Peaceful venture through pristine rainforest on dry breezy warm late September day.
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For those seeking solitude and being removed from civilization. Requires a sure foot, route finding, and some rope work. Also cutthroat are in the lake.
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We did a great 2 night backpacking trip, using established sites. The weather was perfect, as the pictures are evidence of :-)
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Dry, dusty, lots of bugs, hot, wear a hat, bring water, bring your kids, bring a stroller, bring your folks, bring your elders and have fun
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Spectacular views through the layers of clouds. We hiked a ridge above the rain. Saw black tail deer, marmots and various birds.
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An anticipated route followed by an overview of the amazing ridge line of traverse
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Absolutely perfect day for this hike. Sunny but cool temps. The views were off the chart amazing!!
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Rain forest walk. Not much scenery but REALLY big trees and lots of mushrooms. The Hoh no longer takes the map route and cuts along the side by the trail making the trail almost impassable near the end.
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Rain forest walk. Not much scenery but REALLY big trees and lots of mushrooms. The Hoh no longer takes the map route and cuts along the side by the trail making the trail almost impassable near the end.
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Rain forest walk. Not much scenery but REALLY big trees and lots of mushrooms. The Hoh no longer takes the map route and cuts along the side by the trail making the trail almost impassable near the end.
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Rain forest walk. Not much scenery but REALLY big trees and lots of mushrooms. The Hoh no longer takes the map route and cuts along the side by the trail making the trail almost impassable near the end.
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Rain forest walk. Not much scenery but REALLY big trees and lots of mushrooms. The Hoh no longer takes the map route and cuts along the side by the trail making the trail almost impassable near the end.
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Bucket list hike for a good reason. Very impressive place!
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Beautiful views of water and mountains. Sunny but cool breeze making for perfect hiking weather. Trekking poles are a must on the steep accents and descents on scree.
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The wildflowers were beautiful this time of year! Fantastic hike!
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My Boy Scout Troop spent a week hiking around the Enchanted Valley and around Mt. Andersons Pass. One of the best hikes I have ever gone on. Beautiful rock formations and the river feels great after a long hike.
P.S: There is a lot of bears.
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This is so much harder than the reviews say. I mean, you Can check my stats- but it’s almost twice the elevation the official maps say. The skyline section is so tough- so many ups and downs, you *have* to take two days for that. It’s not a traverse, you go up and down each individual peak. That being said, it’s very pretty. Dense with wildlife and so remote,you will almost certainly see bears, if not many dither forest creatures. You could just do the 3 ponds section and it could be challenging and gorgeous.
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Not many hikes in the Olympics give you the opportunity to hike along an uninhibited ridge line for multiple miles like this Grand Loop. Stayed at Gladys Lake overnight. Shallow waters made swimming actually quite comfortable. If you follow my tracks, I would recommend working clockwise from Obstruction Point. Although makes for a steep climb out of the valley after Gladys Lake, it beats the constant uphill slog that you will inevitably face in the counterclockwise direction.
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Somewhat slippery due to dusty conditions. Pretty crowded, go early.
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Very nice view of the Olympia mountains. The most Bob Ross-like place I’ve been to.
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Gradual easy hike. Lake is beautiful, but has too many mosquitoes. Campsites have toilets, which is nice.
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Enchanted valley day hike after camping at graves creek camp ground.
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Great long hike. Snow still tough to get through between Mink and Duck Lake, including long passages between trail sightings.
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Sunny and 36F. Easy hike out to Mt Tom Creek spur. Insanely beautiful. Watched a family of sea otters play in the Hoh River near a beaver lodge. Through in the Hall of Mosses trail at the end.
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Went to maiden peak! Well maintained trail; no snow on trail in July (some visible off t o the sides near the peak). Very doable. You can easily continue onto Elk peak if you want to extend your hike .
The road up to the campground is very windy and tight at points , just be prepared to take it slow on some points in your car. Our Toyota Avalon made it no problems however , it is a well maintained d dirt road , just a bit tight .
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The High Divide trail was spectacular. Views of the Olympics and after veering right, the straight between the Olympic Peninsula and Victoria far in the distance. The hike up to the high divide from Sol Duc park was brutal. I am surprised that it was only 1500 elevation gain.
