6. Packwood

Updated September 2011

A. Vanson Meadow / Deadmans Lake
B. Snowgrass Flat
C. Goat Ridge
D. Packwood Lake
E. Tatoosh Wilderness

Packwood Use this sequence of buses to reach the southern part of the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail (including the highest elevation of that trail in the entire state). Get right-up-close views of Mount Rainier from the Tatoosh Range. Visit isolated Goat Rocks Wilderness walk along the crumbling rim of an ancient, long-dead supervolcano.

Use these buses to gain north-side views of Mount St. Helens. If the water level is low along Riffe Lake, as it often is in early Spring before the upland snow starts to melt, the remnants of the former logging town of Cosmos, drowned sixty years ago by the building of the Mossyrock Dam, may be visible.

Trail options:

A - Vanson Meadow / Deadman's Lake

Vanson meadow Bus stop to trailhead: 7 miles
Loop trip from trailhead: 19 miles

On the way to Packwood, the Lewis County bus almost touches the east end of Riffe Lake about five miles east of the town of Morton.

Take the bridge across the corner of the lake and continue south along the shore road, crossing the Cowlitz River in about two miles. Take a right once more, then the next two lefts to get onto Road 2750, which will lead you to the trailhead, just inside the boundary of Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

This loop mostly hugs ridges, from which nice views of the blown-out north side of Helen can be had. A handful of tiny lakes beckon, as well as sidetrips to Vanson Peak and nearby meadows.

B - Snowgrass Flat

View Larger Map

Snowgrass flat

Bus stop to trailhead: 16 miles
Trailhead to Flat, round trip: 8 miles

I know, I know…Sixteen miles is an awfully long way. And it’s sixteen very steep, gravel road miles—but it’s worth it.

Leave L.E.W.I.S. at the Johnson Creek Road (Road 21), about three miles before the bus reaches Packwood. That should be at about a quarter to three in the afternoon; unless you manage to hitch a ride you probably won’t make it all the way to the trailhead before dark. There are plenty of places off the side of the road where makeshift camping is possible. But the trailhead is very popular, and the road, though gravel, is well-maintained. One of the draws is that folks can drive all the way to 4800 feet; the four miles of trail to the Flat only gains another 1000 feet.

Walk Road 21 all the way to Hugo Lake (13 miles, so far). A few yards past the lake you’ll reach an elaborate intersection of roads and trails. You could take Trail 7A (Klickitat Horse Trail) up to the Berry Patch trailhead, and it’s pleasant enough, but you’ll never get a ride that way. I’d suggest leaving 21, and angling left onto 2150, which will take you to the Snowgrass Flat trailhead in just under 3 miles.

The trail itself is level or slightly downhill for the first two miles, then switchbacks steadily upward for the next two, at which point you’ve reached the Flat.

Flat, of course, is a relative term: the whole area is tipped twenty degrees or so, but it’s flat compared to the surrounding terrain. There’s a ridge to the west, another to the east (the remnants of a very ancient, extinct supervolcano. Once you reach 7000 feet or so, you can see Mount Rainier to the north. And turn to the south to behold Mount Adams and St. Helens (and on a clear day, Mount Hood, in Oregon, as well). It’s rather a stunning place.

Side trips to Cispus Pass (to the east) and Goat Lake (to the northwest) are possible. At the Flat you will connect with the Pacific Crest Trail, which you can follow north along the side of Old Snowy Mountain, passing the highest point of the Crest Trail in the state, and eventually dropping down into the Packwood Lake drainage. It makes for an excellent and memorable late-season excursion (but remember: at it’s high point—7600 feet, above Packwood Glacier—inclement weather can descend at any time, and some years the snow in the trail never melts).

C - Goat Ridge:

Goat Ridge Bus to trailhead 9 miles
Trailhead to Goat Lake, roundtrip 20 miles

A pleasant, if obscure, ridge-running trail, with views to Lake Packwood steeply below to the north, Lily Basin to the south, and little white specks on the side of Johnson Peak to the east, if you're lucky.

Disembark the Lewis County bus about 1.5 miles south of Packwood (as in, before you reach town), just opposite the power station. You're looking for Road 48. Tell your bus driver what you're trying to do; they're usually glad to help.

You'll gain a lot of elevation on 48. It's not paved at all, it's a coarse, steep gravel road. Several springs are listed on the maps; though they have been reliable in the past, this year in September (2011) they were dry. First reliable water is five miles in on the trail, so pack water in. A lot of it.

Note that you're walking along a ridge where cougars pad silently, too, as there is a large resident elk population in the Packwood drainage, and goats thereabouts, as well. High point, about 7500 feet, is just west of Goat Lake.

This ridge connects, eventually, with the Pacific Crest Trail, and one could easily head north, crossing Elk Pass and heading back out through the Packwood drainage.

