There are many great trails in our area that are available to hikers. They range from flat, lowland trails that are an easy walk all the way to long, steep, high elevation trails that require a good deal of stamina to negotiate.
Far fewer trails, however, are available to those with disabilities. But of those trails that are designed and constructed to be barrier free, as it is called, the Iron Creek Campground Loop Trail has to rank among the very best in terms of scenery and user experience.
Anyone visiting this trail, regardless of physical abilities, will thoroughly enjoy what it has to offer.
The Iron Creek Campground Loop Trail 187 is located near Randle in the popular campground that is within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The campground is also designed for use by persons with disabilities.
The trail is 1.5 miles long and makes a loop around the perimeter of the camping area. Associated with it is a shorter trail, the Iron Creek Old Growth Trail 83, which is 0.3 miles long. Both trails were constructed by volunteers from the Forest Service and the local community.
The two trails are basically flat with very few minor up or down stretches. The trail tread is compacted gravel and is about 4 feet wide. The east half of the loop trail has recently been maintained and is in excellent condition. In the west half, parts of the trail need a little maintenance to clear needles and leaves that have accumulated on the tread.
In places, there are small branches in the trail. Neither of these conditions should prevent most persons with a walker or wheelchair from negotiating the trail with some minimal assistance. The trailheads for both trails begin in a paved, accessible parking lot.
The loop trail offers users the unique experience of meandering through an old-growth forest with towering giants over your head. Many of the 600-year-old Douglas firs are more than 6 feet in diameter and more than 250 feet tall.
Mixed in with these are hemlocks and cedars and a few maples and alders. About half of the trail is on the banks of the Cispus River, which forms a bend that wraps around part of the campground.
At one point on the trail by the river, there is an interpretive sign that tells of a local Indian legend about a place along the Cispus River that was known to the Taidnapam people as Yuyutla, which means "person who shouts." Jim Yoke, a local Taidnapam elder, spoke of such a place during an interview with an historian in 1927.
Archaeologists excavated a site near the sign in 1990 and uncovered evidence of an Indian encampment that was used over and over. Here by the river the Indians camped, built fish traps, and collected and dried plants and berries. Standing in this location by the rushing waters of the Cispus River you must shout to be heard. Perhaps this is the Yuyutla of Taidnapam history.
The companion Iron Creek Old Growth Trail 83 connects to the loop trail near the parking and picnic area where the trailhead is located. Along this trail, which is in good condition, three interpretive signs explain how the forest continues to change over time as trees die and fall to the ground.
The small openings that are created are soon occupied by plants and small trees that add diversity to the surrounding old growth forest.
Iron Creek Campground is a popular place for visitors on the way to Windy Ridge Viewpoint in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The road to Windy Ridge is a spectacular route that passes through the blast zone created by the 1980 eruption to a viewpoint that is as close as you can drive to the volcano and that overlooks nearby Spirit Lake.
To get to Iron Creek Campground, turn south from U.S. Highway 12 in Randle onto State Route 131 (Forest Road 23). After one mile, bear to the right onto Forest Road 25. Continue on Road 25 for nine miles to the junction with Forest Road 76. The trailheads for Trails 187 and 83 are located in the parking and picnic area at the junction.
The parking and picnic area is open year round. The entrance to Iron Creek Campground is just before the Road 76 junction. The campground is closed during the winter and usually opens around Memorial Day.
The drive to Windy Ridge Viewpoint takes about one hour from Iron Creek Campground. The road to Windy Ridge usually opens in late June or early July.
Buddy Rose is a lifelong outdoor sportsman and resource professional in Lewis County. He brings an extensive background of experience and practical knowledge to his weekly writings in the "Outdoors" section. Rose can be reached at budlisarose@juno.com.
