Hike a short and to-the-point trail to an isolated peak on the fringe of the Olympics. Enjoy views out over glistening Puget Sound, with its ferries and Seattle skyline. But there's more. From Zion's summit follow a ridgeline trail to a series of ledges, a promised land of sweeping views of lofty Mount Townsend and the towering and jagged Gray Wolf Ridge. Make a pilgrimage in June and be rewarded with a kingdom of brilliantly blooming rhodo-dendrons.

On a well-built and well-maintained trail, begin in a mature forest of fir and hemlock. The way is pretty straightforward. The trail angles up the mountain, steeply at times, but never at an insane angle. The way is dry, lined with salal and under a tunnel of rhododendrons. Mount Zion ranks as one of the supreme rhody hikes in the Olympics.

Big blackened snags stand as reminders to the large-scale fires that swept over this corner of the Olympic National Forest many decades ago. After marching up a ridge, the trail sweeps west and then makes a wide sweep back to the east, steadily gaining elevation. Negotiate a short series of switchbacks before skirting a series of basalt ledges.

At 1.8 miles, arrive on the rocky summit. A fire tower perched here until 1975. The sur-rounding forest has slowly been encroaching upon the view, blocking much of what was once a supreme vista. Mount Baker, the San Juan Islands, Puget Sound and the Quim-per Peninsula can still be seen over the tops of tenacious conifers. But for the premiere showing-the promised views-carry on a little farther.

Locate a trail heading southeast from the summit and follow it. Pass a spring that once provided water for the fire-lookout personnel. Continue on good tread and after 0.5 mile of fairly level hiking emerge on a huge outcropping, your portal to panoramic pleasures. Using caution, climb a little onto the open ledge, and then enjoy the view. Mount Townsend dominates the southern horizon, while the rocky high wall of the Gray Wolf Ridge commands the western sky. It's a heavenly view, and what you'd expect from a mountain named Zion.