The Olympic National Park opened up the Staircase Rapids Loop Trail on July 8th for the first time since the fire in 2025 devastated the area. The valley of the North Fork Skokomish was one of my favorite locations and I went to take photos of the area on the 8th. Each set of photos shows the same location before and after. Some images aren’t exact matches … but I did as well as I could with the images I had. The Staircase Loop Trail leaves from the Staircase Ranger Station, runs 1 mile (1.6 KM), crosses the river (on a bridge that was protected from the fire) and returns back to the parking lot.
The first set is from an overlook close to the trailhead (but slightly off the trail).
The second set is of the Slate Creek crossing. The wood single stringer bridge is completely gone.
(Note the woman on the left for scale)
It’s a sad sight, Allan. The only compensation is that it will regenerate over time xx
Yes, the regeneration has already started. There’s flowers blooming there now that weren’t there before. There’s lots more light at ground level now.
I agree with Jo. We visited Jasper Park last spring (almost a year after the fire); some areas were completely destroyed but growth was returning. Still, it’s very sad to see.
Mostly now I’m ticked that I can’t hike up the valley to my favorite campsite at Camp Pleasant. It will be years before the trail is open and bridges built and the ranger said that area was devastated. Oh well, not too many years of backpacking left anyway.
Hi Allan, I could have taken sets of pictures like yours after Jasper burned a couple of years ago. The fire burned part of the town, which is still being rebuilt, and went well down the Icefields Parkway, often referred to as one of the world’s most beautiful drives. It was heartbreaking.
Some of those areas look more devastated… although the ranger told me that there were big cedar groves that were just awful … since cedar has oils that have them burn hotter. Hemlocks survived the best since the carry so much water.
Sad to see the destruction.
Indeed. Especially as a result of illegal campfire/fireworks.
It is so sad to see the destruction. I thought Olympic National Park was a rainforest. I am surprised it burned like that.
Actually, the rainforest valleys are on the other side of the mountains. The valley that burned gets a bunch of rain (mostly when I’m hiking there), but not as much as one of the “real” rainforests.
There was a fire in one of the rainforest valleys (the Hoh) this summer, but it only burned 69 acres and hasn’t grown in a month. That was caused by lightning.
Thanks for the clarification.
Wow, I actually expected the damage to be worse… perhaps because I’m used to fires in hotter, drier climates that blacken everything. Still, it’s sad to see the loss of such lush forest.
Indeed. I was expecting worse and thankful for what green is still there.