LOWER GRAVWOLF TRAIL Length 4.2 mi/6.8 km to a washed-out bridge, where the trail ends; Originally 10.6 mi/16.9 Km. Bridge not scheduled for repair. Access FS Road 2870 USGS Maps Tyler Peak; Mount Zion Agencies Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park This trail penetrates a low-lying section of the Olympic National Forest that is still primitive-a once common feature that has become a rarity due to extensive logging and road building. However, the Graywolf River is now adequately protected. The upper Graywolf is in the national park. The lower Graywolf is within the recently established Buckhorn Wilderness Area in the national forest. The Graywolf is a beautiful, clear stream that flows, in its lower reaches, through a scenic canyon cut in pillow basalt. The country traversed by the trail is relatively dry, covered principally with stands of fir, but water is available from numerous streams, as well as the river. Rhododendrons splash the somber forests with pink blooms in late spring; Indian paintbrush displays darker shades of red in open areas, and the showy bunchberry is lompiuious on the forest floor. The trailhead is located roughly one mile west from its previous site, northwest of the bridge that crosses the Graywolf River (at the switchback in the road). The trail can also be reached by going south on the Taylor Cutoff Road (leaves US 101 just west of the Dungeness River crossing) to the Lost Mountain Road (2.6 mi/4.2 km), right on the latter to FS Road 2870 (5.1 mi/8.2 km), then left on FS Road 2870 to the trailhead (10.1 mi/16.2 km; 950 ft/290 m). The trail begins in the virgin forest and climbs high above the rushing Graywolf, then traverses a steep side hill and comes out into an old clear-cut where several kinds of thistles grow luxuriantly among the huge stumps of the trees that were logged. The path crosses this clear-cut, and then meanders through the forest to a junction (2.0 mi/3.2 km) with a spur trail that comes down from the former trailhead on FS Road 2870-180. Two Mile Camp (1100 ft/335 m) is located just beyond the junction. Here, at least during the spring and early summer, when the stream is high, one can hear the "river voices"-only they sound more like a chorus singing than the chatter of people talking. The path climbs up and down, ascending to an observation knoll (3-2 mi/5.2 km; 1500 ft/457 m) overlooking Graywolf Canyon, then switchbacks down to the river at Cliff Camp (0.8 mi/6.1 km; 1250 ft/381 m). The route follows the stream through its narrow gorge, where the Graywolf forms a succession of rapids and pools. Again the trail switchbacks and climbs high, only to descend to Sutherland Creek, once more coming back to river level just below where Divide Creek enters the Graywolf on the opposite side. An old sign, warped by the growth of the cedar to which it is nailed, indicates Divide Creek Camp (4.6 mi/7,4 km; 1360 ft/415m), which is located by the river just below the confluence of the creek and the Graywolf. The trail comes to a premature end at the site where a bridge previously spanned the river. No alternative route for crossing the river exists, and the forest service reports it has no plans to replace the bridge. For those who have viewed this route as their access corridor to the middle and upper Graywolf regions, your alternative is the Slab Camp Trail. A bridge has been missing at that trails three-mile mark for several years, but a replacement bridge is slated to be installed in 2004. Check first with rangers on the status of that new crossing before setting out on the Slab Camp Trail. Making trail ford during high-water season is viewed as dangerous, though achievable by people knowledgeable and experienced in crossing Wilderness Rivers. The Lower Graywolf Trail intersects with the Slab Camp Trail at Camp Tony, 1.9-mi/3.1 km upriver from the bridge washout. Hikers can reach Camp Tony via the Slab Camp Trail, then travel southwest on the Graywolf Trail toward Three Forks camp. The trail now climbs steadily, away from the river. The forest provides a good habitat for the blue grouse, which may be observed on occasion. The path switchbacks as it climbs more steeply, then the trail contours around rock ribs and buttresses high above the canyon, where various kinds of rocks are exposed-pillow basalt, red limestone, basaltic sandstone, and shale. The mountainsides drop away steeply, and at one point the hiker can see the river below. Logging scars arc visible on Deer Ridge, directly across the canyon. Beyond this point the trail descends and crosses a rockslide, where fire and avalanche have destroyed much of the virgin timber. The slopes that are ahead exhibit the light green that is characteristic of young trees mottled by dark patches of old growth. The Maynard Burn, a fire that occurred in the early 1900s, devastated this area. The burned slopes arc now covered with thick stands of firs not much larger than broomsticks, and many snags rise above them. The trail then descends toward Slide Camp. The ground is covered with moss, and the trees arc so close together their limbs overlap; thus walking along the path reminds one of going through a tunnel. Slide Camp (8.0 mi/12.9 km; 2150 ft/655 m) is nondescript, little more than a couple of tent sites beside a brook that crosses the trail. The junction with the Baldy Trail is located just beyond the stream, which is a tributary of Slide Creek. The latter flows down the north side of Baldy. After switchbacking down to Slide Creek, the trail enters Olympic National Park (8.8 mi/14.2 km; 2000 ft/610 m). The path is still high above the Graywolf, which can be heard but is lost to sight in its canyon. After making a long, gradual ascent, paralleling the river, the trail descends to a junction with the Cameron Creek Trail (10.5 mi/16.9 km; 2125 ft/648 m) near the Graywolf. As one approaches the stream, the din becomes pronounced. Here, where it is damper and the soil is better, the trees are much larger. They consist chiefly of Douglas fir. Western hemlock, and red cedar, plus the usual deciduous species. At this point the route becomes the Upper Graywolf Trail.