South Fork Hoh River - Big Flat — Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

South Fork Hoh River Trail, 3.3 m. to trail end, no elevation gain. Wanting some solitude and a relaxing trip, Kurt, Rachel and myself decided to try this not so popular trail in Olympic National Park. Most people go to the North Fork of the Hoh River to see the rainforest, although the South Fork is just about as impressive without the extra hikers. Picked up permits for one night and hiked in during the afternoon through this beautiful jungle-like forest. The trees were most impressive, sitka spruce, western hemlock, and douglas fir, along with all the clovers, ferns, and hanging moss. Enter the park .4 miles from the trailhead, then come to Big Flat at 1.3 miles. When we arrived at Big Flat we followed the trail off to the right into Big Flat. Eventually the trail comes to the rocky beaches of the Hoh River. There are a few hard to find areas to set up camp, although we eventually found a spot. After spending some time with the flow of the river we ate some dinner, then took a nice walk into the rainforest from 8pm to about 8:45pm, it was awesome to be walking around the forest at this time of night. I didn’t see any elves or goblins, but figured they were around somewhere. From Big Flat, the trail continues for a couple more miles, then eventually deteriorates. We had a nice quiet night in camp being the only people in the area. The morning brought on some great valley fog which enhanced our surroundings. After a relaxing breakfast we packed up camp and headed out to explore the Pacific coastline, then head up to Deer Park. Just before we left we spotted a bald eagle soaring through the river valley in search for some fish, what a beautiful sight to witness in this peaceful place which surrounded us. Josh Comen