Trip Reports

Get your permit and your bear can and go, it is prime time to hike this Olympic Classic! Trail is in good shape and snow free until just entering the upper basin, then just patchy. Did not go above tarn in upper basin so can't speak to scrambling toward the peaks. Arrowhead Meadow is beautiful and green, no snow, and the creek crossings were easy--lots of snowmelt in last few weeks of warm weather (see JLetts report of 7/01). Trail below lower Royal basin was improved over the weekend by a WTA work party who cut out a number of downed trees and put in some beautiful tread across a very recent, very impressive debris flow.

Many of the woodland plants were still blooming down low, and the open meadows on the way up were starting to burst with color--lots of tall deep purple delphinium and big white cow parsnip in the lower meadows; tiger lilies, columbine, penstemons, paintbrush, lupine, stonecrop, wooly sunflowers and other usual suspects in the higher meadows. Many white bog orchids and small-flowered penstemon in lower Royal Basin. We saw a few elephant heads (Pedicularis groenlandica) in the low wet meadow at the south end of Royal Lake, and this end of the lake was fringed with shooting stars. Up higher, red and white heathers, arnica, woolly pussytoes, Cusick's speedwell, more penstemons, and marsh marigolds.

Yes the bugs were out but we didn't find them too bothersome....but beware of nosy chipmunks at Royal Lake camps :)

Enjoy!

Went up to Royal Lake in the Olympic National Park for a 2 night backpack. The Spring-Manning Guidebook directions to the trailhead are confusing and the mileages are off. I lost more than an hour wandering countless forest service roads searching for the right one. To avoid confusion, take the Palo Alto road (paved) until right before it becomes gravel, at which point there is a forest service sign. Cut off to the right and descend on forest road 2870 to Dungeness Forks campground and head back up. The confusing part is over, now just follow signs for Dungeness area trails and 2870 will intersect with 2860, with a sign at the junction, to take you up to the trailhead. The trail up to the lake is clear and in great shape. Watch for the junction to Royal Basin about 1 mile in, stay right. The first three miles are easy, then fairly strenuous if you are carrying gear for an overnight. The Lake is about 95% melted out, and will probably be totally melted out by the time you read this. I camped at the lake and spent the next day in the upper basin. Patchy snow begins about 0.5 miles from the lake, just around the bend from Shelter Rock and becomes deeper as you ascend. Arrowhead meadows is mostly melted out but the trail was still under snow. The chute that leads to the upper basin is all snow and an ice axe would be advised due to the steepness. Beautiful views from the upper basin. A real rock and ice show up there. Fresh moraines look like they were just deposited yesterday by a glacier. I'd say the upper basin is about 1/3 melted out but easily traversed. Head right (West) to a nice silt choked tarn (about half melted out) on the edge of a series of terminal moraines. A note of caution: There is a ton of water flowing under the snow and there are plenty of snow bridges ready to collapse. I fell into on myself and it could have been a lot worse. Use caution when traveling in this area until the snow is gone. Also, some of the moraines are extremely steep and the nature of the crumbly rock in this area adds to instability. Be sure to bring sunscreen and a camera! Absolutely paradise up there.

The Nostradamuses - Roger and Fernne - and their intrepid partners - Micki and Bill - snared a permit for the Upper Basin of Royal Basin and set off in late July, 2007. Nostradamus had been there before with Kees, arriving via a death-march across Grey Wolf Ridge, 7000 vertical feet in one day. (no tent-it rained of course) This time he decided to enjoy himself, and introduce this deathless paradise to his wife and friends.



The first day was a cake walk-collect the bear cannisters (it takes more than one per couple, as the ranger reminded us later with a touch of sarcasm); find the trailhead; and amble through the magnificent old-growth forest to JUST below the 3500 foot market to camp by Royal Creek. And have a campfire, redolent of Douglas fir and childhood.



