Staircase and the North Fork Skokomish

The North Fork Skokomish near Staircase

The image above shows the North Fork Skokomish river just above the Staircase area in the Olympic National Park. If you look closely, you can see the bridge that runs across the river … providing access tof the Staircase Loop Trail. This is a very wide angle lens … which causes the curvature distortion. The image below is taken from the bridge looking further downriver.

At the bottom, a section of the North Fork Skokomish trail running through Maple Flats, about 6 miles up from the Staircase area.

North Fork Skokomish from the Staircase bridge
Maple Flats area of the North Fork Skokomish trail

Upstream – Downstream

Upstream from the Bridge at Six Stream

These two photos are taken from the middle of the bridge across the North Fork Skokomish at Six Stream, which comes into the North Fork just south of the bridge. The bridge is just about 6 miles up the North Fork Skokomish trail …

The Six Ridge trailhead is just at the upper end of the bridge … and that trail is one of the most rugged, least traveled and least maintained in the Olympic National Park. One that I have contemplated hiking in the past, but never got around to. (that’s what happens when you have a full time job)

Downstream from the Bridge at Six Stream

North Fork Skokomish in Autumn

N Fork Skokomish River in Autumn

This photo is from the bridge crossing the North Fork Skokomish about a mile above the Staircase Trailhead. A lovely spot for lunch. (If you enlarge the photo by clicking on it, you can see the small group to the right of the two rocks in the foreground.)

North Fork Skokomish Trail in Autumn

North Fork Skokomish in Winter

North Fork Skokomish where it runs into Lake Cushman

The North Fork Skokomish valley is one of my favorite locations in Olympic National Park. It used to be the closest to my home, when I lived in Olympia. It’s a little farther away now, but I still try to make several trips per year. It’s a low snow year when you can drive up to the Staircase Trailhead in December (unlike this year).

North Fork Skokomish from the Staircase Area

Road or River?

Road or River?

I was going through photos and when I got to this one, I couldn’t remember anything about this view of a back country road. It fell into place when I enlarged the image and it turned into water … this is a branch of the John Day River in central Oregon.

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