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1.5 hour wait to get into the park was worth it. I’m training for a 5 day backpacking trip; and our 12 mile day did me good (didn’t record at start.) the fungi were epic, the silence was special, the light through the ancient grandmother trees felt sacred. Loved it.
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This was Very easy and a beautiful walk in the woods until the very last 2 miles or so but still not very difficult.
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1.5 hour wait to get into the park was worth it. I’m training for a 5 day backpacking trip; and our 12 mile day did me good (didn’t record at start.) the fungi were epic, the silence was special, the light through the ancient grandmother trees felt sacred. Loved it.
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Very long ~11 miles. Gradual climb So it didn’t seem like 5000 feet elevation gain. 360 views with freezer in the way at dodger point. Bugs are horrible. Don’t get water at the Elwha beneath the bridge. Get water from the creek after camp before you get to the river. Besides the pink tarn There was one Stream To get water on the way to dodger point. No bare wire or a good trees to hang food. Trail not busy
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Finally made to the elusive Black and White Lakes after two attempts. After the split from Flap Jack it was quite the grind. Thinking I was home free when I reached the spill way but it just kept going.
I plan the permit I don’t plan the weather. In the 80’s at the lake and warmer from trail head 😅. Doing okay a lot of 💦 and breaks. Gaia has me at 8.8mi.
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It was quite difficult because we overpacked and it was 90 out. If it were cooler and we had packed better I would recommend for a challenge.
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We backpacked in 9.1mi to Olympus Ranger Station, camped for the night and then 6mi up to Elk Lake. The next day we made the Blue Glacier trip a day trip. The ladder was way easier with just a day pack! The Glacier is EPIC!! We spent another night at Elk Lake and then packed the 15.1 out. We were permitted another night at the Guard Station, but it rained 5pm-5am every night and we had done what we set out to do so we left! Mud was non existent on way in and pretty heavy on the way out - just walk through it, makes for a fun journey and keeps the plants off trail safe. Lots of access to water at each camp area.
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The trail was easy to moderate. Moderate due to muddy spots and several blowdowns past Pyrites Creek (about 9.8-10 miles into the trail). Weather is crucial to getting the most out of this area. Cloudy and misty days would have been fine but to really feel small when sleeping in the valley, a sunny and clear day would be fantastic. Many spots to rest along the trail and an abundance of bears and elks as well. I would definitely opt for an overnight trip even if it’s just one night in the valley. Long trek to camp but so worth the effort!
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Full review is here: https://www.goatbells.blog/2022/05/22/olympic-national-park-enchanted-valley/
Weather is such important element in this area is the weather – it can be wet, cold, warm, windy and down-right wet all in the same day. Our forecast was: Tuesday (50-50 sun/rain), Wednesday (rain / cold), Thursday (am cold grey / pm some sun), Friday (sun), Saturday (sun) … temperature lows were to be around 40 @ Quinault, so the trail 15 miles up river would be even colder. We both took extra cold / wet gear and clothes and carrying between 30-32 pounds each. NPS (National Park Service) posted sufficient information at TH to be aware of the risks. Wrt bears, neither of us carried bear spray, just common sense, and of course all food was in bear canister.
Summary: Enchanted Valley is one of those places – magical no doubt. The hike there in the cold rain was a challenge and we were rewarded well for the work. The crowds are too big and impact is high so the earlier one goes the better (but the weather … ). This is not a thru-hike go fast but a tourist hike where ever other step shows something fabulous. The old growth forests are remarkable, the wildlife plentiful (and relatively safe), and the water is EVERYWHERE.
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Great trail to get miles in without a lot of elevation gain. Right now, 4/17/22, there are a LOT of trees down on trail—all totally navigable-just adds a calisthenic aspect to the hike!!
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The Ozette loop always delivers, no matter what the weather. It was partially sunny in the evening as I walked the 3-mile boardwalk to Sand Point, then poured in intervals throughout the evening, but cleared around midnight to reveal a perfect moon shining over high tide. I was the only human (presumably the owners of the 5 cars in the parking lot had decided to camp at Alava, where fires are allowed), though in the morning discovered deer, eagle and heron neighbors close by.
Boardwalk has been recently mended with many lovely new boards that smell pleasantly of cedar. While an easy hike/walk, boards are very slippery in the rain so proceed with caution.
