Erinswood

Erinswood is a 0.6-mile loop intended to be a wheelchair-friendly accompaniment to the Leovy Trail that ascends to the top of Heybrook Ridge. The trail was built by WTA volunteers and is named for a local resident living with cerebral palsy, however wheelchair-hikers may need assistance navigating the trail, depending on conditions.

From the parking area, follow the main trail southeast 0.1 mile to a junction and follow the signs to the left for the Erinswood loop. The trail continues another 0.1 mile through a stand of alder and bigleaf maple until it reaches a turnpike next to a small bog, where the two ends of the loop meet.

The loop is shaped more like a hairpin, with legs heading out and back. Choose a leg and head east into second-growth forest dominated by Douglas-fir and western redcedar sitting at the base of the rock wall underneath Heybrook Ridge. Sword and deer ferns, thimbleberry, salmonberry, vine maple, and Cascade-Oregon grape make up the groundcover.

Despite the loop’s short length, its meandering nature leaves you with the sense of being deep in the forest. The elevation change is minimal, though there are small rises and drops as you go along. You are never far from the rush of a nearby creek, and the more distant rumble of the North Fork Skykomish River is ever-present. The rocks and vegetation bear a healthy coating of moss — this is Cascade rainforest, after all! You may encounter logging artifacts along the way; please leave them undisturbed for future visitors.