D - Packwood Lake:

Bus stop to trailhead: 6.5 miles
Round trip, trailhead to Packwood Lake: 8 miles
Round trip: trailhead to Lost Lake

From the Packwood Ranger Station (currently closed) at the north end of town (don’t worry, it’s only about a half mile from the south end of town), walk east along Road 1260. You’ll switchback a couple of long times.

Bus drops you off in Packwood at about three in the afternoon. It’s about nine miles total to Packwood Lake. The first five miles are steeply uphill, but you should be able to reach the lake before dark. Or before it gets too dark...

Just before you reach the Packwood Lake trailhead, Road 066, a service road for the technicians servicing the tiny dam at the lake, offers a fast, straight shot to the lake. Truth to tell, I’ve never actually walked the regular trail to the lake: the service road is quite scenic, with great views of Rainier and the Packwood Valley behind you, and you’ll have none of the elevation gain and loss you’d have on the trail. Don’t worry—the real treasures are above the lake, anyway.

Packwood Lake itself looks kind of goofy, as its water level is controlled by the dam. The lake doubtlessly gets a lot of fishing action in summer (the service road shows signs of ATV use, and in narrow, so be alert), but by September, during the weekdays, you’ll have it to yourself.

There area couple of small lakes steeply to the east, but I think the real treasures are to be found starting at the far end of Packwood Lake, where the Upper Lake Trail will lead you past prime elk country, through tunnels of alder and vine maple (try this one in late Fall), and eventually to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (including the highest-elevation of the Crest Trail in the state of Washington).

E - Tatoosh Wilderness

Tatoosh wilderness Bus stop to trailhead: 7 miles
Round trip, trailhead to Tatoosh Lakes: 15 miles

A ridge trail through the heart of the Tatoosh Wilderness, just south of Mount Rainier, offers great closeup views of Rainier, as well as St. Helens and Adams.

From Packwood, cross the bridge over the Cowlitz River and turn right onto Cannon Road, which becomes Road 5290. Follow this road past the gate as it heads uphill, remaining on 5290 when it forks, soon reaching the trailhead. The trail starts steeply, gaining 1800 feet in two miles. Attaining the ridge, the trail passes through alpine meadows, and at five miles a spur trail climbs to a high lookout. At seven miles, another spur trail drops down the other side of the ridge to a pair of lakes.

The trip is also possible as a loop trip, dropping down the west side of the ridge and connecting with Road 5260 to return to Packwood.

Okay, what to do while you’re there…

Trail options:

HOW TO GET THERE:

You have three options to get from Seattle to Packwood:

1) the cheapest, the entirely local transit sequence, which will work Mondays and Fridays only;
2) the intermediate, mostly local transit and filling the gap with Greyhound; and
3) a bit more pricey, but oh so elegant and quick Amtrak to Centralia, then local transit the rest of the way.

Each of the three options will only work Monday through Friday because the limiting factor, the L.E.W.I.S. (County) Mountain Highway Transit bus, does not run at all on weekends.

(1st Option) Seattle to Packwood (Monday and Friday only)

Sound Transit 592	Leaves 2nd & University	@6:07 AM	Arr. SR 512 Park & Ride	@ 7:03
Pierce Transit 601 (Oly Express)	Leaves SR 512 Park & Ride	@7:05	Arr. Olympia Transit Center	@7:49
Pierce Transit 603 (Oly Express)	Leaves SR 512 Park & Ride	@7:10	Arr. Olympia Transit Center	@ 7:55
Grays Harbor Transit 40	Leaves Olympia Transit Center	@7:55	Arr. Elma Transit Center	@8:40
Grays Harbor Transit 90	Leaves Elma Transit Center	@8:40	Arr. Centralia Amtrak	@9:30
L.E.W.I.S.	Leaves Centralia Amtrak	@11:55	Arr. Packwood (Senior Center)	@2:46PM

Again, NOTE WELL: This sequence works only on Mondays AND Fridays, not Monday THROUGH Fridays.

And if you manage to miss that connection to the first Grays Harbor bus at the Olympia Transit Center, all is not lost! Just walk up the street to the Greyhound Station (you saw it on your way into town) and catch the 9:00 Greyhound to Centralia (as in Option 2 below).

(2nd Option) Seattle to Packwood (Monday through Friday)

Sound Transit 590	Leaves 2nd & University	@6:21, 6:38*AM	Arr. Tacoma Dome Station	@ 7:12, 7:29
IT 603 (Oly Express)	Leaves Tacoma Dome Station	@7:42	Arr. Olympia Greyhound	@ 8:40
Greyhound (southbound)	Leaves Olympia Greyhound	@9:05	Centralia Chevron**	@9:40
L.E.W.I.S.	Leaves Centralia Amtrak	@11:55	Arr. Packwood (Senior Center)	@2:46PM

*I listed a couple times; you might opt for the earlier one in case of heavy morning traffic.

