Popular Trips in Olympic National Park
My fraternity brother Charles took a weekend trip to Seattle. He and I went on a fantastic beautiful day-hike to Marmot Pass in the Olympic National Forest.
My mother made this trip about 25 years ago, her first real summit. After she passed away in the spring of 2007, my brother and cousin and I decided to recreate the trip.
A short hike from the Hurricane Ridge parking lot on the final summer-like day of the year in Western Washington. Trail continues far beyond our turnaround point.
Olympic National Park has been a goal since we first conceived of this trip. We were lucky to get there before winter closed in (we are fleeing south through the first big winter storm even as I type). In fact we had perfect weather for some hiking on the rainforest side of the park.
Sol Duc Falls is the most popular falls in the Olympic National Park. It is a good choice even on a rainy day:-)
Parked at the 15.2 mile marker, as indicated on the map here: http://www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com/ODTAdv5.htm. The gate is visible around the corner from the junction on Joyce Access Road. The actual Adventure Route trailhead is a little ways up the road; we made the mistake of continuing on the logging road after seeing the sign, which unfortunately meant we had to hike back UP the road to get on the actual trail, which starts (go figure!)...
The sign at the trailhead says this trail is very steep and they are not kidding. This is one of the steepest trails in the Olympic National Park. Ed, Pavel, and I attempted to hike to the lake at the end of this trail. Gaining 3200' elevation in 2.9 miles, the trail cuts through some real rough terrain. After about an hour of grueling switchbacks we only made 0.8 miles. At that rate the trip would have...
An awesome beach hike totalling 11 miles from parking lot to return. We were in steady winds of 35-45 mph the entire way. We saw deer, seals, Caspian terns, eagles galore, harliquin ducks, eared greebes, Dulins, Sanderlings, Western Sandpipers, Mergansers, and more. The trip took 5 1/2Hrs. The caretakers at the lighthouse were very welcoming. A tough hike, but well worth the trip!
An awesome trip to a mountaintop ridge with views of the Straights of JuanDeFuca, Victoria BC, Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, Seattle, Bangor, Mt Rainier, and Mt Adams, all from one spot. Glorious fog blown meadows, surrounded by snow capped peaks. And of course friends.
