Trip Reports

  Move this hike to the top 5 of our list of favorites! Started out from whiskey bend about 9 am. sun cascading through the trees casting long shadows that beckoned a beautiful journey. Almost everywhere you look there was serenity in green lush mossy forest.
   Our first stop was at Micheal's cabin perfect spot to mill around and imagine what it was like back in the day. Pressing on through the forest our next point was Hume's ranch much the same as Micheal's cabin but sitting up on a hill overlooking a huge meadow, the meadow where we made our camp for the night.
   After setting up camp we took a short walk up to the suspension bridge, the roar of the mighty Elwah was incredible its milky green water churned to a frothy torrent as it makes its way down the valley. I'm still trying to figure out the 'low clearance' sign on the bridge however, unless your a squatch there is no need to watch your head!
  Back at camp as we were settling in for the evening deer started to appear from the forest, 2, 5, 9, till at least 17 were all around our camp checking us out, munching on some tasty grass... and then...BEAR! Marilee my wife, was a little um... un nerved for a bit as she knows that I can easily out run her ( after tripping her first! ) LOL The bear seemed very un interested in us as he made his way around the meadow looking for what ever bears look for on the tall grass. Marilee had one eye opened as we finally made our way to the tent and enjoyed a star filled night sky. My advice here, bring your bear canister or use the in place bear wires for your grub.
   The next morning I woke to a beautiful mist shrouded meadow and fog filled river valley, Im sure this must be how Geyser valley got its name.
     The hike back to whiskey bend was as enchanting as the hike out, we took the lower path to Goblin gates through Rico canyon. Goblin gates is a site to behold, The Elwah making its turn through this rocky obstacle and on past the area where the dam has been dismantled, breathtaking!
     Folks this is a great Day hike and even better overnight er, don't miss out on this Gem.

9 minutes of video highlights from the hike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxIMbvbuSMs

Wonderful loop hike!

Went from Whiskey Bend Trailhead (road was fine) to Rica Canyon to Goblin Gates to Humes Ranch to the Dodger Point suspension bridge, back to Michael's Cabin and back to trailhead.

The two restored cabins are great and loved the historical info on each door!

There is a lot of mud between Humes Ranch and the suspension bridge, so don't wear sandals. Saw 3 backpackers and a handful of day hikers all day.

After a meeting in Sequim, drove out to ONP & up the narrow & gravelly Whiskey Bend road to hike the Elwha. It was a feast of sunlight: dancing off the rippling river, reflecting off of maples just beginning to turn and twinkling the alder leaves in the late summer afternoon light.

Hiked about 8 miles with spurs, Trailhead to Rica Canyon trail, out to the churning Goblins Gate, down into Krause Bottom, out to Humes Ranch & the Dodger Point Bridge, then back via Michael's Cabin.

Elwha River trail in excellent condition, hard-packed & dry. Rica canyon trail down to the river was a bit narrowed by brush but in good repair. Spur to Goblins Gate was well worth the detour, spurs to the Elk overlook & Krause bottom not so much (no elk to be seen from the former; the latter had several downed trees and really petered out at the end.)

The campsites at Humes meadow were so inviting that I wish I had come prepared to camp and hike further up the Elwha the next day. As it was, hiked out to the excellent Dodger Point suspension bridge to look over the Elwha & contemplate a river that, in the course of two generations, has been dammed and set free again.

Really enjoyed the historical descriptions on the restored Humes homestead cabin and Michael's cabin. This would be an excellent hike for kids--there are so many exciting destinations spaced just one or two miles apart!

Because of our late start we did a shortened version of this hike. When we came to the junction of the Geyser Valley Trail and the Krause Bottom Trail we turned left to return to the Elwha Trail making the loop about 6 miles. In the 0.1 mile spur trail to Goblins Gate we saw several blooming chocolate lilies, small-flowered blue-eyed Mary, 2 paintbrush, tiny yellow monkey-flowers, a Calypso orchid, and spring beauty. Trillium, yellow violets, fawn lilies, sedums, calypso orchids and flowering currant were seen in other areas along the loop. This is such a beautiful and rewarding hike! Because of the variety of wildlife seen one could hike this trail every day and see something different! Today we saw a large deer and a spruce grouse.

