Glacier capped mountain reaching down into deep coastal passages, through great stands of old-growth forests... ---all are in Olympic National Park & Forest.

Access to both the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest is available near Hoodsport on Highway 119.

About 95% of the park is designated wilderness, which further protects these diverse and spectacular ecosystems.

This rugged and breathtaking terrain offers endless options for recreation, beauty and solitude. Boulder-strewn streams, high mountain lakes, towering ridgelines and secluded campsites give visitors a chance to experience nature at its best. Deer, elk, cougar and bear frequent the hidden recesses of the Hamma Hamma River and Skokomish River valleys. Narrow, winding trails take hikers and backpackers up past the tree line for spectacular views of Hood Canal, the Olympics, and the distant Cascade Range.

Olympic National Park Trails

Stretch your legs and re-energize! Over a dozen well-maintained trails at Staircase and Hamma Hamma entice hikers and backpackers to don hiking boots and explore the remote valleys and ridgelines of Olympic National Park throughout much of the year. Old growth forest, pristine meadows, wildflowers and mountain critters such as marmot and bear make up the rich flora and fauna found along these rugged trails.

The links below provide trail descriptions, current conditions, and directions to the trailheads:

North Fork Skokomish River Trail

Wagon Wheel Lake Trail

Home-Sweet-Home Trail

Four Stream Trail

Flapjack Lakes Trail

Gladys Divide Primitive Trail

Black And White Lakes Primitive Trail

Smith Lake Primitive Trail

Six Ridge Primitive Trail

Putvin Primitive Trail

Access to the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park is via U.S. Highway 101 at three main points north of Shelton.

• Turning onto Skokomish Valley Road and then Forest Service Road 23 leads to forestlands, Vance Creek and the South Fork of the Skokomish River.

• Visitors who take State Route 119 near Hoodsport will climb the foothills of the Olympic Mountains toward Lake Cushman and Staircase.

• Forest Service Road 25 two miles north of Eldon provides a route up to campgrounds and trailheads centered around the Hamma Hamma River.

From The Olympic National Park page on our Blog:

Click on a link below to read and add your own comments