Staircase Rapids, North Fork Skokomish River — Saturday, Jun. 28, 2025

Yesterday I walked the Staircase Loop-North Skokomish Trail from the trailhead to the 3.6 mile mark, the junction to Flapjack Lake.  My total mileage was 7.5 miles.  The road in was in excellent condition.  It must have been graded in just the last few weeks.  The trail was also in GREAT condition.  Thank you to the volunteers who have kept it clear of fallen trees and brush.

I arrived at the parking lot at 8:15 a.m.    The parking lot was already very full, as the campground was full.  At the trailhead there are 2 pit toilets.  Both were stocked with TP.   On the outward bound leg I saw 8 other hikers.

At the Flapjack Fork, after a short break to eat a sandwich, I headed back down the trail.  I saw 20 hikers on the North Skokomish Trail and 200 people between the suspension bridge and the parking lot.  As always, I walked the south side of the Staircase Loop twice, and I recommend this to everyone.  The south side of the Loop is MUCH nicer than the north side.  The parking lot was completely full when I returned at 11:15 a.m.

During the return leg of my hike, I met a 4-person group who had taken a wrong turn following the suspension bridge and headed up the Skokomish River Trail, rather than doing the second half of the Staircase Loop.  They were over 1.5 miles from where they'd made the wrong turn, meaning 2.5 miles back to the parking lot when they'd set off on a 2-mile hike.  This is the third time in six years I've met a group on the North Skokomish Trail that had made the same mistake!  The sign just after the suspension bridge is not very good, and that's why people take a wrong turn.

Along the way I saw a jack rabbit, which I hadn't seen on this hike before.  I also saw one huge slug, a real world-smasher.  I did see a couple of pieces of trash on the trail, and I picked up the non-gross bit.  I heard a grouse, but no sighting this time.

It was a good 7.5 mile hike.  On the way home I stopped at Brinnon’s Halfway House Restaurant.  The tuna melt and salad were tasty and at a nice price.