The next day a steady ascent to the Upper Basin; the view of the Needles teasing us along, Royal Lake festooned with splashing fish (why did i forget that pole?), and miraculously grabbing the spot next to the central tarn in Royal Basin. Complete with a resident fawn and two gamboling marmots.



On Saturday, we went for the gusto, taking the climbers trail up to the saddle between Deception and Fricaba-its just to the left of the true pass. A bit of an effort for Bill and Micki, who were new to steep scree, a bit of exposure, and a smidgeon of snow. But they pressed on under Nostradamus whip, and made it, with a little help from steps cut in the scree with the ice axe.



Then over the top, and down into deception basin, impossibly steep on the map, but fortunately we weren't climbing on a map. Spectacular to sit below Mt Mystery - climbed earlier that year by the Mystery Men, led by Kees of the Might Plastic Boots (see trip report on WTA) - and hear the gurgle of streams as the flowers arched toward the briefly welcoming sky.



Back to the pass, a little hairy scrambling because of N's feckless lack of leadership, and then a rest at the Pass, while N scrambled up Fricaba - crumbly rock but no great surprises. And then a very tentative climb down on snow to avoid the exposed bits - can't say it was the best of all choices. But we made it.



Out by lunch the next day after an early start. An incomporably beautiful place, and one to add to your ""25 hikes to do before I croak"" list.



Nostradamus and acolytes

Camped in Upper Royal Basin Saturday night June 2. The trail was in good shape, with the exception of several blow-dwons higher up. The trail between Lower Meadows and Royal Lake is pretty well covered in snow, but it's hard to lose the trail. The lake is thawed out and is beautiful. If you intend to hike into Upper Basin, don't count on finding the trail. Upper Basin was spectacular. I scrambled up the unnamed 6960 ft peak to the east of Deception for views of Mt. Mystery and inetrior Olympics. The glissade down was amazing. Deception looked good for skiing still. The daylight lingered forever!

We were fortunate to be on the trail by 8:15 and enjoyed a pleasant hike in cool temperatures, a first for me on this trail. A WTA work party was in the area, but we never ran into them. I suspect they were concentrating on the Dungeness trail.

We arrived at Royal Lake around 11:00 and set our bivy sacks up at a camp on a bluff overlooking the lake. The mosquitoes were there to greet us and provide some hospitality, despite our insistence not to impose.

We brought helmets with us in anticipation of visiting the summit of Deception again, but upon observing the snow-depleted route, decided otherwise. Though the upper basin has about 50% snow coverage, the route up Deception is largely bare talus now. The weather was also somewhat unsettled as clouds engulfed many of the peaks. Though mostly sunny in the lower basin, the upper basin was mostly cloudy and breezy. The ridges appeared to be quite windy.

The clouds crept up the valley in the evening and settled over us. However, by early morning they cleared, revealing an extremely bright moon that actually highlighted the neighboring peaks, much like early-diffused sunlight.

We departed camp at 9:30 and had an uneventful trek out. Despite recent reports of bears in the lower meadows and the avalanche swaths lower down, the only bear we witnessed was several miles down the road.

We spent the weekend exploring Royal Basin. The way is free of snow to the lower meadow with only a few downed trees to negotiate. The campsite in the lower meadow are all dry (well snow free as it was raining on us as we passed through). Intermittent snow between the meadow and Royal Lake. The lake is melted and at least 2 campsites are snowfree including a really nice one on a knoll next to the lake. All of the sites on the S. end of the lake have snow in them although that will change quickly. The composting toilets are melted out and accessible and the ranger tent is up, though no sign of a ranger. We were surprised that we had the lake to ourselves, maybe it was the mix of rain and fog which obscured most views. We did get visited by 1 very mangy deer and some friendly snowshoe hares. On Sunday we made a half-hearted attempt to find and climb Clark Mtn, but failed to find a good route due to lots of snow above the lake.

Side note - kudos to whoever worked on the trail around the meadows and lake to divert water off the trail, its impressive trail-engineering.

And thanks to Wildbirds Unlimited in Gardiner for lending us the bear canister, saving us a trip to Port Angeles (BRFC are required at Royal Lake)

We camped in the lower meadows campground and hiked the next day to the upper basin and the highest ridge. Beautiful weather and vistas!

With a weak high-pressure ridge sliding northeast and bad weather coming in behind it, took off from the Deception Creek TH at 8:30 hoping to beat the clouds to Royal Basin. By the time I reached Royal Lake at 11AM, Mt. Deception was veiled, but the Needles were still visible. Temps were a few degrees above freezing and a nasty wind was blowing. The lake is totally ice-free, but there was an inch to a few inches of snow on the ground around the lake, with some clear spots. A quarter-mile or so below the lake, the Lower Meadow campsite was entirely free of snow, but there was an inch or so of snow on the trail going up the final ridge to the lake itself, plus a few blowdowns. If the forecast warm weather arrives on May 25 and sticks around, the snow near Royal Lake will probably melt by the Memorial Day weekend. Stuck around at the lake just long enough for some food and some photos, and headed back down as a light snow began to fall. On the way down passed several incoming parties, including a group of hardy souls intending to overnight at the lake. A trail repair crew was taking a lunch break well off-trail about midway between the TH and the lake, so could not tell if it was a WTA crew, but the trail was in fine shape from there on down and will no doubt be fine all the way up when the crew is done.

Have enclosed two photos taken from about the midpoint on the east shore of Royal Lake, one looking west at the Needles, the other looking SSW toward the wintry Royal Basin-Deception Basin divide, with Snifter Spire and the eastern flank of Mt. Deception obscured in clouds in the upper right of the photo

An account of this trip cannot begin without making mention of the extremely long drive from the permit office in Port Angeles (or, you may include our starting point in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area). It’s really too bad the Park Service does not make permits more readily available to those outside the Port Angeles area (pronounced user-friendly).

Having only been up to Royal Basin during complete snow cover on an attempted climb of Deception, it was interesting to see some green and what the area looks like under more “normal” conditions. The area is really between seasons right now, with snow mostly melted in the lower basin and awaiting the arrival of wildflowers (columbine, paintbrush, lupine and many more in abundance along trail). The upper basin is still mostly under snow. Bugs are present, but not much of a nuisance. There is also a ranger stationed at Royal Lake who takes his job very seriously.

We set camp in the upper basin atop a knoll at 5,600 feet with grand views of the surrounding peaks as well as the lower basin far below. The upper basin is 95% snow-covered, but is melting fast. The upper lake is just beginning to show signs of thawing.

Our day began with incredibly blue and cloudless skies at around 6:30 am. Shortly after beginning our ascent, a whisper of clouds could be seen overhead. These began to thicken as we reached the upper slopes below the col.

Most of the route up Deception is still on decent quality snow. Despite warnings of its poor condition from the ranger we had an easy time of it, reaching the col in less than an hour.

By the time we reached the col, weather had moved in fast. Across the ridge to the south the clouds were black and a rainstorm was clearly in progress. Clouds were screaming past the summit of Deception. The decision was made to turn around. We ate some food first and noticed that the weather gods had hit the pause button system. Though the clouds were present, it did not appear to be getting any worse. We reversed our decision and headed up.

The route from the col was very straightforward and easy. We quickly found ourselves on the summit with views in every direction. A light sprinkle could be felt. A couple of us pulled our cell phone out to experience a “buzzing” as soon as we turned them on. They sounded like a transistor radio slightly off station. Couple this with Dale’s mustache standing on end and the buzzing of Geoff’s ice ax and we knew it was time to get down! We bailed from the summit quickly, arriving back in camp in about 45 minutes to light and periodic sprinkles. Round trip time for the climb from the upper basin was less than 4 hrs.

