Little Si Summit

Jake & I made it to the Little Si summit today!  Yay!  I really didn't know if we could make it as we haven't done anything harder than Heybrook Lookout together.  Heybrook is a 2.6 mile hike with an 850 elevation gain while Little Si is a 4.7 mile hike with a 1300 foot elevation gain.  At Heybrook, Jake pretty much ran up to the top without needing a break, so I thought it was possible.  After reading through trail reports of Little Si, it looked like most of the elevation gain was at the beginning and end, with an easier walk in the middle.  By thinking of it as 2 smaller, doable, hikes, I thought it was possible we could do this.  I'm so glad we gave it a try!

With my Discover Pass on hand, we lucked out and pulled into the overflow lot just as someone was leaving.  On the road, we passed quite a few people who were clearly hiking in from various street parking spots because the 2 main lots were full, so I was thankful to find a spot relatively close to the trailhead.  Once we made it to the trailhead off of the main lot, I set my Fitbit stopwatch and we started on our way.

Sure enough, the beginning was as steep and rocky.  At just .2 miles in, there was a little rock outcropping, and it kind of felt like Pride Rock from the Lion King.  If you are up for a somewhat steep, but very short, hike, this rock could be a great destination for young hikers who want to get a feel of hiking, without putting in 5 miles roundtrip.  We were there in about 3 or possibly 5 minutes, and it was an exciting way to start off our excursion.

A switchback or two past this outcropping, we saw the 1st sign for Boulder Garden Loop.  Jake wanted to check it out, but I wasn't up for the whole loop since I wasn't even sure if we'd finish the main trail and the topographical map indicates it's really steep.  We wandered onto the loop for a few minutes but quickly came back to the main trail.

A little past the sign, we passed under an interesting "tree tunnel" where one tree had fallen onto a couple of other trees to create a sort of arch. 

Jake loved this tree tunnel, until he saw what was just beyond it: The Rock.  He could not take his eyes off of this boulder and desperately wanted to climb it.  Jake can't wait until he is old enough to safely rock climb, and this boulder called to him.  He's amazingly strong, surprisingly careful and has climbed similar rocks before, so after going up & down with him a couple of times, I let him go up & down several times on his own.  On the last time or two, when I felt comfortable that he knew the safe way up & down, I took some pictures & video.

 

Past this rock, things really flattened out.  When we saw the 2nd sign for the Boulder Garden Loop, around .5 miles in, Jake wanted to take another detour.  However, we had already monkeyed around quite a bit and weren't even halfway up the mountain so I had us continue on. For the next mile or so, it was a really easy hike through the woods, and it gave my calves a break from that first quarter mile burn.  As we made our way to the trail east of the summit, we wound through a cool, mossy forest.  When we were directly under the summit, we saw some rock climbers dangling on ropes.  Jake wanted to go rock climb on ropes with them, but reluctantly settled for watching them for a bit.  Fortunately he was excited to climb to the "tippy top of a mountain" enough to move along.  Eventually.

Past the rock climbers, we found a little side trail that turned directly towards the rock wall under the summit.  I told Jake this wasn't the main path & didn't go where we wanted to go.  Jake told me that he still wanted to explore it, or at least go under the log.  I let him.  Past the log, there were some boulders that kind of looked like they were part of a path.  We climbed up them for a few minutes, but when it became clearly not safe to continue, we trekked back down to the main path.  We're not the most direct hikers, but developing a love for nature and exploration is kind of the point of our excursions, so I'm happy to try to support & plan for unexpected interests as much as possible.

At this point, we were heading into the final ascent.  Jake was doing great, but since I've never done this hike before, I didn't know hard it would be or if he could make it.  Some of the field reports indicate the last bit is really hard.  When I asked one descending hiker how far it was, he said we were maybe only halfway there (which didn't match up with my trail map & totally wasn't true) and said it was probably too hard for the 6 year-old.  I didn't want to mention that Jake's only 4. 

While I didn't want to deliver a major disappointment but didn't want to deal with unsafe conditions, I gave Jake a canteen so he could hydrate while I took a moment to collect my thoughts.  Since this was an out-and-back hike, I didn't want to go until Jake was exhausted - that would make the return trip miserable.  At this point, we had hiked 2 miles & I felt confident that Jake would have no problem for the return trip.  However, I wanted to hear him chit chat for a few minutes so I could gauge if his energy reserve & muscle fatigue was at a point to handle a steep climb up & down, too.  I wanted to give it a try, but I didn't want to end up in a situation where Jake hated the hike.  Since I've never seen him hit any wall while hiking before, I really didn't know how much he could do or how quickly he'd hit that wall. 