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Loop idea for the Olympics. Currently designed to incorporate as many classic high country traverses as possible, could be pared down at Appleton Pass, Grand - Cameron, and Deception Basin (replacing with either Greywolf Pass or Constance Pass)
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This trail is short & sweet! Constant uphill to the top. Great views once you are there. Bring your own gloves - I brought cycling gloves be decided to use a pair from the pile rather than did mine out. Big mistake! I didn’t give it much thought initially but they were wet and smelly - and I can smell almost nothing!
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It is paved, although we saw some guy going overland. Views are fantastic! Saw a young buck & a huge marmot + all the surrounding scenery.
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Really beautiful forested trail. We had our sights set on Bogachiel camp, which is the first one along the trail. The trail is pretty much straight and flat so we cruised along, only stopping to look at the many amazing mushrooms along the way. We saw only a handful of other people the whole day. After our hike we got in the river to cool off and it was just heavenly.
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Great couple of loops. Few too many people. We had intended to head out on the Hoh river trail but the NPS blocked our path so they could remove a downed tree.
Get there early, we left at 11:00 and the line to get in was horrible.
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We hiked this trail in mid-July on weekdays. The Ho River Trail was a nice hike through sometimes old-growth forest and occasional views of the Ho River. The reason for hiking to Elk Lake is to then continue on to Blue Glacier, which was amazing! The trail was crowded on our return on Friday with Mt Olympus climbers, Glacier backpackers, and day hikers closer to the trailhead.
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Absolutely gorgeous hike and backpacking trip at royal lake. The road to the trailhead is full of potholes in a few miles. Good elevation with full backpacks. Great views of Mt Deception at upper lake. Did day hike there. Waterfalls, deer, bunnies and marmots. Sublime!
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First hike into the Hoh. Will bring backpacks next time and head up to Mount Olympus!
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Heavily populated. Great scenery in the late spring. Lots of backpackers. Slide camping on the trail.
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Beautiful forested hike. Snow begins around 1.5 miles in but path is compact all the way to the lake. You will need microspikes and poles!
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The snowshoeing started at the parking lot and onward with 86” of snow. At times we’re about the canopy of the tree lines as we scaled upward towards the top. There a few inclines that were difficult to make, I recommend alpine MSR snowshoes. I used some Japanese off brand and they did very well! The hike has awesome views of the Olympics on the way and to the top of the mountain.
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Picked a particularly dreary day to hike this loop - most of it was obscured by clouds. And by “obscured” I mean “inside” clouds almost the entire time. The elevation sees to that. While it wasn’t raining, being in a constant cold mist will chill you pretty quickly without the proper gear. Thankfully my friend and I had gloves, rain layers, and hats so as long as we kept moving, everything was fine. Honestly, I couldn’t have had a better time, despite the weather. A beautiful hike with extremely varied landscapes and no shortage of breathtaking scenery. I can’t wait to do this loop again in better weather (say late Spring instead of mid October) so I can take in the full view. We got a late start and so ended up hiking the last several miles in pitch dark with headlamps. Well worth the trouble!
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I must have read 10 descriptions of the Heart o’ the Hills, Lake Angeles, Klahhane Ridge, Heather Park Loop and none of them did it justice. We recorded it at 13.45 miles but went down to the edge of Lake Angeles and back tracked the short distance to the UNMARKED trail up to Klahhane Ridge. The climb up to the ridge is a spectacular grunt. The lake with its signature island is simply a gem from high above. The trail along K Ridge is such a varied, weave back and forth with priceless views of Mount Baker, Vancouver Island, large cargo ships in the Strait, Mount Olympus, Grey Wolf Ridge, on and on. The vertical striations of Mount Angeles nearly strike me speechless every time I’m on the ridge, and coming up this different trail, with the mountain before you, only enhanced the effect. Then, the junction with the Heather Park trail, dropping down just below Mt Angeles toward the Ennis Creek headwaters but hugging the side of the cirque and then pushing up a gully ( another significant grunt), and over a low point in the rocky ridge line that ends with Mt Angeles. The view into that next valley, which seems to hold Little River way down there, floored us. The rock was varied and dramatically sculpted, one massive dome jumped right in front and below us. The trail wound along the valley edge, exciting ledges and heights, crumbling gullies, all leading to one more 200 foot push (yet another thigh burner) up to what might be the Heather Park camp site, or First Top or both. Then the long, beautiful plod through the forest to the bottom. We saw 3 people on the the Heather Park stretch, maybe 3 climbing up to K Ridge. This is appropriately rated as strenuous and worth every bit of the effort.
