Hiking the WA Russ Jolley from Duncan Creek east was on my hiking to-do list and finally completed it today. We followed the Field Guide directions up Duncan Creek to Railcar Falls, then backtracked to the Russ Jolley trail. There were three cars at the trailhead and the trail is in great shape; seems not so "lost" anymore. Really enjoyed the Dunan Creek trail, the forest is lush and the creek has one waterfall or cascade after another.
The trail was overgrown and had some limbs of vine maple hanging low, but overall was pretty easy to follow. It seems as though much of the trail was along an old road bed?
We hit an old clearcut and headed down to a logging road. The footing was difficult with a lot of branches and downed trees under foot and hidden under vegetation.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of road walking on ~1/3 of this loop hike. Walked a gravel road through the clearcut, which then turned to a dirt road in a forest. At Cynthia Falls we were back on gravel back to our car.
There was no flagging at the Russ Jolley junction, but it was the only trail heading west near Apron Falls. But, soon the trail was consistently flagged, up to the West Fork of Duncan Creek. I was surprised to see an amazing bridge over the creek.
We lost the trail a bit at this point, but continued up along the creek and eventually found it again; however, it was seldom flagged after crossing the creek.
Just before the West Fork Duncan Creek, there was another trail coming in from our right (north of us). Does anyone know where this leads?Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
Re: Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
I believe the trail you saw coming from the North was the old RJolley trail. He crossed the Creek a bit higher up than the new Bridge crossing. Actually where you picked up the road on the west side is where he crossed the Creek.
- Sugar Pine
- Posts: 182
- Joined: April 28th, 2017, 12:23 pm
Re: Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
Thanks for the info, although if this wasn't the old Russ Jolley trail then someone else made this trail?
Re: Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
I actually opened up 90% of the old R J trail from Hardy Ridge to St Cloud Park on SR14 about 17 years ago. Don would have tracks. Part of it has changed because Archer was out of bounds for him at that time. His trail ran below Archer on the East side. Where you joined the new logging road he turned left through the woods and crossed the Power line road toward the bottom of Archer approx 3/4 of a mile down from Cynthia Falls. Trail from Apron Falls to Hardy is probably still hikable but it would take good trail finding because brush grows very fast in the area. At Cynthia Falls trail would go over Archer now either around the N or S side then pick up Prindle down to SR14.
- Sugar Pine
- Posts: 182
- Joined: April 28th, 2017, 12:23 pm
Re: Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
Thanks for opening the trail. I hiked from Railcar Falls to Kueffler Rd in 2018 and from Kueffler Rd to Hardy Ridge and on to Hardy Creek in 2019. Don't know if all this was along your trail, but I don't recall too many problems except a ~200 ft bushwack from Phlox point down to a trail to the west. I also seem to go to this area in the spring, when there is too much snow at higher elevations, but then there is a lot of water in the creeks. It is great fun to check out these trails with few other hikers and that require a bit of route finding.
- Don Nelsen
- Posts: 4377
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Re: Duncan Creek & Russ Jolley
Yep, Don saves all his tracks!
Here is my GPS track from that hike you led on the east side of Archer on Feb. 16th, 2007: We did a car shuttle that day and it started out raining - or maybe even a little sleet from looking at some of the photos I took. We did a small loop up Duncan then headed up the powerline road to find Russ's old trail.
At the Duncan summer crossing: On the east side of Archer, Russ's trail: On the talus below Quiver Pt. Indian pit below Quiver Pt. Sugar Pine, please check your private messages.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller