Teaching park offers wetlands, old growth and a bit of danger

(Editor's Note: This story has been changed since it was first published to clarify that Upper Little Mashel Falls is outside the boundaries of the Pack Forest.)

You hear the waterfall before you see it -- just one of the attractions the University of Washington's Pack Forest offers hikers.

Well, actually when I visited I thought it was part of Pack Forest. I was wrong. But more on that later.

Pack Forest is the UW's Center for Sustainable Forest, a field location where staff, students and faculty from the university's College of Forest Resources teach, study and demonstrate modern forest management. But it also is a great place to hike, with wetlands and forests ranging from experimental plantings to old-growth that have survived forest fires.

Most hikers prefer visiting on weekends when Pack Forest is closed to vehicles, roads become trails and the forest is silent other than the chorus of frogs in March or the thunder of Upper Little Mashel Falls.

A variety of trails ranges from interpretive routes to longer loops on logging roads.

Pick up a map at the gatehouse as you enter the park or at trailhead parking near the picnic area. You'll need sharp eyes to read it. And as I learned later, even with a map you won't always know when you're on Pack Forest land and when you moved outside its boundaries.

Any hike is more interesting if you know something about its history. If you've been hiking awhile, now is the time to get out "Footsore 4" or "Best Winter Walks and Hikes: Puget Sound" by Harvey Manning. Manning's writing will compel you to go, especially in early spring when visitors are few.

Road 1000 splits just uphill from trailhead parking. Road 1000 N (left) leads to Murphy's Ranch and a series of waterfalls. Road 1000 S (right) leads to Kirkland Pass and Hugo Peak. You can make a loop with links to side trips or hike to Hugo Peak (1,740 feet), a high point with views of the Mashel and Ohop valleys, the Nisqually River and Tacoma. Hugo is a hikers' favorite as it also provides a workout. You also can hike to Hugo Peak from a lower trailhead at the gatehouse.

We hiked clockwise, turning left at the split. The road climbs at a moderate grade and passes secondary roads and interpretive trails. After gaining about 300 feet of elevation, the road levels out and forest gives way to small marshes and experimental plantations.

We stopped abruptly, nearly stepping on a salamander frozen with fear at our feet. We later consulted field guides and searched hiking-related Web sites and we think the little fellow most likely was a rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa), a member of the salamander family. Their skins carry toxins strong enough to sicken or even kill a small animal.

After hiking about 1.8 miles, we turned left onto Road 1070 to access the waterfall. We followed the roar to a boulder with fading blue paint indicating the trail heading down. We started down but turned back as the path was overgrown, steep and dangerous. We returned to the road, frustrated by vegetation blocking views of Upper Little Mashel Falls.

We followed the road to a railroad track and an old fire ring above the Little Mashel River. A little distance downstream, the road comes to a railroad bridge where the river makes a sharp hairpin turn.

Near the bridge we found a rough path that led downstream toward the waterfall. In fact there are several ill-defined paths, none of them user friendly. As I discovered later, there was a reason for this.

My companion found a comfy boulder in the sun and took a break as I continued my quest, scrambling from boulder to boulder hoping to get a view of Upper Little Mashel Falls, the largest of three Little Mashel waterfalls. Not wanting to scramble down the slippery terrain alone, I turned around -- and you probably should, too. Caution is advised, and it is no place for children.

We hiked the road back toward Murphy's Ranch, though the ranch is long gone, and the rock concerts that once were held there reverberate only in the memory of those who were there (yes, including me). We retraced our route back to the trailhead, stopping at the gatehouse to stroll through the 1:100-scale miniature Pack Forest, a side-trip children are guaranteed to enjoy.

On our way home, we stopped at Mill Pond Park in Eatonville, site of an old mill with stunning views of Mount Rainier, especially when alpenglow turns the snowy peak into a confectioner's dream of strawberry ice cream.

Later I was contacted by a representative of Pack Forest who informed me that Upper Little Mashel Falls and the trails to reach it -- which are unofficial, unauthorized and often dangerous -- are on land owned by the town of Eatonville and are not in Pack forest.

The Falls Trail, maintained by Pack Forest, is a way to get to viewpoints of two other falls on the river, often referred to as the Middle and Lower Little Mashel Falls..

If you go

Getting there -- From Interstate 5 south of Seattle get off at Exit 127 to state Route 512, then travel east on SR 512 to SR 7 (south). Just past the junction of SR 161 and SR 7 you'll find Pack Forest on the left side of SR 7 (about a .25 mile from the junction with SR 161), elevation about 800 feet. There are restrooms at the gatehouse, but we found them closed and parking limited. Drive the main road into Pack Forest and find trailhead parking (left). Allow about two hours drive time from Seattle. You also can get there from Tacoma by following SR 7.

Trail data -- From Road 1000 N (north) to Little Mashel Falls, it is about 5.5 miles round trip with about 300 feet elevation gain. Hugo Peak is about 5 miles round trip from the gatehouse trailhead, with about 950 feet of elevation gain. See the map for other options.

Information -- Pack Forest is closed to vehicles on weekends, but open to hikers (some trails are hiker-only), mountain bikers and horseback riding. It also is open to hunting during hunting season. Additional information: www.packforest.org or 360-832-6534. For historical information, refer to "Best Winter Walks and Hikes: Puget Sound" by Harvey Manning and Ira Spring (Mountaineers, 252 pages, $15.95).

Trail Data

Pack Forest

Length: 2-6 miles

Elevation gain: 300950 feet

Rating: Easy to moderate

Location: Eatonville

Scenery: Fair (wetlands, interpretive displays, Mashel River, valley views)

Trail condition: Good, gravel roads

Challenges: Waterfall trails are potentially hazardous