As we rested at camp before packing up, the skies cleared to completely sunny skies again! We were beside ourselves. We enjoyed the hot sun beaming down on us for about an hour before packing up and heading out. A couple of miles below Royal Lake we looked back over our shoulder to see the peaks around Royal Basin nearly hidden in thick black clouds. Two miles from the car we began to hear the thunder. What a strange weather day.

Pics will be available soon at www.mountainscenes.com

Don Geyer

Spent three outstanding days in Royal Basin. Camped the first night just outside of the park near the log bridge at Buckhorn Wilderness. Took approximately 5 hrs to hike up to Royal Lake. What a grind! Well worth the effort. We arrived with not a cloud in the sky and did not see one for the next three days. Explored the upper basin climbing up the snow fields and sliding most of the way down. Upper basin was in the process of melting out. Be careful sliding down as there are many opportunities to posthole and many boulders below the surface. Wildflowers are in full bloom. Saw plenty of deer and marmot. No bears save a few tracks on the way up. I was suprised that it was light enough to read by until about 11 pm. I think we were close to a full moon. No hazards to speak of. No bugs at night and all slide areas were passable. All in all a great couple of days in the Olympics. I will definetly be back!

We enjoyed a marvelous trip to Royal Basin. The trail is in great shape with only a few minor blow-downs. A few wildflowers are out, but the real show is yet to come. The foot-logs in the lower meadow are greatly appreciated as well as the trail work done just below the lake. There are a few patches of snow just below the lake and around shelter rock, otherwise the snow is solid above 5150 feet (approx.). Bugs were minimal. I hate to complain but ONP really needs to put in an outhouse (the bear wire I can live without). The park has outhouses in less popular areas, why not Royal Basin? But ONP did make is easy to obtain a permit without going all the way to Port Angeles. (Pay when you make the reservation and the WIC will mail you your permit.) You can also pick up a bear resistant container at the Wild Birds Store on Hwy. 101 near Gardner.

I started out Sunday morning and hiked to the lower meadows and camped. 5.75 miles and 2,100 ft was enough for one day. Monday I hiked up to Royal Lake and then to Shelter Rock. There is no snow until after the lake, then it gets deep but solid. There are several camping sites melted out at the south end of the lake, and two at Shelter Rock. I set up camp at the rock and explored the area. The snow was only an impediment in that it made following a trail impossible, but using my GPS I was able to find my way around. The Needles are awe-inspiring, and it is cool to be surrounded by such craggy peaks. The wildlife was abundant. I saw rabbits, marmots, dozens of deer, a tiny mouse, fish in the lake, but no mosquitos or biting flies. Other than a couple of people hiking out Sunday, and a couple more coming in Tuesday, I saw no one. The trail is in perfect condition with no problems worth mentioning. The Park Service needs to put a toilet and a bear wire there.

Jim couldn’t convince anyone else to come along on our three-day trip to Royal Basin, with a climb of the enigmatic Mt. Mystery on the second day. Jim and I first laid eyes on it last year from the summit of Mt. Deception, and realized that we had to come back to this beautiful area and climb it. Just over one year later, here we were, back for more.

Once we reached Kingston, we headed up to the Olympic National Park Wilderness Information Center in Port Angeles to obtain our backcountry camping permits. Thankfully I made reservations two nights before, as we were some of the last permits issued for the weekend.

Last year, there was a road closure on one of the main approach roads that made finding the trailhead a bit confusing. We managed to find it with the help of a Washington Atlas, however, we didn’t write down our route for future reference. This year, we would have to take a chance that it was open. If it wasn’t, I still had my trusty Washington Atlas.

The signs at the fork told us what we again had feared - the road was still closed. And neither of us remembered which way to go. Stopped at the fork, we got out my atlas, and while we were poring over the pages, a couple in a pickup truck pulled up beside us to see if we needed help, and pointed us in the right direction. Essentially the directions in the Hiking Guide are ok, except there is a minor detour that needs to be followed to get past the closed area. From the Palo Alto Road and Forest Service 28, you will take a right on 2880 toward Dungeness Forks Campground. You’ll go past the campground, join with 2870 at a fork, and follow it to the trailhead.