Starting out down the trail I almost immediately hear the thumping grouse that may have mistakenly given the Geyser Valley it's name. After about .5 mi I headed down to the right to explore the bottom of the river valley. A short sidetrip to Goblin's Gate is worth the few extra minutes to see the amazing power of the river. I continued along the valley floor to the Hume's cabin site, a great piece of history so nicely cared for. At the cabin I headed back up to the main trail and went right toward the Dodger Point bridge. The trail becomes a bit dicey through a series of major slide areas. There are footpaths that guide you around and safely back to the trail. The bridge is quite impressive crossing the opening of the 'Grand Canyon of the Elwha', my favorite part of the trip. I headed back along the main trail passing another well maintained historic cabin. There were many deer grazing along the trail and a few wildflowers emerging- violets, trillium and a lone fawn lily. There were lots of families out along the trail and I got the sense that this trail is very much loved, and rightfully so.

We hiked the Geyser Valley Loop as described in Craig Romano'd book, "Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula", adding a mile by hiking to a maple bottom from the Humes Ranch Meadow CG area. There is a trail from the bear hanging area which takes you to the Elwha River and a nice campsite where someone was camping. There were many people on the trail on this beautiful, sunny day! There is a washout on the Long Ridge Trail shortly after the junction at 4 miles. It is possible to bypass the washout by climbing a steep and brushy area above, but our time did not allow us to do this. We saw 2 fawn lilies, small Blue-eyed Marys, spring beauty, and trillium. This is one of our favorite loop hikes. The trail was in good condition except for very muddy sections the last 1/2 mile to Humes Ranch.

We hiked this trail as described in Craig Romano's book, "Day Hiking the Olympic Peninsula" adding a few side trips along the way. Below Humes Ranch we turn right at the bear wire and hike to the Elwha through a maple bottom to a good campsite. The maples had lost most of their leaves, but a variety of 'shrooms were seen and the cottonwoods were a brilliant yellow! Upon returning to the trail through the meadow below Humes Ranch we hiked to the river bank with views of the Elwha and the Dodger Point Bridge. The cottonwoods were at their peak color. Because of the washout at Antelope Creek (?) a fairly new trail takes you to the Dodger Point Trail where we turned right to the Dodger Point Bridge. Approaching darkness made us turn back about 1/8 mile before the bridge. Rain began about 3:00 and was a companion the rest of the day. This is one of our favorite fall, winter, and spring hikes because of the variety of flora and fauna and the beauty of the Elwha valley. There were bird's nest fungi in various stages on boards below the porch at Humes Ranch. We were on the trail 8 hours leisurely enjoying and photographing its many beauties!

After setting up camp at the Elwha CG, we drove the Whiskey Bend Road to the TH at 1198 ft. At 1.2 miles we turned right on the Rica Canyon Trail which loses 500 ft in .5 mile. We took the short side trip to Goblins Gate. We saw several cow elk lying and grazing in the meadow of the former Anderson Ranch. Soon a large black bear appeared grazing between the elk and the river! The elk appeared to be more aware of us on the trail across the river than they were of the bear. This was to be the highlight of our week-end! We continued to hike 1.8 miles along the river to Humes Ranch and then another .5 mile to Michael's Cabin which is on the Elwha Trail. From there it is 1.8 miles back to the TH. This is one of our favorite loop hikes and is usually doable year round depending on the snow level. The trails were in good condition except foe a few muddy areas. A variety of flowers were blooming--stonecrop, yellow and purple violets, honeysuckle, vanilla leaf, a few orange paintbrush, and dogwood.

This hike should really be called....
Geyser(less) Valley

Stats:
Miles: 7.8 R/T
Elev.: 600 ft. gain/loss
Fun: 100%

This was my first time on this wonderful hike but it won't be my last !! What a day walking between some old growth fir trees, listening and seeing the wild side of the Elwha River, meandering through a beautiful valley, seeing some history and enjoying great company. Does not get much better than that !!

Our first stop Goblins Gate... This is a very impressive wild side of the Elwha River with a nice rock to sit and enjoy or take pictures.

After leaving Goblins Gate, we headed up Geyser(less) Valley. This is a wonderful stroll along side of the Elwha where we were entertained by the sights and sounds of the river.

We made our way to Humes Ranch and enjoyed our lunch with a bit of history at this peaceful setting.

After lunch we headed through the valley campsites to Dodgers Point and the suspension bridge. We had a little fun on the bridge and then crossed it and went down to the river bank for a nice break.

From here we headed off to Michaels Cabin and for some more history and then finished the loop heading back to the TH.

This is a great hike for anyone including families. Not a lot of elevation gain, lots to see and hear and very peaceful.

Happy Hiking…