Olympic National Park, Washington, USA

October 2018

The Olympic Peninsula is one of the greenest and most majestic places on earth. Its treasures are well hidden by the miles of trails it takes to get to the center, and at 1,442 square miles, you could take a couple of days to drive around the circumference of the park. The area has been recognized as a National Park by Congress since 1938 making it 80+ years old. The park is home to deer, Roosevelt elk, black bears, and non-native mountain goats. The climate is considered a temperate rainforest that receives approximately 56 inches of precipitation per year.

You can start this destination hike by flying into the Seattle airport. We flew in Friday on Southwest Airlines. When we fly with Southwest we take advantage of our companion pass. https://www.southwest.com/air/booking/index.html

We picked up our rental car at SeaTac and took a ferry across Puget Sound from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula. Taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island was a treat. The views of Seattle and the ferry experience were well worth the cost of the trip at less than $20. For more information on the current fares see http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/fares/.

Once on Bainbridge Island, we drove 1 hour and 15 minutes to Sequim, WA, the base town for our trip. We stayed at the unpretentious and clean Great House Motel. The two biggest factors in finding this hotel were its low price and the reviews stating it was clean. For more information on the Great House Hotel, see https://www.greathousemotel.com/.

We arrived late at the hotel but had time to unpack and prepare the day ahead. We woke up at 6 am to drive the last 1 hour and 30 minutes to the parking lot of the Sol Duc River trailhead. When we arrived that morning the parking lot was almost empty, with a few backpackers’ cars here and there.

The trail conditions were excellent. One issue with the trail is that it’s easy to miss the turnoff to the Deer Lake trail right after Sol Duc Falls. Make sure to follow the signs that go towards the Lover’s Lane trail and back towards the parking lot on the opposite side of the Sol Duc. From there you’ll find the trail signs indicating the turn uphill to Deer Lake.

After the falls it is 2.5 miles uphill to Deer Lake. The climb is very gradual for the most part, but quite rocky. All along this trail and at Deer Lake there were many nice-looking backcountry camping spots. For more information on backcountry camping see https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-permits.htm.

Deer Lake is a great place to take a break, enjoy a snack, take a selfie, or maybe even go for a swim if the weather is warm enough. The lake also appears to have fish and many hikers take fishing poles up to the lake. Bear tracks can be seen in this area, though we haven’t seen a bear here.

This is where you can split off to either the Little Divide or the High Divide trails. We choose the High Divide trail this time, as it was later in the season with less snow probable at the higher elevations we’d encounter. The climb continues here, but this also where things start to get exciting. In just under .5 miles from Deer Lake, you will start to notice a more sub-alpine environment. The fir trees thin and open meadows award you with amazing views. After another mile or so, the Olympic mountains peek out from the various ridgelines surrounding you. After continuing eastward up the ridge, you will see the Seven Lakes Basin spur trail (to Lunch Lake). We had our sights set on summiting Bogachiel Peak for lunch, so we continued past this junction. However, many backpackers make camp in the otherworldly Seven Lakes Basin (spoiler alert: there are more than 7 lakes in the basin!)

Continue up the trail, which hugs the side of the steep slope before it breaches a saddle. As you turn the corner, there is a small pine tree signifying that you will soon see a treasure of the park, Mount Olympus. When we turned that corner we both were astonished and excited. We gazed upon its majesty and greatness.

Shortly after the first breathtaking view of Mount Olympus is 5,446′ Bogachiel Peak. The peak offers 360-degree views that include the Olympic Mountains, the Bailey Range, the Seven Lakes Basin, and the Hoh River Valley. We sat on the peak for lunch and took several photos, also spotting a single black bear down in the basin from this vantage point.

The High Divide continues for 1.8 miles looking over the Hoh River Valley and the majestic Olympic Mountains. This was my favorite part of this trail; it was the treasure that I had come for and it was better than what I expected. If you are going to come to Olympic National Park this is the best way to see it.

We made our way down to Heart Lake towards the Sol Duc River Trail. This lake lives up to its name. The campground here has a pit toilet, and the lake is a nice spot for a snack break.

From here it’s 7.5 miles downhill back to the trailhead parking lot, descending roughly 2800′ at a gradual grade that wasn’t too hard on our knees. We returned to the cool, lush forest of old-growth Douglas Fir and crossed over the Sol Duc River on a narrow wooden bridge. We were greeted by a herd of Roosevelt Elk closer to the Sol Duc Falls trail intersection.

For an excellent resource on the High Divide Trail, including a trail description, please follow this link: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/high-divide-loop.htm