June is a great time to head over to the peninsula and go hiking along a great river into the eastern edges of Olympic National Park. The Dosewallips Trail offers just that. We'll head past Quilcene and along Hood Canal, driving to the trailhead next to the river in forest at barely 500 feet above sea level. The road used to go several more miles until a washout shut things down a few decades ago. But now the road is slowly evolving into a nice, mostly smooth trail that makes for relatively easy miles. You can go all the way to the falls (pictured) and do 11 miles round trip, or stop when you've gone far enough. Things to look for on this trip: beautiful low-elevation forest, with plenty of old growth, interesting rock formations of "pillow lava", a multitude of different wildflowers and forest plants, the many and varied views of the Dosewallips River, perhaps some elk or other wildlife, and maybe some wild rhodies in bloom too. Trip fee includes cost of ferries and national park permits.