We hit the trail at the crack of noon (11:30). There were a few black flies and one or two mosquitoes around, but not enough to make us want to put repellant on. I managed to keep my pack weight just under 40 pounds this trip, which isn’t bad for a three day trip (for me anyway).

The trail is in great shape. There are even new foot logs at the few creek crossings. We enjoyed a variety of wildflowers along the way that appear to be at or nearing their peaks. Down in the lower elevations we saw primarily vanilla leaf, and a carpet of bright green moss. However, I also saw a 2.5-foot pinedrops stalk. As we hiked higher in elevation we noted gentian, tiger lily, red columbine, paintbrush, lupine, American bistort, penstemon, thimbleberry, fireweed, and common harebell. The alpine zone was rich with phlox, heather, elephant heads, and monkey flowers in the wetter areas.

On the way up, we met one of the local Park Service Rangers, who had previously attempted to climb Mt. Mystery. He mentioned some exposed 4th class climbing near the summit block that turned him away. He was interested in hearing about our experiences after we climbed it. There was also a Park Service trail crew working on the trail between Royal Lake and the upper basin.

We finally reached upper Royal Basin at 5:00 that afternoon. It was a long nine miles up to our camp spot, but the view was worth the struggle. We had a “personal tarn” near our camp for cooling off and a small stream nearby for water. Jim wasted no time getting the tent out of his pack and situated on the best spot on the flat gravel bar. After the tent was up, we quickly undressed and headed over to the tarn for a quick, refreshing splash to wipe off the trail grime. Tired from the long approach to camp, we turned in shortly after dinner. Sunday would be a long day.

Our Mt. Mystery climb went well. It was a long and tiring day, but worth the effort (See Trailcat’s report). Knowing that we did not have to hike out that night made quite a difference, too. Adding the nine miles to what was already a long day would have just pushed us over the edge, and turned a great, fun, and challenging day into a beat out.

The next morning, instead of taking the time to heat water and enjoy a hot breakfast, we decided to just break camp and get going, since we still had nine miles between us and the car. I wolfed down a granola bar as we broke camp and packed up. It was cloudier than previous mornings, making for a comfortably cool hike out. The clouds began to slowly descend on the peaks as we hiked out, and later, at the Wilderness Information Center, we heard that the forecasters were calling for precipitation that night, with the snow level at about 8,000 feet. Once again, it looked like we timed the climb perfectly.

Unfortunately, with the descending cloud base, we couldn’t see any peaks on our ferry ride back to Edmonds. Whether one can see Mt. Mystery from Seattle will remain a mystery.

