this page describes the individual hikes available to basecampers on the 2007 trip.

Heart O' The Hills Forest Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
4 miles round trip	Easy	2 hours	n/a
This short forest trail provides an excellent introduction to the leeward forests of the Olympic Peninsula. The trail begins at Loop E of the Heart O' the Hills campground. Typical lowland forest with dense vegetation. 2 miles one way.
Hurricane Hill Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
3 Miles	Moderate	2 hours	700 ft.
Hurricane Hill Trail begins at the end of the Hurricane Ridge Road. In the 1.5 miles to the top of the hill are mountain peak vistas, and views of the Northern coast. Wildflowers are numerous in early summer. The trail ends in broad meadows with magnificent vistas in all directions. To the South are the incredible peaks of the Olympic Mountains and the interior of the Peninsula. To the North you can see almost to Canada across the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Bring your binoculars and camera.
Hurricane Meadows Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
4 miles	Moderate	2 hours	200 ft.
Hurricane Meadows is less a single trail than a series of connected loops. The trail starts just across the road from the visitor center and is one of the most popular and heavily-travelled in the park. Lower portions of the trails are paved and wheelchair accessible. Lots of wildflowers and local critters (marmots, ground squirrels, etc.) and the occasional begging deer [don't feed those deer!].
Grand Pass/Badger Valley Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
9 miles	Strenuous	7 - 8 hours	2450 ft.
This is a long but rewarding hike with incredible vistas into the interior of the Olympic Mountains. It is as close as the campground hikers will get to the experience of the backpackers and hikers should be well-prepared and well-provisioned for this hike. The trailhead starts at Obstruction Point trailhead and follows Lillian Ridge until it descends into the Grand Valley and then drops sharply to Grand Lake. Near Obstruction Point the trail cuts across barren, rocky tundralike country. This area lies in the rain shadow of the Olympics, and the light snowfall it receives usually disappears by mid-summer. Along Lillian Ridge, the trail is exposed and the winds are often very stong, so layer up well and make sure you have your windbreaker or parka with you. At roughly 2.1 miles you reach the highest point (at 6,450 ft.) and find the spur that descends from Lillian Ridge to Grand Lake. This is a long, steep trail with lots of switchbacks through scree slopes, meadowland and stands of supalpine fir. The undergrowth among the firs consists of huckelberry, azalea, mountain ash and numberous kinds of wildflowers. Amalia Falls can be observed from an opening among the trees. Beyond the viewpoint, the trail descends to a junction (at 3.8 miles and 4950 ft.) with the Badger Valley Trail near Grand Lake. Badger Valley Trail (the valley is named after a ranger's horse; there are no badgers in this part of the valley) skirts the edge of Grand Lake and the Grand Lake Campground and descends further, crossing Grand Creek and passing through stands of subalpine fir and willow (in the marshy areas) with a bit of western white pine. Look for a 40-foot waterfall as the trail descends sharply on its way to the base of Emerald Peak. After crossing Grand Creek again via a logjam which is below a pool and a double waterfall, and following a crossing of Badger Creek above its confluence with Grand Creek, you descend to an 'emergency camp' area and the lowest point in the loop (4000 ft). At this point you are roughly 3 miles from the trailhead at Obstruction Point. The trail now winds upward through Douglas fir, silver fir, western white pine and Alaska cedar, passing through huge meadows, forests and open country. This is a common area for bear sightings, so keep an eye out. Roughly 1 mile from the end of the trail you will pass the intersection with the Elk Mountain Trail which will branch off to the right (elevation at this point is 5300 ft.). Stay left as the trail climbs up switchbacks through the shale and makes its way to the top of the ridge where the Obstruction Point trailhead is located. There are pit toilets at the trailhead parking lot for the convenience of trail hikers.
Marymere Falls Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
2 miles round trip	Moderate	2 hours	400 feet
