Forest Service road 90 in Washington State
One of the best drives in the Pacific Northwest is the Forest Service road 90 in Washington State. The road might not be the best-maintained road in the country but the waterfalls and scenery are some of the best you can find. Heading from Woodland on Washington HWY 503 past the three major lakes of Merwin, Yale, and finally the Swift Reservoir. Turn right towards the “town” of Northwoods, stop for a soda at the Eagle Cliff Camp store.
One very important thing to note about this road into the Cascade mountain range is when the Forest Service has a sign that says road closed due to snow, they are not just putting this up there for fun. Rebecca and I found that out Memorial Day weekend as we did not notice the road closed sign behind a bush and it was definitely closed as we ended up stuck and had to be rescued by good samaritans who also, missed the road closed sign. It all ended up fine and we meet some interesting new people in the process.
According to the Forest Service Website, a valuable although mildly confusing site.
“FR 90 is plowed to Pine Creek in winter and is passable the rest of the way as snow melts in late spring and early summer.” This road through the Pinchot Gifford National Forest is a gem, even if the roads are not maintained as if they were.
Now, since we explored and camped in this area during the COVID 19 crisis of 2020 some areas that we really wanted to visit were closed, such as the day use area around the Lower Lewis River Falls and all the Forest Ranger stations we would normally rely on to give some guidance.
When it comes to camping there are many boondocking campsites available but if you prefer something with a bathroom I would suggest the Twin Falls Campground. Located down a winding and bumpy trail the limited parking might be an issue, so get there early and be prepared. The campsites are a stone’s throw from one of my now favorite waterfalls.
You will run into a couple of lakes, Ollalie and Takhlakh lakes that fishermen seem to love but as with most mountain lakes we found, the mosquitos are a constant reminder that bug spray is recommended for a reason. But, the fish love them.
The Lewis River falls is very, very popular during the hot summer months. Parking is strictly enforced by the Forest Service but if you go early you should not have a problem and the hike from the Middle Falls parking to the Lower Falls is easy and well worth the stop. I still have a goal to hike the entire Lewis River trail. I hear somewhere down that trail is a lodge of some sort.
Here is the secret tip you won’t find on any map that I could find. When FS 90 finally tee’s into the FS 23, turn right until you see wide parking like area on your left on FS 23. You can find this spot on your map of choice as Big Spring Creek. Get out of your car and follow the short trail and find where the creek cascades down the mountain creating an unnamed waterfall, and continues under the road to the Lewis River.
From here you can head south to Trout lake, wonderful Mt. Adams views or you can head north towards Randal on Washington Hwy 12. You might come down from the Mt Rainier National Park and just reverse the travel. No matter how you go, you will be away from it all, and that included cellular service for much of the road.
