San Juan Island, Washington

Olympic National Park is built for someone with a week or more to spare for backpacking deep into the heart of the park's endless miles of wilderness. Between the mountains, the coast, and the rainforest, there is a lot of park to see for someone who is trying to fit their visit into an extended ...

The beauty of many of the north coast trails in the Olympic Peninsula is that your car does a lot of the heavy lifting for you.  This is certainly true of the Grand Valley Trail, which begins more than a vertical mile above the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the end of the Obstruction Point Road.  Six...

Badger Valley Trail to Grand Pass Trail Loop Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Port Angeles, Washington.

This versatile trail can adapt to your needs. It's can be an out-and-back hike, so you can make it as long as you like. If you do full distance, you are looking at an 8 mile day... OR, if you have two cars, you can park a car at either end of the trail and make it a 4 mile one-way hike. This des...

To tackle the Wolf Creek Trail, you start by winding up Whiskey Bend Road just outside of Port Angeles, falling the curves and hills of Elwha River. The peaks of the Olympic Mountains stand in the distance.Once you approach a clearing and small parking area, you grab the gear and hit the trail. T...

The Elwha River Trail cuts south into the heart of Olympic National Park along a densely forested valley, following the same route taken by some of the earliest explorers of the Olympic Peninsula at the end of the 19th century. Past Port Angeles, at a hard curve in US-101, take Olympic Hot Sprin...

If you're looking for a long day hike or multi-night backpacking trip in the Olympics, add Royal Lake and Royal Basin to your adventure list!   The first mile of trail along the Dungeness River gains a gentle 300 feet.  When you reach the bridge, do not cross it (the trail across the bridge goes...

Head west from Victoria along Highway 14 past Sooke and Jordan River until you see the Juan De Fuca Marine Trail - China Creek trailhead about 5km past Jordan River on the West Coast Road. Ample signage, parking, and outhouses are available here.The trail taking you to Mystic Beach is just one s...

The trailhead is located right next to the Storm King ranger station adjacent to Lake Crescent right off Hwy 101 just past Port Angeles if heading West. It shares the same trail as, and breaks off left from the Marymere Falls trail (also worth seeing) about a quarter mile in (look for signage). ...

Marymere Falls (90 ft.) is located in Olympic National Park, near Lake Crescent. The falls can be accessed by a short, well-maintained dirt trail through old-growth lowland forest consisting of fir, cedar, hemlock, and alder trees. The creek descends from Aurora Ridge and tumbles over Marymere Fa...

There are four trailheads that guide you to the top of Mount Townsend, but the most popular choice is to begin at the Upper Trailhead Trail #839 (snow permitting).  The trail gradually climbs while traversing through forested area. While walking through the fir and hemlock trees, you pass three ...

Racehorse Creek is broken up into four distinct waterfalls that drop a total of 140ft through a relatively shallow gorge. The first two waterfalls are punchbowl-type falls that have deep holes at their bases. Immediately below the second waterfall, the creek descends rapidly before it arrives at...