Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Big Creek
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. Save this hike for a hot summer day when shaded glens offer respite from the midday rays. Forested all the way, and always within earshot of tumbling water, the Big Creek Trail makes a fine rainy-day hike too. Constructed entirely by volunteers, this relatively new addition to the Olympic National Forest trail inventory is sure to gain in popularity. Utilizing many old roads, the crew put together an interesting loop guaranteed to make you walk away with a better appreciation of the beauty of cascading waters. Start your journey by walking west through the picnic area and to the Big Creek Nature Trail. This trail circles the campground for a 1-mile loop. But you've got bigger plans, so cross Big Creek on a good bridge and come to a junction. Turn left on Trail No. 827.1 and start the big loop. Clockwise is the preferred direction for an easier-on-the-knees descent. On a well-built and well-shaded trail begin ascending above the creek. Mileposts and resting benches grace the way. After 1 mile the grade gets steeper. Mount Washington hovering above can occasionally be seen through gaps in the forest canopy. At 1.7 miles you'll come to a junction. You can continue straight on the loop, or take an interesting side trip dropping to the confluence of Big and Branch Creeks. Here you'll find good lunch rocks among the two tumbling waterways. Continuing on the main loop, soon come to a junction with the Mount Ellinor Trail. This is the long and challenging way to the popular peak. Next comes a scenic crossing of Branch Creek on a good bridge. A few steps ahead and another good bridge is encountered, this one spanning Big Creek above a gorgeous cascade. The loop now begins descending, skirting some big boulders and granting good views of roaring Big Creek. At 2 miles another side trail drops to the confluence of Big and Branch Creeks. Following an old road, the main loop works its way 2 miles back to the campground, but not before spanning scenic Skinwood and No Name Creeks, passing the giant firs that loggers forgot, and catching a glimpse of Mount Ellinor rising above the watershed. At 4 miles this lovely loop ends at the Big Creek Nature Trail. Return to the main trailhead by following the nature trail 0.5 mile in either direction.
Driving Directions:
From Shelton travel north on US 101 for 15 miles to Hoodsport. Turn left (west) onto State Route 119, proceeding 9.3 miles to a T intersection with Forest Road 24. Make a sharp left and immediately turn right into the Big Creek Campground. The trailhead is located near the picnic shelter. Recent Trip Reports
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Big Creek loop has some snow, but it's easily hiked without traction devices. Which I know because I brought both...
Big Creek loop has some snow, but it's easily hiked without traction devices. Which I know because I brought both micro-spikes and snow shoes but needed neither (used the former just on principle). The trail is in great shape, as reported by the Mt. Rose Trail Crew who maintains it. They came out a couple weeks ago to clear downed trees and limbs from the storms but were astounded to find none. I guess one hapless worker walked the entire loop with his unnecessary chainsaw (don't worry, Dave; I won't mention names).
The campground is closed, so you park outside the gate and take the road to the end and past the gate. The TH is on the left. Today based on Joe's post we did the View spur 1 mile up the Ellinor Connector trail. It has a nice view of Lake Cushman, which is very low right now. There is little snow on the hills from this viewpoint; we actually preferred the peek-a-boo views of Ellinor and Washington from the loop trail, but the extra 2 mi. (total) was very pretty and had no other hikers. GPS said total distance 7.5 miles with 1,800' total gain for the loop plus the view spur. A few more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/
Big Creek
— Jan 07, 2012
— happy feet
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I was very impressed with this hike. It was close to home(Olympia) and just what I needed: the woods...
I was very impressed with this hike. It was close to home(Olympia) and just what I needed: the woods and cascading water. The bridges are beautiful and the WTA crew should be congratulated. I also like the option of making this a longer hike by following the Mt Ellinor trail! No snow on trail but a dusting on the trees which added to the beauty... I found the troll! Way to go WTA!
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A couple days before Christmas each year I like to take time for a hike to clear my mind before...
A couple days before Christmas each year I like to take time for a hike to clear my mind before the craziness of Christmas day. I love Christmas. The commercial distractions that come with the season I could do without however. A walk in the woods alone is a great way to refocus and concentrate on what Christmas really means to me. Big creek Loop and venturing on up the Mt. Elinor connector trail is a nice place to do this. The trail was free of snow. Despite the rain we've had the trail wasn't muddy at all. I can't wait for this trail to have snow on it however. The confluence is beautiful in the snow.
Day hike
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Fall foliage
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Parked next to closed gate for Big Creek Campground. Left around 10am, back around 3pm including extra 2 mile...
Parked next to closed gate for Big Creek Campground. Left around 10am, back around 3pm including extra 2 mile roundtrip trail extension to lookout point.
What a beautiful trail! We took the counterclockwise route, suggested in the guidebook. About half the loop trail had an inch or two of snow, the rest was bare with snow along each side. It was cold, but clear today. Just past the end of the first half, just beyond the long bridge across Big Creek, there is a switchback that takes you up a steep, extra 2 mile roundtrip to a spectacular viewpoint (see panorama photo). On this extra section the snow was 4-6 inches deep and we were glad to have climbing approach shoes on to avoid slipping. The viewpoint is a deadend with a bench. Since more wnow is expected for the rest of this week, it would probably be a nice snowshoe trip for the rest of the winter. Day hike
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We had a great hike at Big Creek today! Just 9 miles west of Hoodsport, it was really easy to...
We had a great hike at Big Creek today! Just 9 miles west of Hoodsport, it was really easy to find. We parked at the trailhead & used the restroom before starting the 4 mile loop. The first mile was really easy, but then it started to climb steadily with some steep inclines at parts. The trail was very well maintained. All the bridges were in good repair. We encountered a few folks, but not many. It took us about 3.5 hours to do the complete hike including the extra half mile at the bottom back to our car with about a half hour stop for a picnic lunch. The fall foliage was out as well as the sun, which was quite a surprise since it was pouring rain on our drive in from Olympia. Lots of waterfalls & rushing rivers, truly beautiful scenery. Will have to take the kids back this summer. This would be a great summer hike because of all the shade from the trees.
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Big Creek by Bob & Alex
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