Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington Edition

For most Seattle dog-owners, our dogs are not mere pets. They’re our Frisbee buddies, our camping buddies, our hiking buddies, and we love to get their paws off the concrete and onto the dirt.

With this in mind, Seattlest decided to hightail it out of town over President’s Day weekend, along with honorary contributor Annabelle, a husky/heeler mix with an affinity for belly rubs and dirty puddles.

We consulted Annabelle’s favorite literature, Dan A. Nelson’s Best Hikes with Dogs, and quickly found where we were going. Hike #22: Boulder River.

Boulder River is about 75 miles from Seattle, with the trailhead easily accessed via I-5, SR-530, and a mildly bumpy 3.8 miles down French Creek Road (Forest Road 2010).

The trail begins on an old railroad grade so it’s fairly wide and flat for the first leg of the hike (less than a mile), before reaching the entrance to the Boulder River Wilderness area. Upon entering this protected wilderness, we find ourselves immediately surrounded by the kind of stunning old-growth forest atmosphere that makes the Pacific Northwest so unique. The forest floor is covered in ferns and moss-covered rocks, as massive trees loom overhead.

About 1.5 miles in, we suddenly see the real draw to this place: Boulder Falls.

3 separate waterfalls actually make up Boulder Falls. During our visit to this pristine site, it was still quite cold, thus we were able to take in the added beauty of ice formations on and around these falls (in fact, one of the falls was completely frozen over).

Below the falls, Boulder River is something to behold as well. With its grey-blue-green color, and the way it rolls over massive boulders, dropping into still pools, this river begs to be seen, falls or no falls.

Nelson’s book tells us that the complete hike is 9 miles round trip, takes about 6 hours, and has an elevation gain of 600 feet. We’ll take his word for it, since we didn’t quite make it to the end this time (late start). Either way, whether you’re seeking a good day-hike with variable terrain and mild elevation gain, or if you’re in the market for a short hike to some beautiful waterfalls, Seattlest recommends Boulder River Trail.

Annabelle also approves, as she was fortunate enough to find a couple small streams crossing the trail where she could get her paws and belly wet.