Olympic Rainshadow Explorers

weather permitting
DUE TO CLOUDY WEATHER AT MT TOWNSEND AND SURROUNDING AREA, I AM CHANGING THIS HIKE TO BUCKHORN LAKE.
The carpool location will remain at John Wayne Marina at 7am with a hike start time of 9am. After driving up Palo Alto Rd, the forest service road is narrow and full of ruts and pot-holes.
Please indicate if you plan to carpool or meet at the trailhead.
This hike is 12 miles round-trip and 2,000 feet of elevation gain/loss.
We start at the Tubal Cain trail parking lot. This trail is very well maintained and climbs fairly gently for 5.7 miles until the junction for Buckhorn Lake. The side trail undulates up and down to the little lake. We rest and snack here, then return the same way. Bring bug spray.
National Park pass needed in the windshield. The last vault toilet is at the Upper Dungeness parking lot about 2 miles before the Tubal Cain lot.
I will attempt to reschedule Mt Townsend in better weather.

This is our weekly walk at the Dungeness Recreation Area and the Spit, tides permitting.
This event will take place whether or not I can attend.
Please check the weather before you head out. Stormy weather will cancel this event.
We will park in the dirt lot just past the entry gates. We will walk along the bluff trail, with fabulous views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We will walk down to the Spit, so bring your National Park pass to show the volunteers at the top of the trail (between May and October when the trail to the beach is monitored). One pass will admit 4 walkers. The walk to the Spit is about .5 miles on a paved walkway and includes one short, steep hill to the beach. Depending on the tides and weather, we may walk the beach for a bit before returning back up the hill. We will then take the dirt trail on the east side of the Recreation Area and head back to our cars.
Expect to walk 3.5 to 4 miles with elevation gain/loss around 65 feet.
Leashed dogs are allowed, except on the trail to the Spit. If you bring a dog, you will have to skip the walk down to the beach and take one of the several trails through the park.
Bathrooms are available.
No parking pass required.
Because there are multiple trails to choose from, we may mix it up and explore the other routes in the park.

Weather Permitting, this event will not be cancelled for minor rain

This is a 7 mile round trip, out and back hike with 828 feet of elevation gain/loss. We start at the Madison Falls Trailhead at the end of Olympic Hot Springs Rd, a 2.1 mile drive from Hwy 101 just outside of Port Angeles.

The road up to the Glines Overlook was washed out in 2017 and the campgrounds, ranger buildings and picnic areas are abandoned. The wilderness is reclaiming the area.

From the parking lot, we will walk on the old road for about a half mile and take the lower dirt bypass trail along the Elwha River for .8 miles.

We walk the rest of the way on the abandoned road and head about 2 more miles uphill to the Overlook. The dam removal was a massive undertaking and is an impressive sight. We will have a snack break here and walk back the same way, visiting Madison Falls before we head home.

Dogs are permitted on the whole trail. There is no fee station even though this is in the National Park.