Getting there: I got to the Slab Camp/Deer Ridge trailhead from the Hood Canal bridge, and WTA suggests taking Louella Road, but it appears that Taylor Cutoff Road near Sequim is both shorter and faster. The road is in great condition for a dusty gravel road, with just a few pothole patches right before the trailhead. After your hike, I might suggest pulling over and wiping the thick layer of dust off your back window before getting back on the highway.
I ran/hiked a 19.5-mile, 5.3k foot counterclockwise loop with a Blue Mountain spur, starting with the Deer Ridge trail up to Deer Park, then Rainshadow Loop, Three Forks trail, Upper Gray Wolf River Trail, and ending with the Slab Camp Creek trail back to the trailhead. All of the trails were well-maintained and in great condition. Deer Ridge is a very challenging trail with several very long, very steep sections that approach the 1,000 feet per mile mark for a few miles. The Three Forks trail would be almost as brutal of a climb, but I ran down it this time. The highlights were the views of the Straight from the peak of Blue Mountain and the 4 major bridges across Grand Creek, Cameron Creek, and Gray Wolf River. All of the trails were well shaded except for Rainshadow and the Blue Mountain road. On a beautiful and hot Sunday afternoon, I only encountered one group of 3 on Deer Ridge, 1 hiker on Three Forks, no one on Upper Gray Wolf past the campgrounds, and no one on Slab Camp Creek. There were plenty of people at Deer Park and Three Forks camping areas and the Rainshadow Loop, however.
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