Hiking the Elwha River Trail
- Thread starter chrome/22
- Start date
Due to a road washout, the Elwha area is closed to vehicle access beyond the Madison Falls parking area. This adds an additional 6.5 miles of hiking to the Whiskey Bend Trailhead and ~8 miles to the Boulder Creek Trailhead.
Trail is cleared to Chicago Camp, check the NPS for updates, or WTA for more details.
Trail is cleared to Chicago Camp, check the NPS for updates, or WTA for more details.
Other than the Hoh, the lack of timely repairs to road damage in the OP is a major bummer.
SF
SF
Yeah there's a lot of costs to keeping the roads open, repaired and cleared, and some roads close and never reopen (Dosewallips).
Not sure what the long term situation is with the Elwah is regarding the road. I do know bicycles are going up past the closure, but don't know what the road is like.
Not sure what the long term situation is with the Elwah is regarding the road. I do know bicycles are going up past the closure, but don't know what the road is like.
Dustin Chromers
Legend
Used to be great trout fishing when the dam was there. Not sure what it's like post removal. I suspect slightly less stellar as competition from migratory fish and their smolts may impact the trout angling. The grand canyon is not to be entered by the faint of heart. Rica is hazardous as well. Any mistake where one ended up in the river could be punished severely as it's a box canyon in places. It's a long walk now especially with the road situation to get above the grand. The area between the two canyons I believe called geyser valley is somewhat more accessible. Good luck and be careful.
DryFly82
Life of the Party
It's a bummer they haven't been able to reopen it. I managed a project up there in Glines Canyon in 2015 and the connection to the fish and the natural beauty of the area I assumed I'd be back to camp up there every few years. I went back for a project follow up with NPS in 2016, but that was the last time I drove past the washout. I'd love to go see the area again, but hiking up the old asphalt doesn't appeal to me much when there's so many other good trails in the park.
Funny… well sad actually that both the feds and state used to have money to get things like road repairs done a lot quicker. In most cases now it’s like we’ll get it repaired someday if we can find money or maybe never repair it.
SF
After moving full-time to Washington in 2007, I started a tradition of camping and fishing for several days along the whole length of the Humes Ranch section in late August / early September.
For me it served as a final opportunity to clear my mind and relax before the start of another school year. It was a fun place to fish for rainbows.
From the Whiskey Bend Trailhead, it is about two miles (with a steep drop at the end) to Goblin Gates at the head of Rica Canyon. I was bummed when they closed the river to fishing during the dam removal, process but I was hopeful (but cynical) that the park service would reopen the river to flyfishing. Unfortunately, after removing the Glines Canyon Dam, the river rampaged through two campgrounds downstream and washed out the road. The closest place you can park now adds almost 5 miles of hiking each way to reach Whiskey Bend. I suspect that the park service, especially given the road issues on the Hoh, does not want to build a road in the flood plain. They would prefer to allow the river move across its flood plain organically. So, to rebuild the washed-out road to Whiskey Bend above the flood plain would be prohibitively expensive.
Steve
For me it served as a final opportunity to clear my mind and relax before the start of another school year. It was a fun place to fish for rainbows.
From the Whiskey Bend Trailhead, it is about two miles (with a steep drop at the end) to Goblin Gates at the head of Rica Canyon. I was bummed when they closed the river to fishing during the dam removal, process but I was hopeful (but cynical) that the park service would reopen the river to flyfishing. Unfortunately, after removing the Glines Canyon Dam, the river rampaged through two campgrounds downstream and washed out the road. The closest place you can park now adds almost 5 miles of hiking each way to reach Whiskey Bend. I suspect that the park service, especially given the road issues on the Hoh, does not want to build a road in the flood plain. They would prefer to allow the river move across its flood plain organically. So, to rebuild the washed-out road to Whiskey Bend above the flood plain would be prohibitively expensive.
Steve
Attachments
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Human Resources are eating up all the physical resources…to make this happen.
Dustin Chromers
Legend
Was likely asking the best West side trout fisheries.
mr.badexample
Smolt
I agree, 30 years ago around the Hayes confluence down to Canyon camp there were some hogs.
mr.badexample
Smolt
as one of my former attorneys said to me "you think like a criminal"
