Capitol Forest Adventure
capitol Forest fun
Capitol Forest Adventure
Not too far from our home is the Capitol State Forest which has many miles of trails to explore. I used to go up there more often, years ago, but life got in the way, and I didn’t make time for it. Well, now things are changing! I am building my Jeep to take to Mexico and Capitol Forest is a great place to do shake down runs to make sure my upgrades are good.
I also recently had another excuse to go up there and play in the woods, I became a “Trail Guide” for an off road map app called OnX OffRoad. I tracked a route in the forest, submitted the route to the app, and now others can enjoy the same area, without getting lost.
On this particular route, I left work on the westside of Olympia, drove Delphi Rd out to Waddell Creek Rd, and followed it up to the forest entrance. The road up into the park is paved. Once in the park, the road turns to gravel with a few paved parts here and there (don’t ask me why. I haven’t figured it out yet).
Most of the state forest is gravel logging type roads, with a few off-shoots that get tighter and muddier. I explored a few off-shoots, but only one led me to some good mud. I don’t hit those areas when I’m alone for obvious reasons, so I stayed on the main lines this trip.
On a previous outing with my son, we hit this same mud run, and it was a blast. My Jeep is still running open differentials front and rear, sitting on 33-inch BF Goodrich KO2 all terrain tires. My son is running a 1st gen Toyota, dual transfer case, on 35 inch Razors, locked front and rear (now on 37 inch yokohama mud tires). The mud run was fun!!!!
Capitol Forest has MANY great views and great places to camp out. I highly recommend jumping in whatever 4-wheel or all-wheel drive rig you have and go explore! Take a garbage bag with you to pack out your own stuff and grab some of what others have dumped. The litter has gotten bad over the last couple decades since I used to go up. It’s sad. We need to save the forest for our grandkids to enjoy!!
Tommy’s Toyota
