The 6 Mile Bridge … actually at 5.6 miles (9.0 KM) … is where the North Fork Skokomish trail crosses from the east side of the river to the west side. As you can see, the river runs through a narrow chasm at that point. It’s one of my favorite spots for a break … such a nice view. And even on a hot summer day there always seems to be a cool breeze coming down the valley at this point.
The North Fork Skokomish valley (in the distance, left of center, above) is one of my favorite hiking locations in the Olympic National Park … and a frequent subject in this blog. It’s 12.6 miles (20.3 km) hiking from the trailhead at Staircase Campground to First Divide, the pass between the N Fork Skokomish valley and the Duckabush Valley.
The photo above is looking back down the valley from just below First Divide. My longest day hike ever was to First Divide (back in the mid-90’s). My feet were very tired by the time I got back.
This is a section of the North Fork Skokomish trail about 5 miles from the trailhead at Staircase Ranger Station at the southeast corner of the Olympic National Park. I have hiked this trail dozens of times and it remains a favorite. This is a particularly nice section of trail … fairly level and dry. This was taken mid-summer … this time of year it’s likely to require snowshoes to get to this point … even though the elevation isn’t very high. The narrow mountain valleys get more snow than the lowlands, even at similar elevations.
I really like watching valley fog up in mountain valleys as it changes and moves up the valley. It can be a constantly changing show. This is the North Fork Skokomish in Olympic National Park in November … this time of year (February) this same area can be a challenge to access due to snow.
Note the area on the right of the seat.