Trail Overview
Honker Road (FS 3016000) is accessed from North Thorne River (FS 3015) at about the 4.9-mile mark. This is a one-lane gravel road with trees, ferns, and grass lining the road. Sections of the road are open as it passes by an open meadow with a creek winding through it and over a wooden bridge and a larger creek. Beautiful scenery while driving on this road. Honker ends at 1.3 miles at the first Y, take a left, and that is the end of the road at the turn, as the road has started to become overgrown and is considered a closed road. If you continue to the right on the Y, you end up on FS 30116010 Road. At about 1.9 miles from the start of Honker Road, or 0.64 miles from the start of Road 30116010, it abruptly ends due to a very recent landslide that took out a section of road. Maintenance crews had been working to thin trees on the other side of the Landslide, so this may be reopened to get to the end of the road and two additional side spurs, but until the road is fixed, the road ends here. This road winds around hills and crosses a wooden bridge over a creek. There is very little elevation on this road as it climbs from 199 to 398 feet in elevation. This is a down-and-back road. You can see Sitka spruce, Western Hemlock, Red cedar, Yellow cedar, poplar, and birch, as well as lichen, moss, ferns, and dense old-growth forests and flowers in this temperate rainforest. There is wildlife in this area. Be safety-minded for Black bears, changing weather conditions, and sudden changes to the road due to rain and landslides. Always plan your trip with basic survival items and local wildlife safety in mind, in case you get stuck in-between roads during a road washout or landslide. There are limited resources here for clearing roads. It is advisable to have a contact and some form of tracker so that your contact can make sure you are on plan and not stuck somewhere. This road connects to other recreational roads and is not a main road for travel. Prince of Wales has Black Bear, Sitka black-tailed deer, Alexander Archipelago Wolves, Bald Eagles, Osprey, Mink, Marten, Beaver, Ermine, and Flying Squirrels, along with a variety of Marine life and Sea Birds. Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead run in the rivers and creeks here. Weather plays a part in the level of difficulty, as this is in a rainforest, and a lot of these roads go through areas of muskeg/wetlands and hills. There are great views of tree-lined, winding roads, hills, and creeks. Tall grass, ferns, a variety of trees, lichens, moss, muskeg, forest, and flowers can be seen, as well as scenic landscapes. Warnings: Keep on the road and watch hillsides for landslides, watch for falling or down trees, and be cautious of water over the roadway. Watch for signs of road deterioration or washouts due to heavy rainfall. No cell service noted. Check weather conditions and be prepared for rain, fog with low visibility, and lower temperatures. It is a rainforest. Suggested best time of year: June - October.
