Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Royal Basin
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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. Hike to a beautiful alpine lake flanked by some of the highest, craggiest snow- and ice-covered peaks in the Olympic Mountains. The trip is long, but much of the way is gentle, through primeval forests and along a crashing, milky creek fed by glaciers high above. Though Royal Lake is popular with backpackers, by day hiking you'll leave less of an impact on both the fragile alpine environment and your body (with less pack weight!). If you're not up for the whole trek, any distance along this de-lightful trail will satisfy your wilderness urges.
Driving Directions:
From the west end of the Hood Canal Bridge, drive State Route 104 to its end and veer north onto US 101. Proceed 16 miles and turn left onto Louella Road (just before reaching the Sequim Bay State Park entrance). In 0.8 mile turn left on Palo Alto Road, continuing for 5.7 miles. Bear right at a junction onto Forest Road 2880. At a fork in the road, continue straight (not left). In another 0.2 mile, turn right on the dirt and gravel road. The road descends and crosses the Dungeness River, passing Dungeness Forks Campground in 0.9 mile. In another 0.8 mile is a junction, where you continue straight (left) on FR 2870. In 2.6 miles bear right at a junction to continue on FR 2870 (formerly called FR 2860). Travel another 4.8 miles, then go straight (not right) at another junction to stay on 2870. In 1.7 miles drive across the bridge to the Upper Dungeness trailhead parking lot on the right. A privy is available. (The road continues to the Tubal Cain Trailhead, 4 miles ahead.) Recent Trip Reports
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Royal Basin
— Nov 10, 2011
— Jerrytas
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Snow on trail
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I headed out to the Olympics today- my legs needed a chance to stretch. Well, 14 miles will do...
I headed out to the Olympics today- my legs needed a chance to stretch. Well, 14 miles will do that. Royal Basin is a beautiful hike, and the lake basin, despite being frozen, was gorgeous. However, I'd have to say this trail is done for the year. You can make it to the meadows/campgrounds at 6.3 miles in, but beyond that there's numerous long patches of solid ice on the trail that make traversing very difficult- I'm not sure how I managed to not fall. And let's face it, if you're coming here, it's probably with the goal of making it to the lake, not the campgrounds.
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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Reached the large parking lot near the trailhead just after 10am. Didn't have trouble getting there: Even though the road...
Reached the large parking lot near the trailhead just after 10am. Didn't have trouble getting there: Even though the road was missing from Google Maps and the DeLorme Gazetteer (2008), Garmin City Navigator (2011.10) had the roads right (for once).
Despite the recent rain, there was no mud on the trail, stream crossings were trivial, and there were no large blowdowns. Encountered only one party on the trail. Noticed a couple more in the trail register, all headed for Camp Handy on the Upper Dungeness trail. Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/eric.jain/RoyalBasinOctober2011 Tracklog: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/123594544
Royal Basin
— Aug 20, 2011
— el tigre
Day hike
Issues:
Mud/Rockslide | Snow on trail | Bugs
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We got a bit lost on the way to the trailhead which made us start later than planned. It's easy...
We got a bit lost on the way to the trailhead which made us start later than planned. It's easy to get lost back on these roads if you haven't been here before.
The trail starts out in beautiful old growth forest and climbs gently for 2-3 miles. Then it hits avalanche chutes and gets quite rocky and exposed for another 2 or so miles before hitting Royal Falls (which you can hear but not see well). From there it steepens again in forest, and in the last mile to the lake there are quite a few mosquitoes. A few snow patches but nothing exposed. The lake itself (at 7 miles per most guidebooks and maps) is a pretty subalpine lake with many pretty campsites (reservations required). A lot of bugs here - bring good spray and some long sleeve clothing. There are tons of fish here - Eastern brook trout per the sign - and fishing for these non-native species is apparently allowed. For Royal Basin, head around the right side of the lake and climb up at least 3 different small headwalls before finally reaching the upper basin right at the foot of Mt Deception and the Needles. there is a gorgeous blue tarn right below the uppermost level. You can see shrunken glaciers on the sides of the peaks here. There is a lot of snow from the Lake to the Basin, and some of it is on slopes but it doesn't feel exposed. There are beautiful meadows from just before the lake up the upper basin. There are lots of mosquitoes from at least 1 mile before Royal Lake all the way up to the Basin. It must be a first hatch because they are really quite bad and even one mile below the lake they mostly disappear. In my opinion this hike is a 5 star hike if you go to the basin. The basin is primordial, and really gorgeous. If you stop at the lake it's a 3 star hike - it's a pretty lake and the first half of the hike (in old growth, along Royal creek) is fantastic, but the second half is hot, exposed, lots of brushy and rocky avalanche slopes, and not a ton of views for about 3 miles. So either backpack to the Lake or start early and do it as a day hike so you can get to the basin. Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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The trail is thawed out all the way to the upper basin with only a couple small patches of snow.
Upper...
The trail is thawed out all the way to the upper basin with only a couple small patches of snow.
Upper Basin has a lot of snow, and several sites are open. You are right in the middle of some impressive peaks on three sides. The route is long and steep for the second half. My friend and I made the hike in 1975 and it seems to have grown a bit longer and steeper after 36 years. As we crested the last pass in growing overcast we meet two guys out roaming the snowfields. They said they had been there in '75 also. We were able to have the place to ourselves the first night. Thursday night the sky cleared and we didn't see a cloud again. According to the WIC, there would be 11 total for Friday night, but only 2 other people actually showed up. Lots of campers down below Saturday and lots more coming in. We wondered where they would all fit. The only problem was the clouds of bugs from morning till dusk. We nominate them as equal to those at Lyman Lake and they made it hard to enjoy ourselves at times. BE PREPARED FOR BUGS. Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Blowdowns | Snow on trail | Bugs
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This was my 2nd hike for Hike-a-Thon 2011 and it didn't disappoint -- long miles, unforgettable scenery. The forest walk...
This was my 2nd hike for Hike-a-Thon 2011 and it didn't disappoint -- long miles, unforgettable scenery. The forest walk is beautiful, the way to the lake is gently graded (though the trail is filled with avalanche debris in 2 places). The wildflowers and mountain views start roughly a little over half-way in. Just a tiny bit of snow on the final stretch up to Royal Lake. Plenty of bugs at the lake, and patchy snow starts as you head to the upper basin. Soon the way becomes mostly snow covered. We were ok with trekking poles but had to use plenty of caution as there are many snow bridges and a LOT of water rushing beneath. We hiked above a mostly frozen tarn near the base of Mount Deception. Wow.
We ran into several backpacking groups heading out as we headed in, but didn't see a soul in the upper basin, and only a few people on our hike out. |
Tents pitched at the Upper Basin below Mt. Deception. Photo by Nostradamus.
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