Category: Trail

East Fork Quinault Trailhead

East Fork Quinault Trailhead

I recently hiked the first mile or so of the East Fork Quinault Trail, which leaves from near the Graves Creek Campground in the Olympic National Park. I have hiked the trail a number of times, but not as many as the North Fork Quinault Trail. I have never hiked the Graves Creek Trail … for many years the section between Sundown Pass and Six Ridge was very brushy and seldom maintained. It’s a regret I have. It may be a little beyond my current strength level at this point. Oh well.

Even in the beginning of May, people were hiking into the Enchanted Valley, though. This time of year the snow melt turns mountains on the south side of the valley into an astounding collection of waterfalls. The 27 mile (round trip) hike wasn’t in the cards for this spring. But in our short time on the trail, we met a number of backpackers either hiking in or out … and lots of cars parked at the trailhead.

It’s a wonderful trail through a rainforest valley.

East Fork Quinault Trail 1
East Fork Quinault Trail 2
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A Refreshing Break

A Refreshing Break

Any time you have a small (in this case, unnamed) creek crossing the trail, you have an opportunity to enjoy some natural air conditioning. Nothing is finer on a hot summer hike than walking through a cool breeze coming down a stream channel. This was the North Fork Quinault trail at mile 10 or so, in the Olympic National Park.

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Martin Park Lakes

Martins Lake 1

Martins Park is located above the Low Divide between the Elwha and North Fork Quinault Valleys. It is a beautiful area that is protected (somewhat) by the 20 mile or more distance from the trailhead. Above is the view looking south showing Mt Christie and the access trail into the area. Below is another of the lakes (they are collectively called Martins Lakes). Late in the summer, the lakes can provide a very refreshing swimming experience … at least after the water has warmed up some after the snow has melted.

Martins Lake 2
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Trail Shelters

Happy Hollow Shelter

The Olympic National Park has a number of shelters that were built in the 1930’s and later. They don’t get much maintenance and many are in danger of collapse under winter snows. They were originally designed for emergency use, or for those individuals who enjoyed the company of mice. Nowadays, they are just a scenic spot to have lunch … or to camp nearby. The one above is over 26 miles from the Elwha Valley trailhead, just above Chicago Camp … where most folks cross the Elwha and climb up to the Low Divide and drop down to the North Fork Quinault trail.

Trapper Shelter

Trapper Shelter is at 8.5 miles on the North Fork Quinault trail. There hasn’t been legal trapping in the area since the creation of the Olympic National Park in 1938 and the shelter is now just maintained for emergency use (if it gets any maintenance at all).

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Puncheon

Puncheon Trail

The Olympic National Park has some unique challenges for trail maintenance workers. The extremes of rainfall mean that it can be difficult to keep trails from either washing out or becoming deep trenches from the erosion. In some of these places, puncheon is used … often to cross swampy or boggy areas. In this case, the North Fork Quinault trail is climbing enough that the surrounding area isn’t boggy, but the trail would have worn down a ditch … with the trail in the bottom.

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