Lake Wynoochee

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We headed to Coho Campground on Lake Wynoochee early Friday morning. With the expensive price of gas (over $4) we decided to attempt this trip in our car (Ford Fiesta). It was a struggle but we managed to fit all our supplies and three dogs into the car. After a few stops to get supplies and gas we were on the road. As soon as we hit the Belfare area we lost all cell phone reception. There were a few spots where it would come back but for the most part we could not rely on our phones for this trip. So we stopped at the Matlock store for a map and to see what they had to say about Lake Wynoochee and Coho Campground. The man at the counter was very nice and helpful and informed us that there had been a new road paved so we would be able to get there much quicker. Originally the trip would have been dirt roads nearly the whole way after this point. It made for a much quicker trip then I had expected. There is still one side road to get there that is not paved but it is only five miles long. We arrived at the campground about noon and already most of the campistes were taken. We wanted a site on the water but there arent any. A few of them overlook the water but there are high above it and had already been taken. We ended up chosing a walk-in site. We had to park and carry our gear in about 50 yards. The trail is pave and easy to get to. There was also a new bathroom in the center of the walk-in sites that was clean and very easy to access. From what we noticed there were also two walk-in sites big enough for groups and both were already filled up with groups. We found a site that had woods around 3/4 of it so we set up our tent to block out the part that didn't have woods. In the middle we had a picnic table, metal BBQ, firepit and water. After setting up we took the short walk to the lake. I was bummed that we wouldnt be able to camp right next to it but after visiting I was glad they made it that way. Every time we went to the lake there were only maybe a couple people. The weather was partly sunny so that may have been why but for the most part people stayed in their campsites around the fire. This meant that the lake was very quiet and peaceful. The park at the lake is huge with garbage cans, picnic tables and fireplaces / BBQ's arranged all along the waters edge. We took a walk around the water and to the dam; layed in the sun, set up at a table to play card games and had a picnic, and played in the water with the dogs. This lake water is not warm but compared to the river water it was much bearable. By 5pm the weather started getting cold and it started sprinkling so we headed back to our campsite. They had logs laying down all of the campground for campers to chop into firewood. Unfortunately all of these logs were very wet. Between the wet wood and a lack of wind making it through the trees, it was very difficult to get a fire going. We tried to find logs with the least amount of mark and chopped them up into really small pieces. We also chopped plenty for the next day, kept it dry over night and put it in the sun the next day to dry out.

Day two of our trip we went and visited the camp host and asked about what there was to do in the area. Our GPS told us that the nearest town was one hour and twenty minutes away. However, with the new road it is only 35 miles to Montesano. Our plan for the day was to drive around and hike to the nearby waterfalls. I wanted to get some gas (to be on the safe side) and get a map. I had to waterfall locations on the map on my phone but because we did not have any cell phone reception at the campground I could not use that. Unfortunately non of the maps or people in the town knew about the waterfalls I was talking about. The phone reception in town and a map allowed us to locate the area where Spoon Creek Falls was. We headed out of town and back towards the lake and Spoon Creek Falls. About half way through our drive a mountain lion ran across the road in front of us. I heard they were out there but definitely did not expect to see one. It freaked me out a little bit. Once we found where Spoon creek was there were signs to the waterfall. Spoon Creek Falls is a place you should definitely visit if you are in the area.

http://www.olympicpeninsulawaterfalltrail.com/spoon-creek-falls

This is the website where I originally found out about this waterfall. At the top of the trail you can barely see the top pool of the falls and then it goes down into a second pool and the creek. The hike down is pretty easy but it brings you out down the rive from the waterfall. So you have to hike through the river. Fortunately we both had wet/dry hiking sandles. Then it takes you back to a trail, over some longs and back through the river before you finally get to the waterfall. There was nobody there, the sun was shining and I didnt want to leave. The water was cold and the mist from the waterfall was a little cold but the sun kept us warm. I took the dogs for a swim in the water and then we sat on the banks of the river to dry off. The hike back up to our car was not bad either.

Once back out to the main road we traveled up the dirt road to the other end of the lake where we saw the Wynoochee waterfall. We were unable to find the trail down to the base of the waterfall and in my current fear of Mountain Lions I was not feeling very adventurous. We spent the rest of the day back at Wynoochee lake and again had to head back to our campsite at about 5pm as it go cold.

There was still a lot we wanted to see but we decided to head home the next morning. The group campers were really hard to handle as they let there kids and animals run around unsupervised despite warnings from the host. They were also up and very lound all night with their kids up and screaming early the next morning. From what we heard, those groupd go there ever year for Memorial Weekend so I would not suggest going that weekend or staying in a different look of the campground. Loop A and B have the drive-up campsites and were far enough away that these group sites did not bother them.

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