I was staying on the peninsula for work. However, I had the later shift, so I had time to explore…read moreduring the day. Searching for waterfalls with easy access, I found Rocky Brook Falls! A few minutes drive off of 101 in Brinnon, WA you'll find Rocky Brook Falls. Across the street are a few parking spots, but beware that side is private property and there are a bunch of no trespassing signs. The entrance to the trail was not obvious to me. So I took some photos showing the path. But it's a short walk to the falls, which by the way, was a lot larger than I thought it would be! You will have to climb over some boulders to access the pool at the base of the falls, so just be aware of that. I came on a summer weekday, so there was only another couple with their dog there. You practically had the place to yourself! It has been one of the dryer summers, so I imagine after a good rainfall, the falls would be roaring and serene. Also note, there are no bathroom facilities and no cell service in the immediate area.

What an easy hike to an unpopulated waterfall with wading, swimming, and jumping options. I don't…read morethink it gets better than this for a hidden treasure. I highly recommend. Bring some Keens or other water shoes as you have to scrabble over some larger boulders at the edge of the pool - but to keep it real, I wore flip flops. There is a dirt parking lot on left side . Cross over the road and hike the trail on the right side.

I loved this place! Absolutely stunning trail. It's tucked away and you don't hear any cars going…read moreby to distract you. I went on a gorgeous sunny day for a trail run and was not disappointed. It really is gorgeous. The trail is tight and offers lots of turns and ups and down and be careful of the ruts sticking up so you don't trip. If you follow it down to the beach and stump house, it's steep. nothing crazy but let's just say I ran down but there was no way I was running back up lol. Oh and stay off Ridge trail. It's very over grown and closed due to a previous storm. I forgot I saw a hand written not on the trail sign and went on it later‍. I went March 5 2018 and it was closed then.

I have a tough time giving nature any less than 5 stars, ya know? I don't get a few of the other…read morereviews but maybe we are just out for different experiences. My two kiddos (8 and 4) and I were looking to get out of the house and into the woods for a bit so we came out to finally see this stump house. Parking is a small dirt lot on the side of the road. Cross over and there are marked trailheads. There are two trails down. One is sawmill trail which will take you all the way down to the beach (once closer to the beach the drop off is quite steep and trail very narrow.) and the other trail spits you out onto a gravel road. You can continue on the gravel road down to the beach or walk a hundred feet or so and take the sawmill trail. We took the gravel road down and I couldn't help but feel like I might be on private property because at the top of the trail it said to keep on trail because of private property. BUT once we got down we realized that yes, this road does take one to the private property but that it's permitted for park goers to use the road as well. One car came down as we were walking and parked to make their way down to the beach. There really isn't a dedicated area to park here, just a turn around spot so maybe plan to drop off if you go this route. And your car needs to be out an hour or two before sunset or you get locked in. There was a fellow yelling for the car owners as we were on our way back but they were nowhere to be found. Once you get down to the beach access point there is a detailed map to see the entire layout of the park and trails. You cross over a little bridge and to your right is the beach and to the left is the stump house. The access point was flooded so rain boots were a must. The water and mud was about ankle deep in the more shallow areas. It's doable. Don't let a little water stop you. From the bridge we went left in search of the stump house and found it in about five minutes of walking the trail. A cute little stump, hollowed and some fixings nailed up to make it took like a home. Inside there's a book to sign your name and maybe add a quote or story. Also, a treasure box to leave something behind. It was a really cool spot for the kids. We headed back after this as it was getting late. So I cannot speak for the beach area. We'll get to that next time. We took the trailhead to the left this time. There's an old, gutted house that's surely to fall to pieces soon at the head of the trail. This trail is extremely steep and while it was more serene than the gravel road it was a workout. Overall, it's a great little hike for the entire family. We even saw a bald eagle. Note: there are no restrooms or running water.