During this break, another hiker descended upon us.  She was a really sweet person with a friendly dog named Olive, and gave us just the encouragement I needed.  She congratulated Jake on making it so far already, told him she thought he was amazing, said it was beautiful and sunny up top, and said she thought we could make it.  I was already leaning towards giving it a go, but her supportive words helped me decide to forge ahead. 

We started climbing away from our leisurely forest stroll for the final ascent.  Surprisingly, it really wasn't hard at all!  I'm so glad we gave it a try!  We did have to work, but we never had to stop for a break.  Jake's constant conversation, questions, and singing indicated that he really wasn't struggling either. 

One thing about Jake: when he hikes (or really anytime) he talks or sings.  The. Entire. Way.  He received all kinds of compliments on how he had the best spirits of any other kids folks had seen on the trail that day.  Even in the final switchbacks, which were the toughest, he happily sang, only taking breaks to tell everyone along the way that his Dad had given him glowsticks that morning.  He told everyone that that they're really fun and that they light up and that they're called glowsticks and that they're electric and that they light up and that they're from his Dad and his dad knows how to turn them on and they help see in the dark and he loves them.  Oh my gosh, he loves his new glowsticks.  We encountered folks about every 5 minutes or so on our 4 hour hike, and whenever he had them in his hand, he told everyone the full spiel about his amazing glowsticks from his Dad.  Finally, realizing that he would save the glowsticks over his own life, I tucked them away in our backpack for the final part of the final ascent.  There were some switchbacks that required hands on rocks or trees for stability and he wasn't quite focused enough for my comfort while he held his beloved glowsticks.

At a little under the 2 hour mark, he finally started slowing down.  He didn't complain and said he didn't want a break or a snack, but he slowed down a bit.  A few minutes later, we found a cave at the base of a rock wall.  Jake has been obsessed with caves recently, got excited, and asked for his glowsticks back so he could explore the "deep, dark cave."  I checked it out first, and seeing that it was about 5 feet of rock tunnel and that there were no animals hiding inside, I let him explore.  We stayed for about 10 minutes.  He went through several times.  He wanted to climb the rock wall too, but it was way too high so I rejected that idea.  Plus, I could see rays of sunshine shining through the trees, and it looked like we were just about at the top.  I pried him away, and we continued on.

Around the corner, we discovered another rock outcropping, overlooking the valley to the east, with a close-up view of Mt. Si.  There were lots of people on it at the time, so we bypassed it and continued to the summit, which was just a minute or two beyond.  On the way back down, there was just one pair of hikers there, so as I told Jake to be safe & held both hands, they snapped a pic. 

Past the final outcropping, we walked the final minute or two to the official summit!  It was packed with people, but we found a spot right in the middle, which was farthest away as possible from any edge.

On the way back down, we stopped by the cave for a little while and stopped to climb on The Rock again.  While it took us almost exactly 2 hours to go up (including rock climbing, cave crawling, and side hiking excursions), the 1 1/2 hour trip back down actually felt harder.  We didn't break a sweat going downhill, but descending the rocky switchbacks just below the summit were a little rough on my soccer ankles.  Rocks that Jake had scampered up with no trouble now required me holding his hand for safety on the way down.  All told, it was a great day!

Fitbit says I took 16,439 steps on the mountain (I used the stopwatch feature today) and walked 6.87 miles over 4 hours & 6 minutes. WTA says the trail is only 4.7 miles http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/little-si, but we took several side trails out & back for fun. If we normally walk about 3 mph & spent 40 minutes being sidetracked (20 minutes up & 20 minutes down), it's very likely we hiked a 10k today, with a 1300 foot elevation climb in the middle. Go Jake (& me!)

Trail map:

 

VIDEO: Jake is excited about glow sticks, rocks, and caves: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152686759921361

 

BEFORE YOU GO:

1. Make sure you have a Discover Pass.  You can buy online here, but there is not an option to print at home so you need to wait for it to arrive in the mail.  REI sells them, and I think that True Value also sells them.  Look here for a complete vendor list: http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/

2. Read recent trip reports at WTA to check out current conditions: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/little-si

3. There is a sanican facility in the main lot.  However, places like that are never guaranteed to have TP.  Pack a roll with you, just in case.

