Tag: North Fork Skokomish

North Fork Skokomish

Lake Cushman and the North Fork Skokomish Valley

The North Fork Skokomish valley (in the distance, left of center, above) is one of my favorite hiking locations in the Olympic National Park … and a frequent subject in this blog. It’s 12.6 miles (20.3 km) hiking from the trailhead at Staircase Campground to First Divide, the pass between the N Fork Skokomish valley and the Duckabush Valley.

Looking Down the North Fork Skokomish Valley

The photo above is looking back down the valley from just below First Divide. My longest day hike ever was to First Divide (back in the mid-90’s). My feet were very tired by the time I got back.

First Divide Trail Marker
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Trail View

Trail View

This is a section of the North Fork Skokomish trail about 5 miles from the trailhead at Staircase Ranger Station at the southeast corner of the Olympic National Park. I have hiked this trail dozens of times and it remains a favorite. This is a particularly nice section of trail … fairly level and dry. This was taken mid-summer … this time of year it’s likely to require snowshoes to get to this point … even though the elevation isn’t very high. The narrow mountain valleys get more snow than the lowlands, even at similar elevations.

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Valley Fog

Valley Fog 1

I really like watching valley fog up in mountain valleys as it changes and moves up the valley. It can be a constantly changing show. This is the North Fork Skokomish in Olympic National Park in November … this time of year (February) this same area can be a challenge to access due to snow.

Valley Fog 2
Valley Fog 3

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North Fork Skokomish Winter Hike

Staircase Rapids, North Fork Skokomish, Olympic National Park

In my last post I talked about a trip we took up the Staircase Rapids Trail along the North Fork Skokomish in Olympic National Park. This was a section of the rapids … where they are not quite so dramatic. But this spot gives a view up valley and the frost was covering the rocks along the bank (needs a close look in the photo). We hiked up to the bridge crossing the river and turned around and hiked back. The image below is taken from the middle of the bridge.

View from the middle of the Staircase Rapids Loop bridge.

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