Came here with my church for their annual summer outing to this location. Very pretty! Big enough…read morefor a day trip adventure, but small enough to feel safe if something happens because the distances are not too far off from other mini bodies of land, if you paddle board, swim, or kayak at this location. $20 for an overnight pass. Otherwise, day passes only last until 2100 or 9PM. Know your camp site number so that you park at the correct place as listed on your pass. Do not want a ticket. Anyway, got to stargaze at the end of the night where not many people were around, despite coming here on a summer weekend. Really made for a peaceful time. Hiking is around here, too, but I did not get to partake because I met with the people from my church later in the day after coming from work

Generally my family heads out to Lake Chelan and i was invited out to visit at Lake Cushman this…read moresummer. There are so many beautiful pockets to take in the views & nature'The drive in is beautiful and not too far out, depending where you're staying (vacation residence, campgrounds). Beautiful lake, cold temperatures due to it being a glacier lake - the water is so clear ! Would love to go on some hikes and spend more time out there. Im so grateful that theres so much to see and do in out here in the pnw!

We loved this easy and fun path. It was an easy hike for the whole family. Many paths if you want…read moreto continue after the falls. It was not too busy during the week but can see it could get busy during the weekend. Easy access to parking which is a plus!

SO BEAUTIFUL!!! literally one of the best shorter trails around this area with a couple hidden…read morewaterfalls if you look around enough if you go up the path on the right and then on the way back take the road it feels like you make it back so much quicker (as someone who hates walking back on trails)

Covered wooded hiking paths and creek. Parking fits about 10-12 cars. The main paths are kid…read morefriendly however of you want to see the water fall (it's small) we ended up walking up the creek to find it (teen and up for this part). We spent about an hour exploring the creek and various trails. There are 1.5 miles total of forested trails.

This is a nice spot for a short hike right in the middle of Bremerton. We didn't even know it…read moreexisted until we looked for a trail close to us online. It is very steep in many places. It is beautiful and you can get to a small fall in the creek. I wouldn't go if it is muddy but today was a perfect day.

What?! 3-stars? For...nature?…read more Yeah, I did it. If this were a hike in Indiana, or Ohio, or Kansas, it would easily be 5-stars. But, for Washington? Home to THREE National Parks, the largest glaciers in the lower 48, temperate rainforests, and hundreds of miles of coastline? Nah. This is an A-OK hike. It goes to a lake surrounded by forested hills. It looks like many lakes in WA and OR that are surrounded by forested hills. There aren't sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains, there aren't craggy cliffs overhead. There's lots of forest, and a pretty big lake. If you're super into lakes and trees, you'll dig this. But, you can find prettier lakes (Flapjack Lakes) via Staircase: https://www.yelp.com/biz/staircase-area-olympic-national-park-hoodsport And you can find prettier forests via Hoh River Trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hoh-rain-forest-visitor-center-forks If you're more into mountains and scenic vistas, Ellinor is much more rewarding and relatively close-by: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mount-ellinor-hoodsport SIDEBAR: this is the trailhead you climb "The Brothers" from. I can't really recommend climbing this mountain. The trail starts to fizzle out past Lena Lake and eventually becomes a full-on bushwhack. Route finding starts to take more time than actually moving. You'll second guess your every move, mutiny will be in the back of the mind for you and your comrades. The route up the mountain is also kind of winding and confusing. In early season, watch out for avalanches! One of our people got swept away by one while on this mountain, luckily she only had a sprung (It's my mission to make this word the past tense of sprang) ankle.

