Dosewallips State Park - Maple Valley Loop — Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The Maple Valley Loop in the Dosewallips State Park is a great hike for families - especially in winter. The park is right along Highway 101 on the south side of Brinnon and the trail starts on the west side of the park. There is a local herd of elk that are often in the park and in late August through September chum salmon spawn in the Dosewallips River along the north side of the park and river access is very easy and safe to get to for all ages. Ever noticed one of these structures while hiking? They are known as crib or retaining walls and are built to basically hold dirt in place. You see these types of trail structures where trees have overturned and the root ball tore out the whole or side of a trail, support for the corners of switchbacks, and other areas needing a bit of support. Crib walls can be built out of rocks or dead cedar logs based on the material available near the work site. Dead cedar logs are first cut and debarked before using. Rocks are carried from nearby streams or pulled from rocks along the trail. These walls were both recently created on the trail in the Dosewallips State Park by WTA volunteers. Just examples of the many fun projects you can be involved with working on the trails! #washingtontrailsassociation