Mt. Walker is a must stop if you want a leisurely drive to one of the tallest mountain peaks closest to the Hood Canal. 100-year-old Douglas fir trees cover the thriving mountain, which was once burned down by a fire. An abundance of songbirds can be seen and heard from the Mt. Walker viewpoints as well as other birds, such as hawks, owls and grouse. In the distance, major metropolitan areas can be seen. Everett is 33 miles away to the north and seen from the north viewpoint; Seattle, 28 miles to the west as seen from the south viewpoint and Tacoma is 39 miles away, also seen from the south viewpoint.
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“The road to the Mount Walker summit/viewpoints will be closed until further notice. Please avoid the area as a maintenance crew and first responders will be on site.” Per NF
I visited Mt. Walker last night for some night photography. There had been light snow nearby in the lowlands where I live, so I assumed there might be a little bit at the top here. There was about an inch at the top, and a little less near the top of the trail on the road. As I was going up in the Jeep, I slipped slightly, so I slowed down and put it in 4-High. I stayed up there for about an hour or so, the ground was definitely frozen, and my dog's water bowl froze over while we were there. As I headed back down, I saw some new tire tracks in the snow, but no one else was up there but me. They looked like the slipped all over. As I drove down, there was some soft of truck in the road and they continued down the hill when they saw me. So, while the road is open, you should have 4WD to make it to the top at this time.
Easy forest service road. The top offers some great views of the Hood Canal. Not sure why concerns for this trail were for “full sized” vehicles though. No issues whatsoever.
Beautiful trail with some really great views. Pretty short and easy. Very close to town, so it'd be great for a quick hop over from one of the nearby cities for a nice lunch or something.
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Centered in the pinnacle of the Pacific NW and growing up cruising around the small town of Quilcene, Jasmine grew with a fascination and passion for outdoors and travel, many of those adventures fueled by the family's 1998 Jeep Cherokee.
Years later, photography grew as a way to capture and share the adventures being had. After a road trip from Seattle to San Diego in a 1996 Jetta, a 4WD truck would be the next step in going further in photographing the wild places of the West. In December of 2016, a manual 1989 Toyota Pickup was purchased and those dreams would continue to flourish.
Jon grew up in a small Wisconsin town. In 2004, his parents decided to purchase a new Jeep LJ. They picked the LJ because of the additional room, as it would be used for a road trip to Florida. After joining the navy, the family Jeep followed Jon down to Georgia and became his own. It took him to Virginia, and then Washington. It wasn't until Washington that things started to happen for Jon and his Jeep.
Jasmine, now his wife, got him more interested in hiking, and ultimately overlanding. Over time, Jon and Jasmine realized that they wanted to use the Jeep to tackle harder trails, and spend weekends in ORV parks. It was through this decision that the mostly stock Jeep received a refreshing upgrade after 15 years of driving. Jon usually drives the Jeep when the trail is in question, and to allow Jasmine to document the trails. Currently, Jon has been in 26 states with the Jeep, via family trips and his time in the navy. Jon hopes to travel to every state with his Jeep, including Alaska and Hawaii.
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