**The Centralia Chevron acts as the Greyhound station for the town; the station is also the ticket agent if you’re boarding from that point. The Amtrak station you need to get to is about half a mile south; you could wait for any city bus (they all stop at the Amtrak Station), or hoof it. You’ve got more than two hours, and not a lot else to do. Your call.

(3rd Option)

No chart necessary. Catch Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, leaving Seattle’s King Street Station at 9:45 AM daily. Getting there forty-five minutes beforehand will leave you plenty of time to buy your ticket, if you haven’t done so already. I’ll admit I was a bit concerned with the time, as the train was scheduled to reach Centralia Station at 11:45, a mere ten minutes before the Lewis County bus was scheduled to depart, but the train was precisely on time. It helps that Seattle is the starting point for that train run, so they really don’t have time to fall behind (a concern, however, when you’re on the return trip northbound, and the train’s starting point was Los Angeles).

The L.E.W.I.S. Mountain Highway Transit bus departs from right outside of the Amtrak Station, as stated, at 11:55. If you manage to miss it, talk to the other Lewis County buses (Twin Transit) idling right there outside the Amtrak station; one or more of them could easily get you to the Chehalis Wal-Mart before 12:45. (Once L.E.W.I.S. departs the Centralia Amtrak at 11:55, it shuttles over to a strip mall in Centralia’s sister city, Chehalis, where the driver takes his lunch break of about half an hour, and you can safely leave your backpack in the locked bus and find lunch, or a cup of coffee at the nearby Starbucks—so there would be plenty of time to catch another local bus to catch up. The L.E.W.I.S. bus parks right outside of the Wal-mart.)

Another L.E.W.I.S. leaves the Centralia Amtrak at 5:01PM (which means that you’d reach Packwood just before 8PM, necessitating finding accommodations in town).

HOW TO GET BACK:

(1st Option) Packwood to Seattle (Monday and Friday only)

L.E.W.I.S.	Leaves Packwood (Senior Center)	@ 9:56AM	Arr. Centralia Amtrak	@11:55
Grays Harbor Transit 90	Leaves Centralia Amtrak (south end of block)	@12:30PM	Arr. Elma Transit Center	@1:20
Grays Harbor Transit 40	Leaves Elma Transit Center	@2:15	Arr. Olympia Transit Center	@3:10
Pierce Transit 601 or 603	Leaves Olympia Transit Center	@4:05	Arr. Tacoma Dome Station	@5:15
Sound Transit 590, 594	Leaves Tacoma Dome Station	@5:16, 5:31, 6:01…	Arr. Seattle	Approx. 50 minutes later

Again, NOTE WELL: this sequence of buses works only on Mondays AND Fridays, not Monday THROUGH Friday—due to the Grays Harbor Transit 40, which runs on those two days only.

Also, you’ll note that I recommend remaining on the Pierce Transit bus all the way to the Tacoma Dome Station, rather than getting off at the SR 512 Park & Ride. This will save you some time.

(2nd Option) Packwood to Seattle (Monday through Friday)

L.E,W.I.S. leaves	Packwood (Senior Center)	@ 9:50 AM*	Arr. Centralia Chevron (Greyhound)	@ 11:49
Greyhound (northbound) leaves	Centralia Chevron	@ 12:10 PM	Arr. Olympia Greyhound	@ 12:45
IT 603 (Olympia Express) leaves	Olympia Transit Center	@ 1:30 PM	Arr. Tacoma Dome Station	@ 2:30
ST 594 leaves	Tacoma Dome Station	@ 2:58	Arr. Seattle	@3:50PM

*There is one later bus leaving Packwood, at 2:56 PM, and reaching Centralia at 5:00 PM. Although you could still connect with a 7:00 Greyhound from the Chevron Station (to Olympia), your bus connection from Olympia to Tacoma is gone.

Instead, in that case I suggest instead catching the 5:57 PM northbound Amtrak from Centralia. It costs, currently, about $20. The Amtrak station there at Centralia closes at 4:30 daily, so you’ll have to buy your ticket onboard the train. N.B. If you buy your ticket without a reservation there is a steep surcharge. Avoid this by calling the 1(800) Amtrak number on your cellphone or from the nearest pay phone to get an immediate reservation number.

You could still, I suppose, if funds are tight, opt off at Tacoma, cross the street and catch Sound Transit the rest of the way. Again, your call.

(3rd Option) Monday through Friday

On your return, catch the Lewis bus from Packwood at either 9:50AM or 2:56PM, disembarking at Centralia Amtrak at 11:55AM or 5:01PM, respectively. Buy your Amtrak ticket inside (currently $12 to Tacoma, or $19 to Seattle). If you come in on the late bus, the Amtrak station there will already be closed for the day. Use your cellphone, or find a payphone and call 1 (800)-USA-RAIL to make a reservation for your Amtrak trip. Otherwise, the fare goes up steeply. They’ll also be able to tell you when the next train will arrive.