The maze of roads getting to the trailhead is probably the hardest part about this trip. Most are not labled and the 100 hikes book is not accurate, nor does it tell about all the roads that branch off. I had planned on camping in the upper basin but when I got to the trailhead I found out it is by reservation now. It had been years since I was up here last and I was unaware of the new changes, so I decided to day trip it. The trail is easy all the way to the upper basin. Flowers and heather are in full bloom and the trail completely snowfree. Even the upper Basin is mostly snowfree. The jagged peaks looked spectacular as I had my eye set on Deception, second highest peak in the Olympics. The gully (route 5 in the Olympics climbing guide) that reaches almost straight up to the summit is the most direct route. It was completely filled with snow and looked steep near the top. Climb the snowfield at the western edge of the NE face until around 6,700 ft, where a band of snow breaks off to the left and connects to the gully, that is the easiest route right now. On the way up I decided not to take the gulley and continued straight up to the ridge, not the easiest way. The snowfield starts to become patchy and the rocks must be climbed in sections. The rock is very poor, loose and covered with dirt and pebbles. I must not have been on route in the guidebook because the climbing was more like class 3-4. I finally reached the ridge after some tricky scrambling and from there the summit is just a walk-up. No summit register !! The entire Cascades were covered in clouds except Baker, Glacier and Rainier, and the Olympics seemed like an island, completely surrounded by clouds but all the peaks visable. The giant flies were all over the summit but mostly left me alone. After laying around for a few hours and getting a little too much sun I decided to head down. Due to the loose rock on the up route I decided to take the snow chute down. The start of the chute was extreemly steep and the snow was a little hard. I slowly made my way down, after several hundred feet the snow chute was interupted by a cliff. It was only around 10 ft but none the less a little tricky. After getting through that it was easy going all the way down, including a standing glissade of around 900 ft. Rockfall is extreemly high on this mountain. I saw several large rockslides during my trip and I was even the cause of one minor one. If going in a group it would be very wise to keep close together and helmets would be a must. On the way out I saw a deer that appeared to have a broked leg. He was right in the trail and barely moved as I had to squeeze by him. I was even able to pet his back as I passed. I felt sorry for him but did not know what I could do, hopefully he will make it. The bugs were almost not even noticeable on the entire trip, in fact I saw more people than bugs. VERY CROWDED PLACE!! Times; 2 1/2 hrs to upper basin; 1 1/2 hrs to summit. Long day and a lot of miles but well worth the effort.

Royal Basin is a glorious place. The scenery and the wildflowers will have you raving! The downside is that a few too many people know about it. You will be happier if you come midweek, and even then don't expect to be alone.

The trail to the basin has been worked on extensively, and is in now in good shape. Some steep grades in the lower Royal Creek Valley are rocky and a bit eroded, but even these sections are not bad considering the rough terrain. Trail work is especially noticeable around Royal Lake, where steep, washed out areas have been bypassed with new tread. Rangers also have tried to rationalize the maze of use trails around the lake. Redundant trails have been blocked off and vegetation restored. Good job folks!

I wish the Snoqualmie District maintained their trails this well. Even the access roads are good. Why can't the MIddle fork Snoqualmie road be as good?

All snow is gone from the Royal Lake area and even the upper basin is readily reached without crossing too much snow. There are quite a few bugs, bring your repellant!

Excellent 14-mi round trip hike with all kinds of variety. Trail starts in deep dark old growth along the aquamarine Dungeness River, climbs up through hemlock & yellow cedar of Royal Creek, passing thru meadows and gnarled silver firs before reaching Royal Lake in Royal Basin at 5100'.

Camping at Royal Lake is excellent, with outstanding mountain scenery, meadows, wildflowers, rushing streams, waterfalls, lake & bogs. Lots of opportunities for rambling among rolling hills of upper basin & scrambling of surrounding peaks. Campsites are very limited though, so strongly recommend reservations through Olympic National Park. Note, they are now recommending bear cannisters for camping in Royal Basin.

Trail conditions were excellent on this trip in early July 2002. Snowline was approx 5500', at the bog in upper basin above Royal Lake. Early wildflowers such as Jeffreys Shooting Star & Avalanche Lilies were just starting to come out at Royal Lake. Mosquitoes were terrible at Royal Lake; worst I have ever experienced in the Olympics.

Note on the drive to the Dungeness Trail there is a road closure. If you look at your map, taking Palo Alto Road from Hwy 101, there is a fork in the road just prior to reaching Dungeness Forks Campground. Used to be you could take either fork, as they rejoined a few miles south. The east fork is now closed, and your only choice is to take the west fork [which passes the campground].

Found the trail to be in excellent condition (judging from parts that were not snow-covered). Patchy snow starts at about 4,200 feet, solid by snow by about 4,800 feet. There are a few trees down over the trail, but nothing of much concern. The first 3/4 or so of the trail is quite easy grade, the last 1/4 rather more difficult.

At the lake, there are just a couple of spots near the shelter rock that are uncovered by snow for camping. The late, cold spring is evident by the large amounts of snow seen on the surrounding peaks, especially Mt. Deception.