4. With the elevation climb, make sure to pack water.  The two of us almost went through two 20 ounce canteens.

5. The rock at the summit is a great place for a snack, as are breaks in the steep parts at the beginning & end of the hike.

 

GETTING THERE:

1. I couldn't find an address, but there are signs for folks coming from I-90.  Looking at the intersections on the map, I plugged in 43400 Mount Si Road into my car's GPS & it took me right to the overflow lot.

2. Bing Maps: http://binged.it/1CbAQnr

3. When you turn on to Mount Si Road, you will notice a nice, arched bridge crossing the Snoqualmie River.  Just beyond the bridge is 434th Avenue.  At this intersection is the overflow parking lot.  Just past 434th Ave on Mount Si Road is the main lot.  Both lots fill up on weekends, so you may need to find street parking.

 

Heybrook Lookout hike

This weekend, Jake and I checked out Heybrook Lookout: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/heybrook-lookout.  It's an old fire lookout tower off of Highway 2, just past the National Forest border.

The tower was a fun destination and the hike is only 2 miles round trip, but we had to earn every step there and back.  At least, I felt like I had to earn every step; Jake loved the hike full of stairs.

Getting there:
1. Drive east on Highway 2.
2. Around mile marker 35 or 36 you'll see the Espresso Chalet with a yellow road sign.  This means you're getting close so keep an eye out for the mile markers.  If you want to try an address in your GPS, you can try this address for the Espresso Chalet: 50010 US-2, Gold Bar, WA 98251.
Just past mile marker just past mile marker 37, there is a gravel lot on the left (North) side of the road.

Driving from Everett, follow Highway 2 37.5 miles to the trailhead just past mile marker 37 and the sign for Entering The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The gravel parking area is on the north side of the highway. There are no toilets.

Possible driving shortcut: https://goo.gl/maps/2DML3

Grand Ridge Trail in Issaquah

On Sunday, I was so excited when my friend Tara invited Jake & I to join her, her 9 & 4 year old boys, her friend, and her 4 year-old boys on a hike in Issaquah! 

We met up at a playground (at the northern parking spot in the map below) and the boys played for a bit while we figured out our route.  Pretty soon, we embarked on our adventure. 

We started out heading south from the playground, and walked along the east side of the pond.   Once we crossed the field to the trail, we found it was wide, clean, and well groomed.  The boys took off like 5 noisy rockets, running, laughing, and playing some kind of game involving wall blocks.

Past the pond, we entered the woods, where the trail was still in great shape, but it was narrower and bendier, so it was harder to maintain sight of boys who ran too far out.  For a little bit I tried running with Jake, since he loves running in the woods.  However, there were so many mountain bikers (who were supposed to yield to pedestrians) who shot down the trail with no regard for folks in their way.  We decided to reign in the running & keep folks close.

When we encountered this stream below, the boys were pretty excited.  Jake loves throwing rocks in river, so while some of the guys were checking it out, I let him throw some rocks, as long as he was the farthest downstream.

We continued on our way, and the boys kept making up other games involving zombies, sticks, and some Plants vs. Zombies game with a chomper plant.

At some point we turned around & headed back the same way we came.  When we encountered the stream again, we stopped so the boys could play.    Jake went downstream & started throwing rocks.  I crossed the little footbridge & watched him from the other side as I chatted with my friends.

At some point, one of the other boys got downstream from Jake.  Neither boy was really paying attention to the other, and when Jake threw one particularly large rock, it came within a foot or so of the other kid.  No one got hurt, but I quickly wanted to get between Jake & the other boy as Jake already had another rock in hand.  The tream is only a couple of feet wide and maybe a couple of inches deep, so rather than waste time in hopping up to the footbridge & back down, I went directly for Jake.  As I tried to get to Jake quickly & wanted to prevent him from throwing another rock until the other kid was out of the way, I called out, "SAFETY FIRST!" just as my foot slipped, and I bit it in the stream.  It was a total YouTube moment.

Unfortunately, when I fell, my thumbnail bent backwards, it scooped up sand, rocks, and stream sludge, and then popped back into place.  The nail had some tears and some rocks underneath poked through, but quite a bit of stuff was trapped.  It hurt.  We gathered up the boys & headed back to the car.  I stuck my thumb in my water bottled & swished it around for the rest of the hike, trying to clean what I could.

