At the end of July 2017, I took a two-week, 240 mile trip across the Olympic Mountains and back. There’s really no quick or simple way to describe the route, but it can be split into five sections:
- Southeast: from Lake Cushman, north through the Skokomish, Duckabush, Quinault, and Dosewallips
- Northeast: from the Dosewallips headwaters over Lost, Cameron, and Grand Passes, over to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, then down to Lake and Port Angeles
- Northwest: from Port Angeles all the way up the Elwha, to the headwaters and Martin’s Park
- Southwest: from the Elwha headwaters across the Queets-Quinault (“Skyline”) Divide, and down to the Quinault confluence
- South: from the Quinault across Six Ridge back to the Skokomish, and south to Lake Cushman
Southeast
- Day 1: Lake Cushman to Nine Stream (North Fork Skokomish Trail)
- Day 2: Nine Stream to White Creek Meadow (North Fork Skokomish, Duckabush, LaCrosse Basin, and O’Neil Pass Trails)
- Day 3: White Pass to Deception Creek (O’Neil Pass, Anderson Glacier, West Fork Dosewallips, and Dosewallips Trails)
Northeast
- Day 4: Deception Creek to Grand Valley (Dosewallips, Lost Pass, Cameron Creek, and Grand Pass Trails)
- Day 5: Grand Valley to Lake Angeles (Grand Pass Trail, Obstruction Point Road, Mount Angeles, and Klahhane Ridge Trails)
- Day 6: Lake Angeles to Port Angeles (Klahanne Ridge Trail, Mt. Angeles Road)
Northwest
- Day 7: Port Angeles to Deception Creek (A Whole Bunch of Roads, Elwha River Trail)
- Day 8: Deception Creek to Camp Wilder (Elwha River Trail)
- Day 9: Camp Wilder to Martin’s Park (Elwha River, Low Divide, and Martin’s Park Trails)
Southwest
- Day 10: Martin’s Park to Lake Beauty (Martin’s Park, Low Divide, and Skyline Ridge Trails)
- Day 11: Lake Beauty to Three Lakes Camp (Skyline Ridge Trail)
- Day 12: Three Lakes Camp to Graves Creek CG (Big Creek Trail, North Shore and Graves Creek Roads)
South
Hi, Alpine. 