Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [311]
High Divide Loop
Up to 20 miles RT. Moderate. Access: Sol Duc Ranger Station.
Like many trails in the park, this one gives you a chance to design your own hike. From the Sol Duc Ranger Station Trailhead, climb a relatively easy wooded .8 mile to Sol Duc Falls and keep going. You can take a leg out to the Seven Lakes Basin Area, where you'll find many campsites (crowded in the summer), or toward Appleton Pass, some 14 miles inland. From Appleton Pass, pass nearby Heart Lake, and begin your climb toward Bogachiel Peak (elevation 5,474 ft.), which presents some of the most breathtaking views in the park. On clear summer days, you can enjoy the wildflowers along the slopes of Bogachiel, the view to the south of the glaciers of Mount Olympus, or the brilliant sunsets on the western Pacific horizon. Continue back down toward Sol Duc Trail through the Deer Lake area, and make the final leg back to the Sol Duc trailhead.
Lover's Lane Loop
6 miles RT. Easy to moderate. Access: Next to site 62 in Sol Duc Campground Loop B.
This trail extends a loop that begins just past Sol Duc Falls. Cross the bridge at the falls and continue around on the trail, which will return you to the resort and campground area after taking you through beautiful spruce groves and fern glades. Portions of the trail are narrow and rocky and can get muddy until things dry out in midsummer. Occasionally, you can spot grouse along the trail.
Marymere Falls
2.2 miles RT. Easy. Access: Storm King Ranger Station.
This is one of the most popular hikes in the park. It's well maintained, sits close to U.S. 101, and has a definite goal: beautiful Marymere Falls. It's a popular trail for kids. Start out on the Barnes Creek Trail, which leads .7 mile through beautiful maples and conifers to the Marymere Trail turnoff. Continue up to the falls, where silvery water drops from a moss-covered outcropping some 100 feet to the basin below.
Mink Lake Trail
5.2 miles RT. Moderate. Access: Opposite end of Sol Duc Resort parking lot from the pools.
This is a long climb up to Mink Lake, where herons are known to pursue an elusive trout or two. In late summer, brilliant buckbean flowers fill the marshy edges of the lake, and huckleberries are abundant.
North Fork of the Sol Duc
2.4 miles RT. Moderate. Access: North Fork Trailhead, 3¾ miles down Sol Duc Rd. away from the resort. On this trail, you climb the ridge between the main and north forks of the river before descending into the North Fork Valley. The trail passes through old-growth forests before arriving at the deep-green pools of the river. The curious can venture upriver for several more miles.
Sol Duc Falls
1.7 miles RT. Easy. Access: Sol Duc Ranger Station.
One of the more popular spots on the peninsula, beautiful Sol Duc Falls is viewed from a bridge that spans the canyon just below the falls. On the way, check out the huge hemlocks and Douglas firs, some of which are 300 years old. This trail is wide, graveled, and level, making it great for kids.
Spruce Railroad
8 miles RT. Easy. Access: 4 miles from Fairholme Campground, at end of North Shore Rd. along Lake Crescent.
This is the trail you want to take for a leisurely stroll on a hot summer afternoon. The flat, wide trail wanders gently around the unbelievably blue-green, glacial-fed waters of Crescent Lake, along an old stretch of abandoned railroad. Weather permitting, clamber down the bank and go for a swim, or simply enjoy the views of Mount Storm King. There are two abandoned railroad tunnels (don't go in!) and a much-photographed arch bridge at Devil's Point.
HURRICANE RIDGE AREA
Cirque Rim Trail & Big Meadow Loops
.5 mile and .25 mile RT. Easy. Access: Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center parking lot.