One of the most heavily hiked trails in the Olympic National Park is the High Divide trail. The High Divide is a section of the ridge between the Sol Duc and Hoh Rivers. Overnight reservation permits are required and get booked up months in advance.
The first section of the High Divide loop follows the Sol Duc River Trail and then heads up along Bridge Creek (which is not easily accessible at most locations). The image above shows the trail climbing from Sol Duc Park to Heart Lake (shown below). I have hiked the trail to Heart Lake several times without continuing along the rest of the High Divide loop. The reasons to do so usually involve weather … or, early in the season) lots of snow left on the ridgeline.
The trail to Heart Lake climbs up into and through some of the finest samples of mountain meadows in the Olympics. (see above) There are many small streams, keeping the flowers well watered and providing a water source for thirsty hikers.
On the return, it is worth the short side trip to Sol Duc Falls (shown below).
What a beautiful trail! I now understand why it’s booked up in advance.
What a great hike that was! Thanks for sharing such beautiful photos, especially the one of Sol Duc falls. It brought back fond memories of when I was there.
Wow!
That’s beautiful hiking country. I can see why it’s so popular.
These images make me long for a walk through the mountains again…. thanks for the story and the photos.
Glad they provided that reaction!