand new tires and was still a bit nervous about getting a flat.

Although this website says that a Discover Pass is required you actually need a Northwest Forest Pass. You can buy a day pass at the trailhead for $5 or use your annual pass if you have one.

It was a very easy hike into the recommended turn around point. There were 4 trees that are still across the path, but they were pretty easy to either get around or go over/under. Keep in mind that we are two women in our mid to late 20s who are both in relatively good shape, but I think most recreational hikers can make it no problem. We set up camp at the recommended turn-around point which is a wide, flat-ish spot next to the creek. We tried to continue our hike up the hill but in one direction is crosses a creek and we didn't want to get our feet wet (since we were spending the night) and in the other direction there were a lot a trees blocking the path. Instead, we set up our hammocks and hung out for the rest of the evening.

In the morning we hiked out and after ditching our packs in the truck we went to check out the trail to the waterfall. In a number of places the trail was difficult to find and we often had to use fallen trees to get from one section to another. I'm not sure if we ever got to the waterfall but it was worth the hike. Just make sure that you are very sure-footed because of all of the scrambling over logs that is required.

Dirt Grub and I did the first 3 miles of the Tucannon River trail as an out and back. 25 trees across the trail in that stretch. A bit of snow lingering on the ground in places still but wildflowers are blooming and the river is roaring with spring goodness.

We took the mile round trip up to Sheep falls which branches off just before you cross the bridge at the beginning of the trail. It was quite wet.