ONE OF THE MOST awe-inspiring sights in Mason County is just 35 minutes from downtown Shelton in the hills of Olympic National Forest. The Steel Bridge spans the South Fork Skokomish River canyon, 400 feet above the river.

1. Drive to Dewatto Bay to enjoy a remote spot with dazzling views of the Olympics across Hood Canal. For an adventure, go via the "Burma Road" along the canal (North Shore Road). For more pavement, and a look at flowering wild rhododendrons in June, try crossing the heart of the Tahuya Peninsula to get there. Follow North Shore Road until you cross the Tahuya River and take a right on Tahuya River Road, drive several miles until it hits Belfair-Tahuya Road, then turn left onto Dewatto Road near Tee Lake.

2. Go eagle sighting at the mouth of the Hamma Hamma River on the West Shore of Hood Canal. It's a beautiful estuary even without the majestic raptors around. The river flows into the canal just north of Eldon on Highway 101. If you're a birder, get a copy of the Audubon Society's new Great Washingtn State Birding Trail map for the Olympic Loop, which features 10 Mason County sites for spying birds.

3. Picnic at Walker Park with some cold pop in the summer, or set up there in December with hot chocolate to watch the lighted yachts go by in the Shelton Yacht Club's holiday boat parade. It's Shelton's closest park access to saltwater. From Olympic Highway South, go east on Fairmount Avenue and down the hill onto Walker Park Road, or go east on Arcadia Road and look for Walker Park Road on the left.

4. Walk or run around the 5.5-mile loop of the quiet Shelton Valley in any season, but especially in October when the sun streams through the yellow leaves of the overhanging maples. Head west out of Shelton on Shelton-Matlock Road and turn left on Shelton Valley Road. In off hours, there is room to park at the Adventist school or Adventist church two-tenths of a mile down the road. The loop going counterclockwise from the school consists of about 2.3 miles on Shelton Valley Road, then going left on Deegan Road West and following it for almost three miles before hitting Shelton-Matlock Road and taking a left for the short finish back on Shelton Valley Road.

5. Visit the Steel Bridge over the awesome gorge of the South Fork Skokomish River in the Olympic National Forest. One of the county's most spectacular sights in the wild is only 35 minutes from downtown Shelton. The drive involves only five miles of dirt roads (they're decent). From the bridge deck, it's more than 400 feet down to the water. Do not climb around the nearby rocks recklessly; several people have lost their lives at this place. A way trail on the far side of the bridge follows the rim of the canyon and leads to a lookout point where you can look back at the span. Drive 5.5 miles up Skokomish Valley Road after turning off Highway 101 and go right at a fork onto Forest Service Road 23. The road up the hill will turn to dirt. About 2.4 miles from Skokomish Valley Road, you'll see a sign for "High Steel Bridge." Turn right there, onto Forest Service Road 2340, and drive 2.5 miles to the bridge.

6. Take an easy hike up the North Fork Skokomish River from Staircase Campground in the Olympic National Park and let the wilderness and the sound of the rushing water soothe you. Follow Highway 119 (Lake Cushman Road) nine miles from Hoodsport to a T. Take a left at the T and follow Highway 119, which becomes a Forest Service road along the east shore of Lake Cushman that leads to Staircase.

7. Rent a motorboat, paddleboat, canoe or kayak at the Lake Cushman Resort for a cruise or paddle around a spectacular reservoir with mountains rising from its shores. Follow Highway 119 from Hoodsport to the resort (on the left).

8. Pull fresh shrimp out of Hood Canal during the sport shrimping season in May. You'll need a license, a trap, some cat food (unless you're going to make your own bait) and a place to put the boat in somewhere along the long fjord.

9. Pick oysters on one of about a dozen public beaches on Hood Canal and Southern Puget Sound. For information on beaches, limits, seasons, licenses and rules, try the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's great Web site at wdfw. wa.gov/fishcorn.htm .

10. Enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks over Hood Canal in Hoodsport or Union. The private Union show at Alderbrook on the South Shore (Highway 106) can be seen from places nearby. Fireworks aren't always on the Fourth.

11. Visit the Squaxin Island Indian Tribe's spacious new museum, the Home of Sacred Belongings, or view Twana art at the Skokomish Tribal Center. The Squaxin museum is near the tribal center off Old Olympic Highway (turn off Highway 101 at the Highway 108 interchange in Kamilche south of Shelton and follow Old Olympic Highway east). The Skokomish Tribal Center can be reached by turning off Highway 101 onto Highway 106 north of Shelton and then taking a left on Tribal Center Road.

12. Experience the wonder of migrating salmon at the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail in the fall and winter (there are guides at the site at various times). Take Highway 101 south from Shelton and turn right on Old Olympic Highway. The gravel road to the trail leaves the southbound side of Old Olympic Highway a few hundred feet southeast of Kennedy Creek.

13. Visit a farmers' market on a Saturday during the summer season. In Shelton, it's on Third Street next to Brewer Park. In Belfair, it's on the grounds of Belfair Elementary School on Highway 3. On Harstine Island, it's at the community hall.

14. See a Harstine Island Theatre Club show. The theatre club offers a few shows a year at the community hall, including a free "gift to the community," its annual Christmas show.

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