The trailhead begins near the Storm King Ranger station at the edge of Cresent Lake, just off Highway 101. We will park at the ranger station parking lot and follow the trail through a tunnel under the highway. The trail leads through dense forests of cedar, hemlock and Douglas fir with several rotting nurse stumps and a good overview of how the forest rebuilds itself in this part of the world. Resist the urge to climb the Mount Storm King trail that branches off to the left - it is rocky and very steep. Cross Barnes Creek on the scenic log footbridge into a grove of huge maples covered with moss. At this point you can choose either right or left trail (it is a loop) to make your way to the observation platform at the top of the trail. Lots of photo views of this 90-foot waterfall through the forest as you make your way up the steps and trail to the platform. Watch your footing on the trails and wooden steps near the observation platform - they are normally wet from the mist from the falls.
Sol Duc Falls Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
4 miles round trip	Easy	2 hours	slight
This hike starts at the parking lot at the end of the Sol Duc Valley Road and runs through typical Peninsula forests with huge trees and moss. At the end of a mile the path turns downhill toward the river, passing below a rebuilt shelter to a bridge and the first views of the falls. Across the bridge, turn left to a viewing platform with places to sit, rest, watch and enjoy the falls. There are lots of photo points along the river above and below the falls and the views of the rustic footbridge with the double falls coming in from the side and the incredible forest in the background make for one of the most beautiful scenes on the entire trip. This is one of my favorite places on the peninsula and the hike, though short, is not to be missed.
Sand Point/Cape Alava Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
9 miles	Moderate	6 - 7 hours	None
This is one of the most popular hikes on the Olympic Peninsula for several reasons. It is virtually flat and consists to three equidistant (3 mile) segments. It is a triangular loop with two segments on boardwalks through the forest and the middle segment consisting of a fine beach walk of roughly three miles along some of the wildest and most picturesque coastline in the US. We will begin the hike from the ranger station trailhead and take the southernmost Sand Point trail first. The trail is an up-and-down boardwalk through dense slaal and Sitka spruce which ends at a grassy point at the end of a sand spit. The forest is dense and mossy in places and open and covered with ferns, evergreen huckelberry and red-berried bunchberry bushes in other places. The salal, an evergreen bush with a fuzzy, tasty berry, dominates the forest and grows out into any available open space. As you near the end of the trail you can hear the surf through the Sitka spruce and the sword ferns until finally the forest thins out and you come out on the beach. Sand Point is a small, rocky spit of land covered with grass. Often deer can be found grazing on the grass at the point and wildlife includes sea otters, oysterchatchers, cormorants, buffleheads, gulls, deer, racoons and the occasional bear. The first time the Sierra Club made this hike the rocks were covered with seals, but they were gone the last time I was there. From Sand Point, we will hike North along the beach toward Cape Alava. Along the way we will stop to check out the petroglyphs at a small headland called Wedding Rocks. Critters in the area include sea otters, eagles and possibly whales offshore in the deeper water (watch for spouts) After reaching Cape Alava, we will turn inland on the Cape Alava boardwalk that returns to the Ozette Ranger station. The boardwalk, almost identical to Sand Point boardwalk to the south, crosses a large clearing called Ahlstroms Prairie after two brothers who cleared the area and set up a sawmill in the early 1900's. Ozette Indians lived along this section of the coast for at least twenty centuries before moving early in the 20th century to Makah Bay so their children could attend school. This hike will take most of the day and we will take the time to rest and explore the beaches. Most of the hiking guides and signs at the trailhead warn against wearing boots with lug soles on the slick plank boardwalks. If you have sturdy sneakers with you, especially ones with flat soles and ankle support, they are ideal for this hike. I have done the hike twice in light hiking shoes without problems, so a lot depends on the type of boot you wear. Remember that whatever you wear, you will need adequate ankle support for the rocky beach walk which is more rock and pebble than sand here.
Rialto Beach/hole-in-the-wall hike
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
4 miles round trip.	Easy	3 hours	n/a