This hike is perfect for an beginner-intermediate hiker. It's easy to get to & even has a paved…read moreroad up to the trailhead as opposed to the primitive roads often near trailheads. They have vault bathrooms at the beginning of the trailhead near the parking lot. I checked the bulletins and signed the registry and headed up. I instantly noticed a difference from other trails I've been on in that the majority if not all the trail is shaded so even though it was like 85+ degrees when I went, it felt much cooler and there was even a breeze at times so the heat/sun wasn't an annoyance. The trail is a general medium uphill travel. I loved that it was gradual and not just a sharp incline with a huge amount of switchbacks like other trails. It's only about 1200-1300 elevation gain total. This trail allowed me to pace myself and not stop too much to take a breath. I was able to just keep going. I also liked that the trail was wide enough in most places where 2-3 people and pass each other at one time as opposed to having to yield. I also liked that even though I went on a Saturday around 10:45am the trail was practically empty. Such a difference from the trails near Snoqualmie and North Bend. Nobody appears to want to come down toward the Hood Canal to hike. You can hear the water throughout your trek uphill so it's a relaxing hike....is that even possible? I had seen a wooden sign about a mile before the lake that said Lena Lake but what I didn't notice was the word Upper in front of Lena Lake. I actually passed the lake because I didn't see the lookout point to my right and I actually went another 1.5 miles before my intuition told me to stop. Upper Lena lake is about another 7-8 miles past Lower Lena Lake, and I was definitely not ready for that plus the hike down. I will say that the bugs get a lot worse the higher up you go, or at least they did for me. I passed two huge wasp/hornet nests and they just don't leave you alone no matter how much you swat. I also ran into some friendly grouses. No bears or mountain lions this time thankfully. Anyway, on the way back down to the lake I went off the trail a bit toward Lena Creek and there were a lot of campers and people filling up their water. You can also cross a log bridge which I believe takes you to the Brothers trail. FYI: The lake is on your right about 3.5 miles up from the trailhead. Then if you want, you can trek a mile or two down hill to get closer to the ground level of the lake as opposed to peering out over it on the rocks. My hiking app kept telling me the lake is called Olympic National Forest Pond. There were a few rowdy tubers on the lake that were disturbing the peace of the outdoors, but to each his own. Overall though, I will definitely be doing this trail again as it was the perfect length and also has the nice treat of the lake once you get to the end. Definitely take a reasonable amount of water (I took 1.5 Liters) and some food/snacks and even some swimwear. Please take your trash and doggie doo bags out with you. I did notice a few spots where there was dog feces directly on the trail or doo bags throw into the ground cover. Be a responsible dog owner please. Also as of 8/20, there were some downed logs laying across some of the Upper Lena Lake trail so you may need to crawl and climb over wet/muddy areas if you go up further.

We had a very disappointing experience at Seal Rock Campground…read more Our group of seven arrived around 1:50 p.m. and selected Sites 16 and 17, which appeared unoccupied. There was no reservation ticket or other indication that Site 16 was reserved, so we paid the fees for both sites within 30 minutes of arriving and set up camp. Around 5:30 p.m., another camper arrived and said she had paid for Site 16. She was polite and understood that the situation appeared to be a misunderstanding. Unfortunately, the campground host handled the situation very differently. Despite our explanation that there was no reservation ticket on the site when we arrived, he repeatedly suggested that we had removed the ticket and threatened that we could be banned from Olympic National Forest, despite having no evidence that we had done anything wrong. He also claimed to have been checking the campground and had seen the ticket still on the site, which made us question why he did not address the situation earlier. Rather than objectively investigating the misunderstanding, he appeared determined to assume we were at fault and dismissed our explanation. We felt unfairly judged, disrespected, and treated as dishonest without evidence. I cannot know his intentions, but the interaction left us feeling that we were not treated fairly or with basic respect. Campsite misunderstandings can happen, but they should be handled professionally. The problem was not simply that there was a dispute over the site. It was the host's accusatory, dismissive, and threatening behavior toward our group. Future campers should be aware of this experience and should consider taking photos of their campsite and any reservation or payment notices immediately upon arrival.

Pristine campground on the shores of Hood Canal in Brinnon WA. No showers but every other amenity…read moreis here. Clean and well taken care of

One of my favorite waterfalls in Washington. Great trail and drive up to the trail. You park and…read moreturn around, and the trail is right there. I wish there was a sign because you'll get asked a lot, "Is that the trail?" To access the waterfall, if you want to get great shots of the waterfall, you have to climb down to it. We weren't able to because we have an 8-month-old. But we used to climb down to the waterfall years ago. It's a must! Our first time at this hike was 6 years ago, and we've done it a handful of times since then. I do want to say every time we have come there, there are hardly any people on the trail. Most people will scramble down by the waterfall. It's fun. You do see people turn around at the tree/bench because it's a steep climb down. But you are able to still see the waterfall. Parking: There are about maybe 10 cars that can fit, and then parking a couple of feet ahead. Restroom: None

Such a nice hike. Very lush foliage and trees, and is a short out and back, roughly 1.6 miles. Very…read morelow elevation gain, family and dog friendly. There is some parking available right across from the trailhead. There are a lot of small fallen trees, probably due to that huge windstorm that happened a couple weeks ago. There is one tree you will have to climb over. I'm 5'0 and it was tall enough where I was almost sitting on it when I walked over it. And best of all the waterfall is spectacular! Definitely won't disappoint. I don't know how it is in the summer. There are also smaller water falls you can see on the way there.