Little River Trail, Port Angeles, WA
Little River Trail is a wonderful day hike to an old mine located just across the border of Olympic National Park on Cowen Creek. To get to the trail head follow Black Diamond for just over 4 miles and at the top take a left nad turn on Little River Road. You will find a pull-out parking spot on the left hand side of the road just a few yards up the road. The trailhead is directly across from the parking area. Most of the trail is easy going and level until you have to cross Little River and work your way up Cowen Creek to the mines. Finding the crossing will be challenging as it is not well marked. You will know you are there at just under two miles. It will be the first time the trail nearly touches the river as you can see in the picture below. You will immediately have an opportunity to cross the river on a log.
The trail after crossing Little River is not clearly marked due to many years of slides.
You will have to be careful working your way up Cowen Creek. Keep the creek as your primary guide and follow the trail the best that you can. You will mostly stay to the right of the Creek but the trail does cross back and forth occasionally. You will eventually encounter a fork in the Creek and when you do stay to the right. Remember the Creek will always be your guide and the mine will eventually show up on the left hand side of the Creek. You may see an old boiler on the left hand side of the Creek, but again, the trail is tight and it may be convered by bruch. At this point you will be getting close. At some point you may feel like there is no way the mine really exists, but it is there. Most likely you will be skirting the bank on the right hand side and will be able to look across and see the mine entrance and creek level.
Once you reach the mines make sure you have your flashlight to search the entry. The mine is about 100 feet deep with only one main entry and exit point and no major forks. Enter at your own risk and be sure not to lose your footing as the cave floors will be damp and wet inside. Return by the same route back to Little River.
A geocache is located at the back of the mine and contains a sign in sheet and camera. Please take a picture, sign in, and leave the container where you found it. Please let me know when the last picture is taken and I will develop the film and post the pictures on this site. I found that there was a great deal of moisture in the air and the flash sometimes lit up the moisture as you can see in the first picture of the wheel on this page. Use your best judgement when taking the picture and keep this bit of information in mind.
The hike is well worth the effort. You will hike 2.3 miles to reach the mines for a total round trip of just under five miles. Make sure to take a lunch with you as you will want to eat before you re-cross Little River and walk the final couple of miles back to your vehicle. You will want to take a day pack and all your safety essentials to ensure your outdoor preparedness.
For those wishing to extend this day hike into an easy overnight trip, there is a camp ground located at the bottom of Cowen Creek. You should follow Olympic National Park rules if you plan to stay overnight in this area. Users of this information must evaluate there own abilities and avoid all dangerous environments.
Site Comments:
12/31/00 This is AWESOME!!!
1/2/01 Great Hike, word of advice, never deviate from the creek.
1/02/01 Fun hike, heck of a way to ge there! Did I mention I don't like caves? I'm leaving now. Thanks and a great idea!
1/14/01 N.W. Was here! I left a dollar for whatever reason but this place kicks Ass. (Editorial Note: OK, we'll admit it. We used the dollar and the other change left in the cache to develop the pictures :)
1/14/01 Man you gotta love it!!
1/14/01 5th time here and still love it! Maybe see you later.
4/27/01 checked by NW staff.
6/16/01, My grandfather brought me here in the early 20's and been coming back every few years since. In the early days of coming here I remember more than 10 mines. Can only find 4 now. Brought my kids this time. Freddie-11, Cassie-10, and my niece Stephanie Barth-12. Kids said awesome dad.
7/9/01, My husband brought me here and it was a heck of a hike! I love being outdoors and this is as good as it gets! I'm glad we only found bugs in the mine and not bears.
7/9/01, I'm only 13.5 months nad my dad brought me here on his back in a backpack. Watch out for the branches snapping back.
7/15/01, My dad used to pack mail up to the upper mines in 40's.
8/4/01 DO THE DEW!
8/28/01 Fun hike trailing my BMW! Go Blue! This is the day that the Lord has made! Peace in Christ!
9/9/01 Hello Everyone! Fun hike. Here is a dry piece of paper. Rena wants to get out of here. Enjoy!
10/20/01 NW Staff: If you do not see your picture here and you took one, only 7 of the 27 turned. The folks who developed it said it was the lack of a flash. Who knows, we'll stick another camera back in the cache and go for another year.
08/03 Geocache returned after a two year's absence.
If you have historical knowledge or pictures of this area, please email me and I will add your information to this site. Email
