I hiked up to the shelter on a sunny day in July and can recommend it. Because of uncertainty about the route in places, I needed 6.5 hours to reach the shelter. Coming back was an hour faster. The main trick with this trail are the crossings. The WTA Hiking Guide states there are three fords and suggests that the trail stays on the north back after the third crossing. As Eric Nagle’s Aug 2022 Trip Report notes, there are five crossings, as the trail crosses the river twice more before the shelter. Each crossing is easier, however, with the last one on a log.
The first ford is at one mile. It was summer water levels when I visited. The Calawah near Forks was running at stream flow of 54 f3/s and 2.45’ gage height (source). The pool right at the trail looked deep, so I followed Eric’s advice and went about 100’ upstream and crossed there, at about two-thirds shin height. On my return the next day, I crossed at the bottom edge of the pool and crossed easily at full-shin height. The second ford, at 6 miles, was easier, about one-third shin height.
The third was trickier, mostly in figuring out where it was and in finding the trail on the other side. This ford is about 7.9 miles in and the trail is along the river, though most maps show it uphill. The trail exits the woods and offers clues. There’s an orange metal tag on a tree, a step cut into a log, an arrow chainsawed into another log, a fire pit next to the trail, and a large log round on a cobble bench. By the log round, there’s no track to be seen. Cross the river here (about one-third shin height), then follow the cobble on the north side, through a pair of cut-through logs, until the cobble bench diminishes, the forested slope gentles, and the trail becomes visible. Avoid the faint track running along the top of the overhang undercut by the river in flood, as it takes you up a steep slide slope which is blocked by a large downed log.
The fourth crossing, a quarter mile further, was a rock hop for me, and the fifth, another third of a mile, offered a good log to cross.
The trail before the third crossing is occasionally overgrown, sometimes obscure, but never hard to follow. After that, it is often overgrown, regularly obscure, and sometimes hard to follow. Keep an eye out for subtle changes in the undergrowth height and watch for cut-through logs and you’ll have no trouble.
The shelter is in excellent shape. I can’t add anything to Eric’s description, other than to marvel at the beautiful cedar material they used to repair the siding on the walls. I saw no evidence of rodents.
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