By the time we were in the car, I realized I would need to go to Urgent Care to get it taken care of.  Since I have Chron's and receive immune-suppressing Remicade blood infusions every 8 weeks, the smallest infection can be pretty dangerous for me.  Plus, because of Chron's I'm highly susceptible to Clostridium difficile, or C-Diff, which is a horrible opportunistic bacteria that can take over when my normal good bacteria are suppressed, so I can't take anti-biotics unless I'm dealing with something worse than c-diff.

It was so embarrassing going into Urgent Care for slipping in a 2 inch deep stream, but it was the only smart option.  I'm glad I went because the pros were unable to clean the stuff under my shredded nail, so the doc decided to do a little surgical procedure to remove half of my nail since it didn't tear evenly.  He gave me two injections in my thumb, which made it really swell up, but at least I could only feel pressure, but not pain.  The nurse then had to pick out all of the embedded stuff.  She said it was like she was building a little tiny zen garden with all of the sand she extracted.

After the nurse got me all bandaged up, I asked her if she'd take a picture of me giving a thumbs up.  I said I didn't want to take a picture of the injury but wanted to remember the moment.  The first picture she took I thought my thumb was up, but it was numb and apparently I hadn't actually lifted it.  This was our 2nd take:

Issaquah's Central Park and Grand Ridge Park Trail:

Franklin Falls - easy Snoqualmie Pass river hike

In December & January, I tried taking Jake to Franklin Falls, but the forest service road getting there was too iced over for safe passage.  However, after checking out some recent field reports I thought I'd give it a try again.  This week, it was amazing!  The road was clear and we had a great time on this easy and scenic hike. 

The small parking lot was surprisingly full for a Friday afternoon in February, but we secured the 2nd to last spot.  From the lot, we took the small wooden bridge over a small stream and headed on our way.

Immediately, we were greeted by the bubbling South Fork Snoqualmie River, which we followed up to Franklin Falls.  For the first quarter mile or so, the trail hugs the river, and we periodically left the trail to walk on the rocks or throw rocks in the river, which is always fun for Jake.

Because this trail is so close to Seattle and so popular, it's in fantastic shape.  The trail is well groomed, well graded, and the crushed gravel path meant it was mud free, even though it rained the entire time.

One thing to note is that there are no restroom facilities of any kind at the trailhead.  However, about a quarter mile past the Franklin Falls trailhead is the Denny Creek trailhead, which does have some sanican facilities.  If someone in your party may need to go at some point in the hike, it is recommended to use the facilities at Denny Creek trailhead first.

Anyway, After about a quarter mile or so, the trail continue following the river, but up a pretty steep bank so direct river access was lost for a bit.  However, the amazing river views never stopped!

 

In addition to following the river, the trail also follows along Forest Service Road 58, otherwise known as NF-58.  About halfway into the hike, the road pretty much touched the trail!
 
While most of the trail is easy & well-groomed, the last minute or two down to the base of the falls is a little dangerous.  The crushed gravel path gives way to jagged, angled rocks, which were quite pretty slippery in the rain.  I had one hand on Jake and one hand on the wall, so I didn't get any photos that really show the condition.  Fortunately, Jake is a fantastic hiker, and when I say "safety first" he parrots it back & knows to mind without question so I felt safe enough to go to the base of the falls with him.

Once we got to the bottom, we felt windy cool mist everywhere.  In the picture below, the people are running on a little rocky island surrounded by the very cold river.  It wasn't too deep, so I didn't mind wading in my sneakers & jeans, while carrying Jake, so that we could get to the center.  It was chilly, but once Jake put his warm wolf hat on he felt much better.

 

 

 

