This weekend I'm going to check out the Dosewallips area over in the Olympics, off Hood Canal. Elkhorn campground is several miles past where the road is washed out, sort of Suiattle-style. Except that as I recall (I've ridden and hiked past the wash twice, back in 2002ish) it's a fair bit hillier road.
Google calls it 42 miles from Kingston to Brinnon, then figure another 10 up the Dosewallips road to the wash, then maybe 5 to the campsite.
I could be convinced to drive most of it, day trip, ride it all, camp overnight, whatever. Driving might allow us to better explore some non-hwy 101 routes through that area.
Anybody interested?
UPDATED: Now going Feb. 6/7.
Last edited by jimmythefly on Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
langston
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:12 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 5547Location: Columbia City
maybe
Last edited by langston on Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:28 pm; edited 1 time in total _________________ riders wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.
Alex
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:45 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
I'm very interested, but can't go next weekend (plus my bike won't be back from powdercoating yet). Any chance you could delay a week?
jimmythefly
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:33 pm
Joined: 10 Jan 2007Posts: 1491
How about delay 2 weeks, and go Feb 6/7?
Alex
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:12 pm
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
That sounds great.
Mix of car and bike and scouting sounds good for finding spring and summer camping options.
ChristineBean
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:36 pm
Joined: 05 Oct 2009Posts: 140Location: Capitol Hill
This sounds really fun but I can't go until Feb.
Alex
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:08 pm
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
Christine -- You are in luck, Jimmy moved it to Feb.
Weather like today's makes me want to go camping. Feb seems early, but maybe not too early...
MikeOD
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:45 pm
Joined: 04 Feb 2006Posts: 545
Elkhorn campground is about a mile past the washout, it's deserted and being reabsorbed by the forest. Dosewallips campground/trailhead is another 3 or 4 miles past that, with one very steep section past the waterfalls that is a push but well worth it. It's a nice low traffic campground on the river with some good hiking options. There's a ranger station there but not sure if it would be staffed this time of year - it was a couple summers ago when I was there.
wanderlyte
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:30 pm
Joined: 06 May 2006Posts: 62Location: Afloat somewhere in Puget Sound
I'm tentatively in. I've been meaning to sail over to Hood Canal. I'd probably leave the boat in Pleasant Harbor and bike from there.
--Matt
ChristineBean
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:43 pm
Joined: 05 Oct 2009Posts: 140Location: Capitol Hill
Really want to go but I have to go to Whislter to go snowboarding and then hang out for the olympics for a few days. I know hard times
tehschkott
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:37 am
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
ChristineBean wrote:
Really want to go but I have to go to Whislter to go snowboarding and then hang out for the olympics for a few days. I know hard times
#firstworldproblems
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Sweeney
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:33 am
Joined: 18 Feb 2009Posts: 851Location: English Hill, Redmond
I too am interested in, but cannot go this weekend. Maybe there will be another camping trip next month when the weather is even better (hopefully)...
This is going to be less of a camping-focused trip and more of a recon for future camping. I'm planning on driving over using either the Kingston or Bainbridge ferries, taking my bike too of course.
1. I mainly want to know the best way to bike from the Hood Canal bridge to Brinnon, WA (dosewallips road). There seem to be a bunch of backroads that will keep us off 104 and 101, I want to drive them and find the most suitable for biking. There's also a road that google maps shows going south from Quilcene, Spencer Creek Rd. But it looks like its just a gravel path under powerlines, so I'm planning on trying to see if it's rideable.
2. Dosewallips state park has a group site I'd like to check out.
3. Go up the Dosewallips, ride around the washout and check out the two campsites.
Hike up the Dosewallips from the last campsite? Fort Flagler? Olympic Discovery Trail? Gold Creek/Lower Dungeness mountain bike? Anything else look good for summer group camping over there?
I'm leaning toward making this a one-day Saturday recon, though I'll bring camping stuff in the car just in case. If you're planning on coming along and have a preference one way or the other let me know. I can carry 4 bikes/people. (roof rack with fork-mount style carriers -so no through-axle forks and not too long of a front fender pls.)
Alex
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:18 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
In stupid Alex fashion I've managed to triple book myself for Saturday. Still thinking that this should be on top of the priority queue, but we'll see what happens.
jimmythefly
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:51 pm
Joined: 10 Jan 2007Posts: 1491
Lots of fun, and a nice day for a drive/ride. I plan on coming back during the summer. I'm just going to leave this here for future reference, to add to what Wanderlyte said.
62 miles from Kingston to the washout. The route I would ride was plenty hilly, think 2 laps of FHR, only with some of the hills longer, but some of the descents longer, too.
Hood canal Bridge/Thorndyke/Coyle/Dabob/just before CenterRD turn south onto a logging road with a big blue "state trust Lands" sign..this turns into what Google maps calls Old Lindsey Hill Rd/E. Quilcene rd/Hwy 101/Dosewallips.
Brinnon has a gas station with lots of beer/charcoal/hotdogs/chips/stuff for car-campers. It's open until 11pm or midnight depending on the day of the week.
The Dosewallips road is pretty consistently uphill on the way in, downhill on the way out.
Both campgrounds that are up the Dosewallips road beyond the washout are totally useable. Elkhorn is Suiattle-sized-ish, The one at the end is about 3x as big, but might have a ranger there in the summer. The group sites at Dosewallips state park aren't a good idea for us.
1. To get around the wash there are some fairly steep/tight switchbacks up, then a short flat section of trail, then more switchbacks down. I would be pushing my loaded bike or more likely hand-carrying panniers up the switchbacks. A single-wheel trailer would be much easier than a 2-wheel trailer due to the narrowness of the trail.
2. The old road is almost a railroad grade to elkhorn campground (1.5 miles), smooth, slightly uphill, hard packed gravel. Any road bike could do it.
3. Between Elkhorn and the end of the road campground the road climbs steadily and steeply. I'd hesitate to do it on anything less than a 32mm tire, not so much for climbing as descending. Low gears are a must, or plan on walking/pushing at least one hill. I was in my 30ring and 24/28/32cogs most of the way up. There are also a couple of slides across the road that a 2-wheel trailer would have to be carried across, unloaded. I'm not exactly selling it, but it is a beautiful ride, with a great set of waterfalls to see, and farther from where the cars are parked=less traffic on weekend nights.
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