LOWER BIG QUILCENE TRAIL Length 5.8 mi/9.3 km Access FS Road 27; FS Road 2750 USGS Maps Mount Townsend; Mount Walker Agency Olympic National Forest The Big Quilcene Trail once extended unbroken almost the full length of the valley, and it was known as the Rainbow Trail. However, FS Road 2750 now extends far up the valley, and where it crosses the river it cuts the trail in two. The lower and upper segments are now known, respectively, as the Lower Big Quilcene Trail and the Upper Big Quilcene Trail. The Lower Big Quilcene Trail begins at Big Quilcene Campground (1300 ft/ 396 m), a primitive camping area reached by driving 0.4mi/0.6 km on FS Road 27, then going left 0.3mi/0.5 km on FS Road 2700-080. The upper trailhead is located on FS Road 2750, 4.6mi/7.4 km from its junction with FS Road 27. The trail follows the Big Quilcene River, at first utilizing the grade of the abandoned Bark Shanty Road, so long unused it is now carpeted with grass. The path, bordered by second-growth fir, alder, and maple, soon enters the Port Townsend municipal watershed, where it comes to an overlook. The view south, across the canyon, includes beautifully forested slopes that have been marred by numerous clearcuts. Trees along its banks hide the river itself. The route now contours high above the Big Quilcene, and one can glimpse the stream, clear and sparkling, in the depths of the canyon. Old firs stand between the trail and river, but the uphill slope has been logged and is now covered with second growth. At this point the trail enters virgin forest, largely Douglas fir. A glance backward reveals fir clad mountainsides scarred by clearcuts, but across the Big Quilcene the forest is untouched. The broad path, still following the old road, is now practically level as it contours the mountainside. Upon approaching the river, the trail crosses several streams. One now makes the first of two crossings of the Big Quilcene. The stream, spanned by an old wooden bridge, flows over a bed of boulders, many covered with mosses and plants. On the west side, the trail traverses a stand of tall firs. Here an unmarked path leads, right, to Bark Shanty Camp (2.4 mi/3.9 km; 1440 ft/439 m), just below the confluence of Townsend Creek and the river. The campsite is a little spot surrounded by tall evergreens. The old road ended at this point. The trail re-crosses the river above the point where Townsend Creek flows into the Big Quilcene and then climbs a bit as the valley becomes more canyon-like. The path then enters stands of second growth on land that was logged some years ago, all the way to the river. Not even a fringe of trees was left standing. One can look upstream and see logging roads on the mountainside, clearcuts covered with young stands of fir, and dark expanses of old-growth forest above. The trail then goes through an area logged in 1983-84. The slopes on both sides of the river were shorn of trees to the stream's edge. Only the stumps remain of the large firs and cedars that bordered the trail, and the path threads its way through head-high second growth. The trail then reenters the forest, here a mixed stand of fir and hemlock. The undergrowth consists of rhododendron, Oregon grape, and salal; the ground is often covered with moss. The trail crosses three creeks, where the hiker must hop across from boulder to boulder. At Jolley Creek, the last one, a side path leads downhill to Camp Jolley (5.0 mi/8.1 km; 2000 ft/610 m). The trail climbs to a point where one can look down and see the river flowing in its narrow channel like a millrace. A logged patch is visible to the right, through the trees, and one can see FS Road 2750 on the slope above. The roar of the river comes up from below as the trail rounds a spur, and the keen-eyed hiker can dimly perceive the cause through the trees-a falls 15 or 20 feet high. The path now enters what the Forest Service calls a partial cut-a selectively logged area. Many trees were left standing; consequently, the land has not seen left desolate, as is often the case. The trail comes out into a clearcut grown up with hemlock and fir and climbs to FS Road 2750 about a hundred yards east of Wet Weather Creek (5.8 mi/9.3 km; 2500 ft/762 m). This is the upper trailhead of the Lower Big Quilcene Trail. Ten Mile Shelter is just ahead, on the uphill side adjacent to Wet Weather Creek. The Upper Big Quilcene Trail begins just beyond the shelter.