BEFORE YOU GO
1. NW Forest Recreation Pass - Before going, make sure you have a NW Forest Recreation Pass.  There is no way to buy one on-site, and due to the popularity, the lot is patrolled.  You can print out a one-day pass for $5 here: http://www.discovernw.org/store_national-forest-recreation-epass-national-forests-in-washington-and-oregon-only_20281.html
2. Trip reports - Check out the Washington Trails Association page for info.  Scroll to the bottom to see recent trip reports: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/franklin-falls.  There are no restroom facilities at the Franklin Falls trailhead, but there is a sanican at the Denny Creek trailhead, a quarter mile down the road.  The Denny Creek Trail is also family-friendly.  Since the areas are so close, you may be interested in checking out recent Denny Creek trail reports too.  This can be particularly helpful if you're trying to gauge road or bug conditions and there aren't any really recent reports for Franklin Falls: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/denny-creek
3. What to bring - This changes with the seasons, but for the winter & early spring, bring layers, gloves, and some TP in addition to snacks & water.  On some trails I have us wear rain boots, if I know it'll be muddy.  Sometimes I make sure we have lace-up boots, if I know we'll be on uneven terrain.  Because the last minute or two of this hike is over slick rocks, I think that having shoes with good traction, like sneakers, is the best option (or good hiking boots with traction if you have them.) Also, because you may or may not have to wade into a small river at the base of the falls, I recommend packing a change of dry socks & pants for the car ride home.
4. Cell service available - Since this is right off of I-90, cell service is generally available.  It's always a good idea to have a map downloaded to your phone before you go, just in case.

GETTING THERE
Map: http://binged.it/1voCaAO
1. From Seattle, take I-90 East
2. Take exit 47 for Denny Creek & Asahel Curtis. 
3. At the end of the off-ramp, turn LEFT.  Note the brown sign with the left arrow for Denny Creek Rd.
4. After crossing over I-90, you'll come to a T in the road.  Turn RIGHT towards Franklin Falls Trail.
5. After crossing under westbound I-90, take your first LEFT towards Franklin Falls Trail.
6. Continue 2.3 miles.  When you see the sign for Denny Creek Campground, you're getting close, but continue on.
7. Just past Denny Creek Campground, your GPS will show a road that juts off to the left.  Unfortunately, there isn't a sign here that says "Franklin Falls Trailhead", although there really should be.  Instead, you'll see brown signs that say "58" and "Snoqualmie Pass Denny Creek Tr. 1014."  Even though there's no sign for Franklin Falls, take a LEFT here.  You end up in the middle of the small lot for the Franklin Falls Trailhead. 

8. If you drive over the bridge, you'll end up at the Denny Creek Trail trailhead, where there is a sanican.

9. Parking was pretty full on a rainy Friday afternoon in February.  I imagine that parking would be really scarce on a nice weekend.  Some options for if the Franklin Falls lot is full:

 a. The Denny Creek Trail trailhead lot is also relatively small, but it's possible a space will be available there if the Franklin Falls trailhead lot is full.  It's only about .2 miles down the road, so it is within easy walking distance.
 b. There may be parking near the Denny Creek Campground - either in the campground (when it's open for the season) or along the side of the road year-round.
 c. If you stay on 58 and continue up towards Snoqualmie Pass, there are two shortcuts that meet back up with the Franklin Falls trail.  This could be handy for parking alternatives.  It also could be handy to make this a super quick hike!  This is a narrow road with limited places with a shoulder wide enough to turn around, though.  Also, the snow line covered the road just beyond the waterfall on February 19, 2015, so be cautious if you drive on NF-58 beyond the Franklin Falls lot.

Here's a map showing the parking lots and the secret shortcuts:

From the road, this is what the 1st shortcut looks like to the trail.  You can easily see the stairs.

From the road, this is what the 2nd shortcut looks like, just .1 miles from the falls.  It's at a bend in the big S curve and may not be easy to see if you're not looking for it.  There are a couple of places nearby where the shoulder is wide enough for a car or two.



Detailed trail map: 

  



Mohawk Falls

This afternoon's adventure exploring Mohawk Falls made for a great day!  It only required an hour drive, the hike itself only took about 25 minutes to the falls, we were the only folks on the trail and we didn't hear any road noise so it felt like we were a world away. At one point, Jake was pretty sure we had entered the magical land of Tumble Leaf (a cartoon on Amazon Instant Video set in a magical forest.)

Getting there, the road conditions were great.  The last 3.25 miles was on an unpaved forest service road, but it was in pretty good shape.  Here's a picture of the road between Money Creek Campground & the Mohawk Falls trailhead:

However, the trailhead is almost completely unmarked.  Fortunately, I had e-mailed myself some trip reports & had the mail on my phone, ready to go since I knew that there wouldn't be any internet service.  In a nutshell, I knew that I was supposed to drive 3.25 miles and look for some "conspicuous rocks" and/or "flagging" and/or "a marker with tape" and/or a culvert, depending on which report I read.  Someone had noted that if you reach a bridge you've gone .3 miles too far.

