Directions: From Hood Canal Bridge, follow SR 104 to US 101 North towards Sequim about 31 miles to Palo Alto Rd. Turn left follow Palo Alto until it turns into FS road 28 then onto FS road 2860. Trailhead is approx.  3mi. beyond Dungeness River crossing
Trail Notes: First 3 miles of trail is wide smooth and a gradual climb. After the turn off to Tull canyon, the grade increases quite a bit and the trail is narrow and rocky until you reach the top of the ridge.

The trail starts off as an easy stroll through the woods. In only a hundred yards or so there is a neat little camp site that consists of a wooden shelter with a couple of bunks, a fire pit and a picnic table. A couple with two small children was camping there when I started out for a Sunday morning hike. I'm sure this is a heavily used site but I would think it would be a fun easy spot if you had small kids.

After dropping down and crossing a small creek, the trail begins a gradual climb around and then south along a ridge. Here you are hiking through a mix of second growth and rhododendron. At just over 3mi. you will pass a large rock and the Tubal Cain trail intersects with the Tull Canyon trail heading to the left (east) and up the ridge.

Here the trail passes under the entrance to an old mine. I had my headlamp with me so I took a look inside. ( it is never a good idea to enter old mine shaft, so use your best judgment ) Well, the thought of an old mine shaft was definitely more interesting than the reality of this particular shaft. Either there was not much in the way of a find here, or it was all very close to the surface.  

After the mine, the trail was much steeper and was often loose dirt or rocks. Luckily it doesn't last too long, only a half mile or so. Reaching the top of the ridge the trail enters a marshy meadow. This area is probably a creek most years but with the lack of a snow pack in 2005, I did not come across anything that you could call running water on my visit. Strewn across the marsh was quite a lot of wreckage. Mostly large fuselage hulks and sheet metal. In 50 some years, the site has been pretty well picked clean I suppose. Another quarter mile and the trail comes to an old mining site consisting of the remains of an old cabin and maybe a shed. There are a few good campsites here. A little further along and the trail fades into a large boulder field. I snacked of beef jerky, peanuts and finished off my water on top of the boulder field while admiring the view of the meadow tucked into this high rocky cirque. A cloudy mist swirled in around the peaks threatening to end my sunny day and I took it as a sign that it was time to head back down.

Hiking alone I had been able to keep a pretty fast pace and I arrived back at the trailhead in just over 4 hours round trip. That left me plenty of time to make it back for a Fat Smitty burger! Smitty's is the small roadside diner that you pass on the south side of the highway as it curves around the south end of Sequim Bay. It is worth stopping in if only to see how many $1 bills have been tacked to ceiling by tourist over the years, not to mention the awesome burgers.
Always my favorite end to a trip out on Olympic Peninsula.