From the Rialto Beach parking lot to the beach is slightly less than 1/4 mile. From the end of the parking lot to the South you can see La Push, the small beach town just across the broad Quillayute River. Beach trails lead from the picnic area along the beach for a little more than 1 1/2 miles. Be prepared to cross Ellen Creek, which usually involves a little wading unless your are part gazelle or can find a log crossing. Hole-in-the-wall is an extremely scenic and interesting feature on a point of the beach that is underwater during high tide. If we check the tide tables and get there at low tide we can explore the tidal pools (with lots of starfish and exotic sea creature) as well as the passage under the hole. Watch the tide, though, since the hole is impassable beyond low tide and you will have to return over the much longer and steeper headland trail if you get caught. If we time it right, we can combine the last low tide with sunset on Rialto Beach. A dramatic Pacific Rialto Beach sunset is absolutely breath-taking and a photo op not to be missed. Photos of this area are on the web in the Austin Sierra Club Photo Gallery. Check them out.
Hoh Nature Trail: Hall of Mosses/Spruce Nature Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
2 miles on 2 different loop	Easy	2 - 3 hours	N/A
These two loop trails, both of which begin at the Hoh Visitor Center, are prime examples of what a Pacific Northwest "rain forest" is all about. The Hall of Mosses Nature Trail winds through incredible moss-draped trees and lush undergrowth. The path circles through towering Sitka spruce into the cathedral-like Hall of Mosses before returning to the paved loop. Mushrooms and fungi of all kinds abound as well as moss so thick on the trees that it forms forest drapery in sections and turns the ambient light into emerald light and shadow. The Spruce Nature Trail is longer and leads away from crowds into stands of towering spruce and moss-draped groves of vine maples, eventually dropping to a flat near the Hoh River. The feeling is close and closed-in rather than open and expansive here and you can find a fascinating study of the cycle of forest life from life to death and decay and back to life again with all the stages represented sometimes in the same square foot of forest floor. Stirling (Best Short Hikes) notes that "There are more than great trees here. There are shades of green beyond counting and changes in light and shade that add new magic to every place you walk. Ant there are shy elk that keep every patch of open meadow groomed like a park." We should be able to see hundreds of varities of wildflowers and colored fungi on the forest floor and photographers will be enthralled by the beauty and complexity of the forest floor.
Hoh River Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
2 - 18 miles	Easy	as long as you like	N/A
This is the river trail that runs all the way into the interior of the Peninsula to the foot of Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier. It will be the exit trail for the backpackers and the campground campers may want to walk some distance down the trail in the afternoon just to get a feel for the trek that the backpackers will make. The trail is well-marked and starts from the paved walk at the visitor's center. If you continue far enough down the trail, you will be treated to vistas of open meadows kept trimmed by the elk and, from time to time, views of Hoh Peak to the right and Mount Tom straight ahead of you. There are a number of places where you can stop and rest, eat lunch or just hang out and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the rainforest.
Ruby Beach
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
less than a mile	Easy	1 hour	50 ft.
Not much hiking on this one; it is more of a scenic stop on the way to the Quinault campground. A short trail leads north from the parking lot down a slope to the edge of Cedar Creek and the beach. To the north you can see Abbey Island. You can walk for some distance south along the beach examining tide pools and checking for eagles, seals, otters and even possible offshore whales. Good for photos of the "typical" Pacific Northwest beach.
Graves Creek Nature Trail
Distance	Difficulty	Hiking time	Elevation gain
2 miles	Easy	1 hour	N/A
The trail begins at the east end of the upper campground loop road and winds through the Quinault rainforest. The trail is mostly flat and quiet because of the isolation of the campground. This will be the last hike of the trip, so take your last look at the river, the rainforest and the forest critters.
RETURN TO TOP

 

notes and sources

Hike descriptions are drawn from several sources, including E.M. Sterling's book Best Short Hikes in Washington's South Cascades & Olympics (a Mountaineers publication) as well as from Robert L. Wood's Olympic Mountains Trail Guide (also a Mountaineers publication).

See where you are going: Follow this link to the Austin Photo Gallery page for the Olympic Peninsula. We have been there several times before and you will find photos of most of the places we will visit on this trip.