If I didn't have this info downloaded I never would have found it.  Right around 3.25 miles I came across this corner.  There were rocks, but they certainly weren't the only rocks in the forest.  If you look at that horizontal log going over the rocky ditch, you'll see a lighter vertical line in the middle of a tree to the right.  This is the pink vinyl "flag" tied to a tree branch.  I didn't see it on my first pass.  I thought this relatively rocky nook might be the right place, but I kept going, just in case.  I figured if this was the spot, there'd be a bridge up ahead to confirm, which would give me a little extra confidence. 

Pretty soon, I reached the bridge, which I knew meant I'd gone too far.  When we got there, Jake wanted to get out & take a look.  He loves bridges, but who doesn't, so I stopped.  Plus, at this point I wasn't totally sure that I'd find the trailhead on the way back, so I wanted him to get in some kind of water view this afternoon.

After a bit, we headed back.  I set my tripometer again, and around .3 miles I saw this particularly "conspicuous" pile of rocks & ditches on either side of the road that could indicate a culvert.  I pulled over, put the NW Forest Pass on the dash, and we got out to explore.  Looking around carefully, I did see a wooden stake with some colored tape and guessed that meant the trailhead.  Sure enough, it was!

It's actually a good thing that the trailhead isn't better marked.  While parts of the trail have a clear path through the brush, there are enough downed trees & lack of use that most of the time there was no visible trail on the ground at all.  Periodically, there were plastic ties on branches indicating the way.  However, we weren't always within sight of one.  Since this is a hike with a waterfall as a destination & it's possible to hear a river along the way, I felt confident we wouldn't get lost.  However, people should only venture on this hike if they're confident with their footing in the woods and their internal compass.

It only took about 25 minutes up & 25 minutes back, so it was a pretty quick little hike.  I don't know what the elevation change is, but while it was uphill the entire way, it was not steep or strenuous.  The WTA site indicates it rises 200 feet and neither Jake nor I broke a sweat.  The most challenging part of this hike was navigating the downed trees & brush over the trail that must not get much use.  With all of the leaves on the ground and decomposing tree trunks & chunks, it was sometimes difficult to know what was the safest way up.  With the river nearby we never strayed too far from the trail.  Other than the work of trying to keep our footing safe, it was a pretty easy hike.

Once we figured out our plan and headed on our way, we had fun - it really felt like an adventure!  At one point, Jake thought that this must be a "lost trail" and that we'd become famous explorers.  I'll give it time before I tell him I found out about the hike from already published info on the WTA site.  :) 

 

 

 

Getting there:

There's no official address to plug into GPS and no signs at the trailhead.  So, as best as I can, here are the directions I'd give to a friend:

1. Check out recent trips reports for Mohawk Falls on the WTA site: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mohawk-falls-and-mohawk-mine
2. Make sure you have a Northwest Forest Recreation Pass. You buy a day pass online for $5, print at home, and put the pass on your dashboard: http://www.discovernw.org/store_recreation-passes_1PASS/
3. Make sure you print out directions or download them to your phone ahead of time.  There is no cell service at the site.
4. There are no restroom facilities on site of any kind, so pack a roll of TP in your backpack in addition to water, snacks, and a basic First-Aid kit.
5. From Seattle, take Highway 2 East.
6. Between mileposts 45 & 46, take the exit for the Money Creek Campground and the Old Cascade Highway.
7. You'll see a sign indicating that the Old Cascade Highway is closed in 1.1 miles, but continue on.  
8. In about 1.1 miles, just before the road closure sign, turn right onto Miller River Road.  This is initially marked as Forest Service Road 6410 and becomes FS 6412.
9. When you turn onto Miller River Road, reset your tripometer.  In about 3.25 miles, when the road curves around to the right, there will be a dried river bed on the right side of the road with a downed tree across it.  There will be a pink ribbon dangling from a tree branch, and if you look closely, there will be a small wooden stake with a piece of blue & orange tape.  The shoulder is a little wider here on the left (east) side of the road.  Make sure your Northwest Forest Recreation Pass is on display and take all valuables with you. 
10. If you cross a little bridge, you've gone about .3 miles too far. 
11. The wooden stake with the orange and blue tape marks the start of the trail.  Along the way, keep an eye out for colored ribbon dangling from trees.  Also keep an ear out for the river.  Be safe and keep the river on your left and you should find your way to the falls!

 

 

Map: http://binged.it/1zhDyBA