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Outdoor adventures, mostly gravel rides, but not always

Dosewallips Lunchpacking

Traveling along an abandon road washed away by a river to enjoy a scenic lunch

By the Numbers

Pyramid
Lots of hike-a-bike, some of it requiring ropes
Distance
14 miles
Elevation
1700 feet
Moving Time
2h0m
Nutrition
No services, water available for filtering from the river
Logistics
Parking available at the trailhead but it might crowded, we parked a short distance away and rode in.
External

An abandoned forest service road, a beautiful river, great views, and a mac & cheese lunch. Pretty perfect ride with Kid.

All loaded up for a day trip
All loaded up for a day trip

The Kid and I decided on a short trip down the Dosewallips River Trail as a trial run for a future bikepacking trip. The now-abandoned car-camping campground would be our destination so loaded up with a stove, food, and water filter, we were on our way.

The slide to the river
The slide to the river
Rope for hauling bikes and people
Rope for hauling bikes and people
Climbing to camp
Climbing to camp

The route had significantly more hike-a-bike than I had realized in reading prior trip reports. The slide ended very close to the river and we chose to walk, rather than ride, these sections. At one point you need to make a decision about going high or low. We chose the low side both directions which required use of the rope to gain footing and haul the bike from the river back to the old road.

An old sign cautioning the upcoming grade
An old sign cautioning the upcoming grade
Day camp
Day camp
Old ranger cabin
Old ranger cabin

We finally made camp, having climbed some pretty sizeable grades – so much so old signage warned cars against stopping! The river drew the cold air down to the campground so even in the middle of summer I felt fortunate having packed a down jacket and winter hat in the bags.

Dosewallips River
Dosewallips River
Descending the steep pitch leading to the camp
Descending the steep pitch leading to the camp
Trail through the woods
Trail through the woods
The remains of the old road
The remains of the old road

After a warm lunch of mac & cheese we began the ride back to the truck. The ride back was mostly downhill and we encountered only a few other people on foot and a handful of other cyclists.

Definitely a fun day with the Kid and a great test run for a bikepacking adventure!

Route

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