It’s winter, but you have no excuse for not riding, at least not if you live in southwest Washington. You have the Moulton Falls Trail to enjoy!
Even if it’s been raining for weeks, the trail at Moulton Falls Park has all-weather tread that won’t be slick and muddy. And it’s a beautiful ride.
The trail follows an old roadbed from the Hantwick Road trailhead to Moulton Falls, paralleling the East Fork Lewis River as it tumbles over boulders and flows through deep green pools. The trail is wide and has little elevation gain. The trail is paved for the first 0.8 mile (bleh!), but the path is nicely graveled after that. Several tiny waterfalls cascade next to the trail.
Aside from the initial paved stretch, the trail has excellent footing for winter riding. In summer its dense shade provides a cool respite from the heat of the day.
When you reach the Moulton Falls parking area, you’ll come to a short loop trail that visits Moulton Falls and Big Tree Falls. If you go either direction on the short loop you will encounter flights of stairs, so horses cannot complete the loop trail at the falls. You can see the falls on Big Tree Creek, though, by following the loop trail to the right and then walking your horse across Lucia Falls Road.
More Information
The Moulton Falls Trail is covered in more detail in Riding Southwest Washington Horse Trails, by Kim McCarrel, available at www.NWHorseTrails.com.