Church Creek — Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025

We took the trail to Satsop Lake from the west trailhead.  I had not driven road 2372 from the northwest end for 20 years, and my companion longer than that.  It had been in pretty rough shape back then, why I never went back, always approaching Satsop Lake from the southeast, from the Satsop Center.  Well that route is impassable now, so I was surprised to learn that the Mountaineers had gone to the lake, taking 2372 from the northwest.  That road, now, is about as good as a secondary Olympic road gets.  It's had work.  A few water bars, but nothing like the ones on the road to the east trailhead.  A few places that get some rock fall, but again, nothing like the east trailhead.  I would not say that just any vehicle could do it but absolutely no trouble in a Forester.  And when we got to the trailhead, there was a Japanese Domestic Market camper van! he made it.

The trail itself is a different story.  I wanted to see the rerouting the Mountaineers had done, but they didn't do enough, apparently.  The trail is completely underwater when it approaches the lake.  Yeah we've had record rain and there's no outflow.  Anyway, the trail is underwater and it's not an easy bushwhack to get around the flooded portion.