Cowlitz,
Thanks for pressing this issue.

I visited this site one or two years ago after seeing a post and map on this board. It was Sunday afternoon, and the gate was locked. There were no WDFW signs. A friend and I walked in along the road and were immediately met by a woman driving a truck (I think she lived in the house just north of the gate)..

The conversation went something like this:
Woman: What are you doing here?
Me: I'm walking to look at the river for fishing purposes.
Woman: We've had vandalism here.
Me: I'm going to look at the river.
Woman: There are no restroom facilities there.
Me: I'm going to look at the river.
Then she left.
She never said I was trespassing or on private property.

It's about a 1/4 mile walk, and there was a lot washed up tree debris requiring some climbing. There is a very good bank for fishing this section of the Cowlitz.