On the lower reaches, the terrain along this river is fairly easy to follow. Once you get higher up into the backcountry mountains away from the river, navigation becomes much more difficult due to the PNW wet rain forest and the numerous ravines and gullies. With the dense and high tree cover, you cannot see the peaks such was the case in the photo taken at the falls. At that point, you can hear the river down below, but all the surrounding peaks are invisible due to this dense growth. Also with low cloud and fog on an almost daily basis during the winter/spring, it is real easy to get turned around or miss that critical turn that leads down off the mountain to safety. Smarter people stick to the trails because of this, however there are some who get lost all the time on the old overgrown logging roads and paths, so much that SAR is out in this area numerous times per month, year round.

At the trailhead, there is a sign that states to the effect: "No overnight parking, any vehicles found here after 8:00 pm will initiate an immediate search and rescue". This is not a bluff message, SAR will be called out for a search if you do not show up to claim you vehicle before the alloted time is up.

As for closed trails, they are officially closed for good reason this time of year, namely being the avalanche risk,. Yet people disregard the closed signs all the time and many os these are people who you hear about on the news when SAR has rescued them or found a body. I have no problem with the trails being closed, the avalanche experts are smarter then I when it comes to deciding what the risk is and I would never risk a SAR person's life to come rescue me because I chose to disregard the posted closed trail signs.