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Great hike along Barns creek. Started the recording on the way back to the trail head. This is half of what we did.
Start early to mid morning. We started early afternoon and did not have time to do as much as we would have liked.
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Soggy day one, clouds rolled in before we could summit Carrie, but we saw like 20 bears so thats dope 🐻
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We were able to snag a pretty good itinerary with two nights at Elk Lake, so we were very excited for this one. We started off from the campground on Friday morning, which let us miss a lot of the day hiker traffic and get an early start for a 15+ mile day. It was beautiful in the forest and along the river, but a bit of a long hike no doubt.
Elk Lake is a fine place to camp, but nothing special unfortunately. There isn't easy access to the lake and it wouldn't really be possible to fish (wish I had known that before bringing a pole!). The outlet steam is also pretty warm and murky, so we headed 1/3 mile down to trail to filter water from Martin Creek. That said, Elk Lake was a great basecamp for splitting up the trip!
The hike up to the glacier from here gets quite steep, but the views improve steadily. Just before Glacier Meadows is an immense washout. You'll need to go down a long, steep ladder and rope over a 200-foot hillside, and it's not for the faint of heart! I imagine it'd be pretty hard with a full backpack, but plenty of people managed. Apart from this, the trail is in great shape.
The final trip up to the glacier is pretty steep, but well worth it. I'd definitely recommend going to both the lateral and the terminal morraine. The lateral morraine is quite a bit more difficult but provides a better view of the glacier, so you'll probably want to do that one first.
Our hike out was a bit of a slog as it got hot, and the trail was busy on a Sunday afternoon near the visitor center. Our feet were hurting pretty bad, so a dip in the ocean at Ruby Beach was welcomed.
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Gorgeous views! Mosquitoes were many and relentless from about a mile before Royal Lake until we got about about a half mile from the upper basin and the areas with some lingering snow. Otherwise, this hike was perfect--blue skies, great hiking weather, and spectacular scenery!
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Trail is well groomed so it’s the elevation gain that might get some folks. Not for the physically challenged. Views of Lake Crescent and Straits of Juan de Fuca are phenomenal!
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Excellent hike going past Sol Duc Falls. It was a bumpy ride going up with unsteady rocks underfoot most of the way, but the view was worth it.
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Wonderful views of the Olympic Mtns and the Ocean. Enjoyed the entire snowshoe.
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A great simple hike to a great overlook of Port Angels and Victoria BC. Wide path but snow covered.
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Great weather above the marine layer. Sunny and cool. Great views of TYLER, Baldy, Gray Wolf from the west capped by exceptional views of Mount Olympus. Pretty unparalleled, especially in November.
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Heavenly walk through the woods for the first 4miles. Mile 5-6 start to get your heart rate up, and the last 1.4miles is hard. I did also have an over night pack with all my gear, which that weighed ~30-35lbs. Make sure to start early to beat the heat and to get a good spot at the lake!
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nice quality trails, elevation gain is comfortable, fishing is fun, lots of space for camps, try the upper basin.
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Off of 101 turn onto Lake Crescent Rd towards ranger station. The trail is incredibly well maintained. Young children and strollers are no problem.
I would not make a special trip to see these falls. However if you have time and are driving by no reason not to stop
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Hiked the loop as a 2 night backpack trip this past weekend and it was amazing. Wildflowers are blooming, perfect peninsula weather conditions (70s and sunny blue skies), and rugged trail made this one of my favorite backpacks and hikes in the PNW. We stayed at sol duc river #4 and lunch lake. At lunch lake you will be constantly swarmed by mosquito's - you've been warned. Amazing trail starting in the dense forest near sol duc falls that goes all the way into the high alpine with breathtaking views of seven lakes basin and Mt. Olympus.
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A great backpacking trip that follows the river though the valley with elevation gain stretched over many miles. Ample campsites at the end and requires a permit and bear canister to hike. The chalet was moved back due to the receding river bank and will most likely need to be moved again. Rangers were camped back in the valley checking permits. This is a perfect hike to do with friends, especially if they enjoy a variety of tree species. Break up the mileage by camping in designated campsites along the way.
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