Hiking Olympic National Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures

by Erik Molvar

Overview

This updated edition of Hiking Olympic National Park features 66 of the finest trails in and around the park plus 40 additional trail recommendations throughout northwest Washington’s spectacular landscape. These trails crisscross the park’s wilderness ecosystem, stretching from the beaches of the Pacific to the heart of the Olympic Mountains. Whether you choose a strenuous backpacking trip over glacier-clad mountains or a short stroll through a temperate rain forest, veteran trail guide and author Erik Molvar provides all the information you need to make the most of hiking the Olympic Peninsula.

Look inside to find:

• Hikes suited to every ability
• Full-color photos
• GPS coordinates
• Directions to the trailhead
• Mile-by-mile directional cues

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493014866
Publisher:	Falcon Guides
Publication date:	07/01/2015
Series:	Regional Hiking Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	24 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Veteran author and backcountry explorer Erik Molvar discovered backpacking while working on a volunteer trails crew in the North Cascades of Washington. He is the author of more than a dozen FalconGuides for such places as Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Olympic National Park, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park, as well as Colorado's Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

The Making of the Mountains 1

Biogeography of an Island Range 3

Original Inhabitants 4

The Olympic Forests 4

How Climate Change Is Altering the Park 7

How to Use This Guide 8

Planning Your Trip 9

A Few Words of Caution 10

Fording Creeks and Rivers 11

How to Follow a Faint Trail 12

Zero-Impact Hiking and Camping 15

Advanced Planning to Minimize Impacts 15

On the Trail 16

Selecting a Campsite 16

Campfires 17

Human Waste Disposal 17

Washing 19

Regulations and Guidelines Specific to Olympic National Park 20

Regulations Specific to National Forest Wilderness Areas 20

Short Strolls and Nature Walks 22

Map Legend 28

The Hikes

Sol Due-Lake Crescent 29

1 Pyramid Peak Trail 31

2 The Spruce Railroad Trail 34

3 Mount Storm King 36

4 Mount Muller 38

5 Aurora Ridge 41

6 The North Fork of the Sol Due 45

7 Mink Lake-Little Divide 47

8 The High Divide Loop 49

Additional Trails 54

Elwha River-Hurricane Ridge 55

9 The Happy Lake Ridge Loop 57

10 Appleton Pass 60

11 The Elwha River 63

12 The Geyser Valley Complex 68

13 Dodger Point 71

14 Hayden Pass 75

I 5 Hurricane Radge Loops 79

16 Hurricane Hill 81

17 The Klahhane Ridge Loop 84

18 Mount Angeles 87

19 PJ Lake 89

Additional Trails 91

The Rainshadow 92

20 Elk Mountain 94

21 Badger Valley 97

22 Grand Valley 99

23 Cameron Pass 103

24 The Lower Gray Wolf River 106

25 The Upper Gray Wolf River 109

26 The Upper Dungeness Trail 114

27 The Royal Basin 118

28 The Tubal Cain Trail 120

29 Marmot Pass 124

30 Mount Townsend-Silver Lake 126

31 Tunnel Creek 129

32 Mount Zion 132

Additional Trails 134

The Hood Canal Country 135

33 The Dosewallips River 136

34 Anderson Pass 140

35 Constance Pass 144

36 Lake Constance 148

37 Lacrosse Pass 150

38 Jupiter Ridge 153

39 The Duckabush River 156

40 Lena Lakes 161

41 Mildred Lakes 164

42 Mount Ellinor 167

43 Mount Rose 170

44 Wagonwheel Lake 173

45 The North Fork of the Skokomish 175

46 Flapjack Lakes 180

47 Six Ridge 183

Additional Trails 187

The Western Approaches 188

48 Colonel Bob 189

49 Lake Sundown 193

50 Enchanted Valley 197

51 O'Neil Pass 201

52 The North Fork of the Quinault 204

53 The Skyline Trail 209

54 The Queers River 214

55 The South Fork of the Hoh River 217

56 The Hoh River 219

57 Hoh Lake 223

58 The Bogachiel River 226

59 Rugged Ridge 230

Additional Trails 232

The Olympic Coastline 233

60 Elephant Rock 235

61 The Kalaloch Beaches 239

62 The South Wilderness Coast 242

63 The Quillayute Needles (Second Beach) 246

64 The Shipwreck Coast 248

65 The Ozette Loop 253

66 Point of the Arches 257

67 Shi Shi Beach 261

68 Cape Flattery 264

Additional Trails 266

Appendix A Extended Trips 267

Appendix B Backcountry Camping Areas in Olympic National Park 269

Appendix C Backcountry Camping Areas in Olympic National Forest 272

Appendix D Backcountry Camping Areas on the Olympic Coastline 273

Appendix E Contact Information 274

About the Author 275