Beware of very agressive Whiskey Jacks aka Camp Robbers (Canadian Jays). They will literally swoop down and take the food right out of your hands.

Beautiful spot. Good to get there before the big summertime crowds, even though we got snowed on on Saturday. Sunday was beautiful.

My Friday escape from Seattle was painfully slow due to rush-hour traffic, but I finally arrived at the trailhead of Royal Basin at 10PM. I spent the night in the car and for some odd reason dreamed of whales'

Saturday morning I hit the trail early and started up this beautiful valley. Ever present was the sound of milky white Royal Creek carrying rock dust from glaciers high up on the basin's peaks. The forest floor was carpeted with green moss. I discovered a fragment of a deer skull beside the trail, stripped clean like one you'd find in a biology lab, and remembered the warnings at the trailhead about cougars.

When I arrived at Royal lake the bugs closed in. In my haste to escape the little bastards I took a left at the lake instead of a right. As I pressed on, the trail grew thinner and finally disappeared completely. My USGS map had no trail beyond the lake so I assumed there was none. My goal was to reach the upper basin.

I scrambled over rocks for what seemed to be hours, climbing higher and higher with no sign of a trail, until I reached a little meadow at 6000ft. I set up camp and cooked lunch as I took in the lovely basin and peaks in every direction. Delicious water was available nearby from a brook tumbling down the scree from a shrinking glacier above.

This place is perfect. I was convinced that it could not possibly be any more scenic when I sighted the upper basin 'lake' with its milky tint. It was on the other side of the basin, below and west of where I was camped. I scrambled across to get a closer look. It is worth the trip even just to see this odd natural phenomena. I returned an hour later to hit the sack. On my way back I stepped over impossibly bright hues of green moss clinging to the rocks where snowmelt flowed.

That night, believing I had soaked up all the natural splendor anyone could possibly expect on an overnight trip, I slept like a baby. No whales. My only visitors arrived at 7AM. Three deer (one adult and two very small) playing by the brook from which I had filled my water bottles the night before.

Thanks to the direction of a friendly camper I met near the upper lake I was able to locate the trail and had a much smoother descent.

Make this trip if you can. You'll feel like you've done something very, very good for you.

