Olympic Mountains Trail Guide. Robert Wood
examples of cartographers’ errors—or, more charitably, variations in designation—can be cited. Heart Lake, near the headwaters of the Duckabush, has been changed to Hart Lake on most maps, and another Heart Lake, on the High Divide, may experience the same fate. Crazy Creek has been moved to the next upstream tributary of the Duckabush. Blizzard Pass on Mount Olympus was incorrectly designated on the 15-minute USGS quadrangle for years, but it is correctly placed in the new 7.5-minute quadrangle. One of the most interesting errors appeared on an early edition of the USGS quadrangle titled Hurricane Hill. The quadrangle showed a trail, labeled Upper Lillian War Trail, climbing from the Elwha Trail to Lost Cabin Mountain. I was not aware of any trail ascending from the Elwha to this peak, and a later version of the map shows the trail following the Lillian River and not going to Lost Cabin Mountain (although both maps indicated the trail started at the same spot on the Elwha Trail). The name had been changed later, on a revised map, to Lillian River Trail. I had been puzzled by the designation of War Trail, thinking perhaps the path had some relationship to a World War II aircraft spotting station, when the truth suddenly dawned upon me—that somewhere along the line a cartographer had mistaken the word way for war. The reference was to a way trail, not a warpath.
In the trail descriptions that follow, I have attempted to be as accurate as possible with regard to place names, and at times have cited the historical basis for using a certain name.
Still another element which can affect the difficulty rating of trails: Is the scheduled hike of a certain trail going to be a day hike or an overnight one? The inference is clear. If it is to be a day hike, where the participants carry only lightweight daypacks, the rating would more likely be in the easy or average class, as opposed to the rating for the same trail if the trip is to be an overnight one with the participants carrying backpacks loaded with overnight gear—including cooking equipment, tent or tarp, and sleeping bags. Obviously, the overnight trip would receive a greater degree of difficulty rating than will the day hike.
When and where to go? This question is often asked, and it is a good one, not to be taken lightly. The simplest, most direct answer is: Go when you feel like going, go where you want to go—provided, that is, that you have the necessary skill and knowledge to attempt the route. If you are strictly a hiker and not trained in the art of climbing, don’t try to scale Mount Olympus; leave it for a later day when your skills have improved. The guidebook writer can make suggestions as to destinations, but they are only that; the final choice is yours. If the description of a trail raises the suspicion in your mind that it may be beyond your skill level, don’t go. Try an easier trail first.
The answer is much the same for when to go. Obviously, summer is a better time than winter to spend on mountain trails. Spring and fall are seasonal transition times, when the weather can quickly change from summer to winter, or vice versa. The weather is therefore the critical factor in determining when to go into the remote backcountry areas. The best times for backpacking trips are summer and fall—especially the delightful Indian summer in the fall, which is usually all too brief. In fact, backpacking is generally restricted by most of its devotees to the summer and fall months. Not many care to go camping during the winter—the nights are too long, the temperature too low, the threat of incoming storms ever present. It just is not the time when most people want to camp out, although some do and apparently find it rewarding. Spring, too, is touch and go. Often in the high country it is no more than a lingering winter, and the snowpack in the Olympics is usually deep at that time of year. Down in the low valleys, the winter’s sometimes heavy accumulation of snow is slow to melt, and the river bottoms usually aren’t compatible with camping out until mid-April or May, although exceptions occur in some years. Above 2500 feet it is still winter in the spring.
As a rule of thumb, if you want to camp out in the winter, limit yourself to areas below 1500 feet elevation. In the spring months you can go as high as you feel inclined to posthole your way up slopes covered with deep snow, being always mindful of the risk of being caught in the path of an avalanche. Think of mid-July as the time to begin your high-country backpacks—from mid-July to late October. And constantly keep the weather in mind. Whenever a severe storm is forecast, don’t go—unless your goal is to experience such a phenomenon. Wait until another day when the weather is benign.
FEES AND REGULATIONS
Since area regulations can change, it is always helpful to check for updates before heading out. See Appendix 2 for contact information and online links to the Olympic National Park area regulations and the park’s road and weather hotline.
Fees: One last matter before we go into the realm of the trail descriptions, which are designed, admittedly, to lure you into the sanctuary of the inner Olympics. Both Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest require user fees. The purpose of these fees is to obtain funds to enable crews to restore eroded trails, rebuild bridges, and remove fallen trees, following years of neglect because of budget cuts. The fees charged by the National Park Service and the US Forest Service are basically the same.
In Olympic National Park, new fees include those for backpacking permits and for parking at most trailheads. The fees for the Olympic National Forest are a set rate to park in the national forest, plus an additional charge if one backpacks into the neighboring national park, which also charges an additional fee per person.
The backcountry fees vary considerably, depending upon the age of the participants, the length of time they intend to spend in the wilderness, and the size of the party, et cetera. For current fees, hikers should contact the national park’s Wilderness Information Center (see Appendix 2).
Participating in one volunteer work party on national forest lands earns a free one-day Northwest Forest Pass. Participating on two work projects earns a second one-day pass. A volunteer can exchange two of these for an annual Northwest Forest Pass, which covers parking on National Forest Service land. Volunteers who accumulate 250 hours in work projects on federal land—national forest and national park—can earn one annual America the Beautiful pass, which covers, among other things, entrance fees at national parks. The Washington Trails Association (WTA) is one of several groups that coordinate volunteer trail maintenance projects within the state. For information on volunteering with the WTA or within Olympic National Park, see Appendix 2.
Food Storage Regulations: Olympic National Park is home to an active black bear population, and secure food storage is the best way to reduce the chances of human-bear conflicts. So be aware: For overnight backcountry trips, the park requires that all food, garbage, and scented items (including toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, lip balm, and toiletries) must be secured from wildlife twenty-four hours a day. These items must be either 1) stored in bear canisters, 2) hung from park “bear wires,” or 3) hung at least 12 feet high and 10 feet out from the nearest tree trunk.
MEASURING MILEAGE
The reader may note that road and trail distances given in this book do not always agree with the official figures adopted by the National Park Service and the US Forest Service. In fact, both agencies revise their official figures from time to time. In addition, the official figures are not always in agreement with the ones posted at trailheads and route intersections, and the trail signs themselves at times conflict with one another. Where the figures in this book differ from the official ones currently in use, it is because I am convinced that the latter are erroneous. I have therefore stated distances that I feel are most reasonable, based not only upon the official figures but also the time required to hike the trails under varying conditions. I have not attempted to run an engineer’s measuring wheel over the trails because I believe the results of wheel measurement— while perhaps of value as a confirmatory aid—are not as accurate as one might suppose, considering all the little ups and downs and other imperfections in the mountain paths, as well as their general roughness, which tend to magnify mechanical errors. A mountain trail is, of course, considerably different from a level, smoothly paved sidewalk in the city.
Use of bear canisters