I was in Sequim Washington visiting my aunt well also training for a 10K for suicide prevention and…read moredepression awareness. Being the explore that I am, I used a combination of -yelp and Google to find parks near me. I was excited to find that there was a park 3 miles from my aunts house. I asked to borrow her car and away I went.
When I arrived, I found a small parking lot. I noticed cut outs in the woods that resembles trailheads, but not many markings. I happened upon a trail head board, where I was able to pull a trifold brochure with map out of the case. From what I can tell, this series of foot, bicycle, and horse paths is maintained by volunteers. The trails are easy to spot, but not all have signage Or names. I noticed That's some of the posts had numbers, but that really means nothing unless you have a copy of the map. At some junctions, you are left to wonder where the path will lead and whom it is intended for. Summer designated foot only, summer horses only, and some are shared use.
I used my Fitbit to track my GPS, so I can upload a map with my review, but I very much felt like Hansel wandering the dark forest. There are many beautiful trees, some great signage and points of interest for foliage in centuries. the brush is trimmed fairly well and it's pretty easy to find yourself alone on a path.
During my run, I encountered walkers, the folks on horse back, mountain bikers, and even Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, Complete with ornaments. As I stopped to take a photo, I could hear something breathing nearby. It certainly was not a human. It sounded like a horse, but as I stood still, I heard no other movement and could see no horses, so I'm not 100% sure what the creature was. I read another review that said someone happened upon a coyote. Little red riding hood happened upon a wolf, but being Hantzel, I'm not so sure who was stocking me.Oh, and I found the witch's table in a clearing on a path, which let me know that I was indeed in the dark forest.
The hours to the small park are 8 AM to dusk. There is no running water but there is one single Porta potty at the main trail head. They also provide doggy bags and a 5 gallon bucket that serves as the trashcan for the doggie Doodoo. The Porta potty was pretty well-maintained, the log shows that it's cleaned every 1 to 2 weeks. Being Covid, I was disappointed that the hand sanitizer was empty.
All in all it was a pretty good run/walk in the woods. Be prepared for hills. There are many. My weaving loop in the woods was just under 3 miles, but I'm certain there's more to discover. I didn't travel all of the trails, in fact when I returned to the parking lot I discovered another path that had been blocked by a horse trailer when I arrived.
four stars for the confusing intersections and lack of signage on many of the paths. Would I run this trail again? Yes. would I recommend this trail for someone to explore alone? Yes, if you are good at directions, not in a hurry, have your phone and GPS handy, just in case, and or if you bring plenty of breadcrumbs to drop along the way like Hantzel and Gretel.