Not much to do at the cabin, but a good base location for exploring destinations around Olympic.

Flowers left from prior guest or cleaner, nice!

We've stayed at Louella several times and always enjoy it. Although we've stayed at Louella in December before, this was our first time with snow/ice. There were no provided shovels or other tools to remove the ice from the front steps and it was quite treacherous. We ended up sprinkling some regular table salt, and clearing a path down the stairs by scraping with a hatchet we'd brought. If you're visiting in winter you should probably bring something, at the very least some ice melt. Also, any coffee drinkers should bring some sort of French press or drip/pour over type system. The two vintage percolators onsite don't work very well, and require a very coarse grind in order for their filters to not just let the grinds pass right through. Our coffee was ground for drip, and we ended up having to retrofit a percolator with a paper coffee filter cut down to size. The mattress on the double bed was also hard as a rock and we had a very hard time sleeping (our recollection of our last visit was a mattress that was old and with very little support, I guess this is supposed to be an improvement). That was unfortunate since one of the goals of any vacation for us is to get more sleep! The rest of the cabin was cozy and we enjoyed our stay.

Rustic and homey, Louella was very much as described. One thing missing from the description but well documented in the cabin journal are the rats that live in the walls. The spring time is evidently when most active, so they actually woke me up at night with their wild parties and arguments. I didn't see them, but the noise was a bit much. Also, you are not away from residential properties in this cabin. Don't be surprised by sounds of the neighbor's lawnmower and the odd barking dog. Another, simpler item, that the forest service could do: a heavy duty mop. The rough plywood plank floors have shredded the mop provided, making cleaning a challenge. On the plus, so much great hiking just up the road, a sweet bunny living beneath the cabin. And the added perk of spending time in a building older than we typically ever experience.

We enjoyed our stay, highly recommend bring compostable paper plates, foil, and your own utensils and such. It’s a dry cabin, so the dishes and kitchen pots/pans are only as clean as the last person who washed them. We loved having no cell service and completely chilling out in the evening. The Dungeness Spit is an excellent outing, and so many trails and forest service roads to explore. We will be back!

Stayed for a week in the winter season. Probably a better venue as an overnight. Not the quiet retreat I was looking for, but more a spot for folks who want to be ten minutes from town. Winter tip: Keep the doors to the bedrooms closed for consistent warmth—and sleep on the futon. Some points to consider: Bring some ear plugs as the propane stove ticks and pings like crazy, and will keep you awake if you're a light sleeper. Wheeling parties tend to use the porto-jon, and people pull up to the house to check things out. Ghosts!