Beautiful hike on a trail starting from the end of the Sol Duc Hot springs road. We went on this hike and up to the high divide last year but only made it to Deer Lake this year. Trail sign says it's a 4 mile hike to the lake and we took almost 5 hours for the round trip.
First .8 miles gets you to the Sol Duc falls..a great short destination in itself. We got there about 10:30 and the sun was streaming through the trees and mist creating a spectacular rainbow. After taking many pictures we crossed the bridge and began our climb. The first 1/2 mile after the bridge is snow free. The last 2 1/2 miles are all SNOW..deep snow, and yes, we fell through in many places. We did have some boot prints to follow but they were very faded and old and were not always reliable making our trip to the lake more like 5 miles? Thanks for whoever put the orange metal squares on a few of the trees...But there were not enough of them..and they always seemed to be on the opposite side of the tree where we couldn't see them so we had many diversions. There were 3 areas where avalanches crossed the trail but no major problem to cross. Made it to the lake and the bridge over the outlet is melted and dry..provided a great picnic spot. All the campsites are in deep snow. The howling wind across the lake was freezing cold so we didn't stay long. We did not continue on the trail around the lake and up the ridge..the snow was very deep and we didn't see any tracks to follow..maybe we were the first to try to go around the lake. We'll be back later this summer and hike further to the ridge and the peak.

My friend Kim and I departed from Bremerton at 4:30 AM and proceeded to the Sol Duc forest for a day hike and some photographic opportunities. It was great being able to bring Kim to this area, because she had never visited it before. On the Sole Duck Road to our parking area, there is some heavy construction going on. There are four portable green/red light set up to move traffic through the single lane road. It was not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

We hit the trail at around 7:00 AM and proceeded along the ever popular and well maintained trail to the Sol Duc Falls. The flow of the river was lower than I can remember. The recent heat wave must have melted off much of the snow in the high country, not to mentioned the lack of rainfall in the past month. These combinations all played a part I suppose in the low flow. When we got to the falls, I considered dropping down to the base of the river for a rare low perspective photograph of the falls, but I decided against this, knowing that we still had some hiking ahead of us. There will be another time!

After passing the entrance to the Lover's Lane Trail, we started climbing up the trail towards out destination of the day; Deer Lakes. It should be noted, there are actually two lakes side by side, although one is much smaller than the main lake. The trail has about a 1600' elevation gain over three miles, so it is not very difficult. The walking conditions however constitute some awareness on each step taken. There are lots of in planted rocks and loose stone as well along the trail. None of which is dangerous in any way (unless you roll an ankle, from not paying attention). There was evidence of some exceptional trail maintenance along the way, including new cedar planks and well placed steps. I suppose these rock steps help remove water from the trail during rainy episodes. In addition, we were moving along the Canyon Creek and we passed several waterfalls along the way. It is always great hearing moving water while hiking! All in all, it was a great hike in an old forest, complete with peekaboo views of the surrounding peaks (all snowless).

Once we got to the lake, we encountered a hard working backcountry trail ranger. We had a pair of loppers and he was just sprucing up the area a bit. We talked briefly and mentioned that neither of us had ever been to the lakes in the past. He explained that a trail goes around the lake and that there were various camp spots as well. He mentioned that there we signs indicating closed off sections to allow a complete re-growth of some vegetation. Kim and I decided to move around the lake and we crossed a footbridge and began looking for a good spot to have lunch. We crossed a small boardwalk that is tilted a bit, but totally safe. The large lake was just gorgeous. There was barely any wind and most importantly---NO BUGS!!!

After snapping a few photographs, we continued around the lake and we came across a way trail that was open for hikers to sit down on the sandy shore amid a few large boulders. Lunch was great and we just rested and enjoyed the views of a perfect weather day in the Olympics! While here, we noticed several groups with large backpacks that were obviously heading up to the ever popular High Divide, Seven Lakes Basin or perhaps, to the start of the reclusive Bailey Range backcountry experience. A goal of mine is to hike into all of these areas and spend some time just exploring the tremendous rugged beauty of this place.

After our rest period and lunch, we continued on around the lake and happened to the much smaller second lake. The waters of this lake were a pure, dark, rich emerald green. There was old blowdown in the lake that could easily be seen in the clear water. It was a really nice area to behold. The one aspect of our time around the lakes was that the entire area was devoid of any litter whatsoever. It was spotless. A couple of years ago, I camped at the Mildred Lakes and although it was a beautiful area, I was stunned to see so much garbage in the designated camp spots and behind the large pillow basalt rocks. Unbelievable, that people do not pack out what they bring in.

There is my rant for the day!

We proceeded back down the trail and we encountered a fair amount of hikers coming up the trail, each was heading to their reserved camp spot on the High Divide. I couldn't help but think that some were really getting a late start, as it was nearly 3:00 PM. All were very friendly and clearly excited about their opportunity to be hiking in the beloved Olympics.

I would highly recommend this hike if you just want to stretch your legs and enjoy a part of the Olympics!

  

As beautiful as ever. We did a one night hike. Hiked to Lunch Lake via Deer Lake first day. Deer Lake always has horse flies the size of small birds. Lunch Lake had tons of mosquitos. Snow started about 1-2 miles past Deer Lake- slow but passable but cleared up not long after. Entry to 7 Lakes was sketchy. Saw a bear in the valley to the west before entering 7 lakes. Encountered 5 goats on trail and was soft charged by one of them, twice. We gave plenty of space but ended up having to use sticks, rocks, yelling, whistle, etc. to get them to let us pass on the trail. The one goat was pretty nasty and harassed other hikers but did not charge. I have been around mountain goats plenty of times, and very close, and never been spooked like this.

On 2 day two we took the recommended short cut through the basin to the high divide trail. Most of it was fine except one part where you hike on an ice slope that was right above a lake. SCARY. The trail disappeared for awhile right before you hit the high divide trail. From the there to Heart Lake was mostly clear except leading into Heart Lake, which was very soft and easy to get through.

Fantastic hike with plenty of people making it through the snow, seemingly without issues. This is my 7th time doing this hike, and I have never seen snow like this!

First time on this hike and it was fantastic! Arrived at 7:45 am and proceeded to Sol Duc falls. It was clear and the sun was just beginning to hit the falls. It was misty and it made for some great photos. Trail only slightly elevated so the average person can make it to the falls. It is just under a mile to the falls. From there head up hill to Deer lake which is 3 miles. The trail is rocky and wet and moderately steep. Bring hiking poles if you can. The view at Deer Lake is spectacular. You have a view of the snow capped mountains from here in the background. From there stay left of the lake and it is another mile or so to the Potholes which are small lakes created by the glaciers. Great photos here as well. Made it there by 11:00 with some breaks. The trail back can be tough on the knees so I highly recommend poles. Total mileage to Potholes is 10 miles roundtrip.