Information on documents from September 2024…read more Beautiful location. Great for people of all ages.

Finally got up to the Staircase area last week. Great time to visit, although the gorgeous…read morecampground isn't open the trails were practically empty. You have to park near the Lake Cushman day use area, as the road into Staircase is closed for the season. We took the rapid loop trail first. The trail was fun, not too muddy, and an easy 2 1/2 miles including the short out & back to the big cedar. The trees are beautiful and the waters crystal clear. We also decided to take the Shady Lane Trail, just to take a different trail back to the van and day use. This trail was nice, but it wasn't in quite as good of shape right now. The lake was lovely too. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the day use, and got gorgeous aerial pics of its clear waters and massive boulders. The Staircase area is just beautiful. While I would've loved to stay at the campground, I prefer the peacefulness of the trails at this time of year.

The campsites design is terrible. Roots under tent spots make use difficult. In my visit in August…read more2025, I saw the campgrounds empty despite the website showing all sites as booked. Then, rangers tried to frame me for stealing the toilet paper in the night. I had brought my own, so was not without.

Pretty busy park and known for it's "clams". We got there at 1230pm so the overflow and regular lot…read morewas full. The state worker manning the lot said to check out Eagle Creek or Lillawap instead. Not too many shady spots. I saw a built shelter area with 3 lunch benches. Perhaps you have to rent ahead or claim the area early on? Porta potty only because the flush toilets got flooded.

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.

Originally wanting to go to the Staircase Rapids trail, but it's currently closed because of the…read morefire. To save our trip to the Lake Cushman area, we popped into the Skokomish Park area and paid the day fee and for an hour on a double passenger kayak. The water is so fresh and clear, very clean! The views once you're on the lake are breathtaking. We enjoyed our kayaking journey and chilled for a bit exploring the rest of the grounds after. It's a great, quiet, and safe recreational area where you can spend the day or overnight camp. The rangers in the office as you check in and the guys that help you with the kayak are all friendly and helpful. It was a great experience and we definitely plan to come back!

This was an area of Washington that we've never been before and I was excited at the prospect of…read morehanging out, relaxing by the water. We stayed two nights in the walk-in camp area and it was fairly quiet and cool. This does seem like a party/large camp out type of place. The trees by our campsite were hacked and had burn marks, but still growing if that makes sense. You can rent stand up paddle boards and kayaks at their shop. I didn't partake but my partner did. Next time I'll probably go for a kayak. The lake is gorgeous. Clear water, had a swimming area, some picnic tables scattered around. At night you can see the milky way which I love love love to look at. The bathrooms could use an update as they were very dated, dingy and some of the locks don't work. They do have coin operated showers though, which looked decent.

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 didn't stay here, we just drove through and checked it out for future reference…read more There are campsites and there's room for RV's. It's near the Skokomish River. Dense trees and seemed really cozy. Will be back!

Organized, clean, and such a welcoming space! Lots of nearby hiking and a gorgeous lake you can…read moredrive or walk to, as desired. There are also rangers available during regular business hours to provide information and resources. Hope to come back soon!

My favorite park. A lot of wildlife from birds (eagles, herons, even the occasional kingfisher) to…read moresalmon to shellfish and bugs. Wildflowers. Camping and clean bathrooms though I've never camped - it's a great place. Shallow creek area perfect for kids to swim. Just be aware of salmon season - and to respect them. Amazing place to observe nature.

This is a great park, as far as we know! We had no incidents, and loved the scenery all around. We…read morefound our campsite adequate and thought many around us looked pleasant as well. The bathrooms were clean and everyone we ran into was friendly. We loved the different varieties of water around, including the canal and also a cheerful creek running through the grounds.

Mason County Recreation Area boasts half a dozen ballfields and a number of soccer fields. A couple…read moreof the diamonds have sports turf while others are dirt. Token operated batting cages for baseball, fast pitch and slow pitch are located between fields. Bathrooms are limited to one for men and one for women. The line for the women's room looked brutally long. No honey buckets noted. A small playground is nearby. No concession stand seen but a taco truck was on site. The main parking lot is medium sized. There is an overflow lot just outside the main entrance. It offers more parking than the main lot but you'll have to hoof it a bit further. Overall the place is spacious. Lots of shade to be found away from the fields in tall timber for those few hot and sunny days. Bring folding chairs and a pop up canopy. Bleacher seating fills up fast.

Nice beachfront. Parking can be tight in warm months and securing covered bar-b-Que....get there…read moreearly. Please don't play loud music in car or waterfront. Lots of folks go there to relax and enjoy sound of beach water but most times others just intrude on your space w their sounds of music they want. Why can't natural settings be just that.

Sunnyside Beach Park is a nice spot to bring your family, friends, etc to spend some time in the…read morewarmer months. The paid $5 lot fills up fast in the summer however there is street parking only 1/2 mile away and you can just park/walk over. You have to cross train tracks to get over to the beach and park which is worth mentioning. The playground has an area for older and younger kiddos. Restrooms are available, but not always well kept. A lot of picnic tables throughout and space to make your own picnic area if you wanted. Overall: I recommend in the summer - come earlier if you prefer it a little less crowded!

Great quick road trip off the main road. Busy on the weekend but you could probably put some camp…read morechairs up and have some lunch. Tallest arched (once railroad) bridge in the US.

We stopped here on our drive to Olympic National Park. It was a special place to visit because it…read morefelt pretty empty almost like we had it to ourselves. Do know it is just a bridge with pretty views. We did go a little out of our way to come here and it was a quick view. We stopped our car just in front of the bridge and walked along it. The forest surrounding it is stunning. All your Yelp photos will look amazing. Do know that there aren't any public restrooms here. It feels like it is almost a part of the road. I'm not sure if there are any hikes nearby, but I did love the views we saw.