Royal Basin June 22-23rd. The trip started off not so well with 4hours spend driving around looking for the trailhead. If you have any intentions of going here, don't go by any descriptions older than one year in your guide book. They have rerouted the roads due to the major washout three years ago. No one tells you this when you get your permit, either. The road closed signs don't really mean closed, just that they are working and you may have to wait. The detour signs don't mean anything either unless you are going to the Mt Zion trailhead. I learned all this when I ended up in Quilcene at noon after leaving my house in Auburn at 6am. I am sure I could have won my ""dispute"" with Rachel Ranger if I would have told her I was a postal employee. She may have called the cops however. With that said...... I left the trailhead at 1:30 pm with lot's of sun to light the way. The trail showed evidence of lot's of recent trail work by some experience elf's. There are new turnpikes and drain ditches in the first mile and a half. The rhody's are in full bloom and are gorgeous. There were dogwood/bunchberry, vanilla leaf, shooting stars, violets, and buttercups at the lower end of the trail also. The trail does a study but not difficult climb up to 4000 ft where the way gets steeper and the views are fabulous. It is a wonderful blend of forest, meadows, and avalanche areas all the way to the lake at 6 miles. The views are of huge peaks in every direction. Some are snow spotted, others dry and arid looking. Royal Creek is a wonderful aqua milk color from the glacier powder. It looks like Glacier flavor Gatorade. The larkspur, marigold, paintbrush, lupine, sweetpeas, and arnika are all blooming on the hillsides and in the meadows. At the approximately 4000 ft mark the trail begins to need lot's of work. There are places where the trail is the same as the stream. Some of the trail is 2ft deep and very narrow due to lot's of use. Just before the lake the trail is hard to call a trail for 50ft or more. There is a lot of brushing needed in the meadows. Stinging nettle got me once or twice. There are some tricky creek crossings for sure. One was especially intimidating just below the lake. There are lot's of downed silver fir for bridges. Hint. When I arrived at Royal Lake(5100) there was only one party camped there. I went on up to the basin, another mile and 700ft. Couldn't get across the creek just below the waterfall. Got a boot full of water for my effort so I went back down to the lake to camp. There were marmots playing on the hillside that I would loved to have stayed and watched but it was 7pm by this time and I was tired. Picked a perfect spot right above the lake with a view of the entire lake and the mountains on all sides. Watched the deer walking along the lake across from me. Listened to the woodpecker digging for bugs. At 9:15 I turned in even though it was still light enough to read outside. The forecast for rain had not come true, thank goodness. It had been very warm hiking in at the hottest part of the day however. Awoke about 7am with the sun heating my tent. What a great feeling. When I crawled out the mountains were alive with sun and a very deep blue sky. I took way too many pictures before making coffee. Ran into a huge rabbit on my way to retrieve my food bag. The roar of the waterfall across the valley forced me to go closer for a look. The meadow is lush and the waterfall quite dynamic this time of year. There is a camp nearby but I don't think I could sleep that close to the roar of falling water. The other party left at about 8 and I had the lake to myself the rest of the morning until I left around noon. It was like having paradise to myself. This is a very popular place and I was very lucky. On my way out I met four couples, three climbers, and three single women coming in with backpacks on their backs. There were also about 5 day hikers. I expected rain on the way out but it was cloudy with occasional sun breaks. There were lot's of campers at the 1mile junction with the Dungeness trail when I went back out. Is one mile too far to carry beer' I hope to return to Royal Basin one day soon and explore the surrounding hillsides. It would be great to help with the trail work also. See you on the trail.

I think we've finally made it... The ranger at REI told us to avoid anything above 4000 feet if concerned about snow. Glad we chose to risk it anyway. The hike up to Royal Basin was spectacular. Trail is completely clear and the wild flowers are just beginning to bloom. I would estimate that by June 25-30 they should be in full bloom.

Royal lake is not frozen and ample opportunities for water all along the way. Only saw one other tent at Royal Basin and not another person. It was quite cold at night, so bundle up and it appeared that the weather could get good and nasty if it chose to.

Saw many deer including one that came within 10 feet of us while at camp. Marmots are running around the basin. Beware though. I believe I saw cougar tracks as well as bear tracks. Not too many places to hang food due to some type of tree disease that has weakened the branches. Bear proof container advised.

One final note. The area is controlled by the WIC and only a handful of overnight permits are available. Call ahead and you can make reservations up to 30 days in advance. It appeared there were about 10 different campsites in the basin and we had no problem getting a permit the day before. However the season is quite early.

This hike is absolutely gorgeous. 8000 to 9000 foot peaks surrounding the 5100 foot basin. Hike is 8 miles in and a gradual climb (most of the way). It took us 4.5 hours up and 3.5 hours down. Have fun and enjoy.

MGardens

Trail is in excellent condition all the way to the lake. Use caution on foot logs across streams in meadow below lake. Only a little snow on the trail below the lake, which will be gone in less than a week. The lake is clear of snow and ice; fish are jumping. The meadow and all camp sites are almost completely snow-free. Trail to upper basin is still snow covered, but it should melt quickly. Still lots of snow above 5200 feet. We saw one black bear west of the lake, above the meadow.

After having a planned hiking trip on the north side of Mt. Rainier thwarted by cool and rainy weather, we changed plans to seek out the protection of the Olympic rain shadow and hiked into Royal Basin. As we hit the trail it appeared that our meteorological moxie had paid off as the skies were partly sunny; the clouds having their wet contents wrung from them by the mountains to the west. The clouds however took control again halfway up the trail and intermittent showers commenced. The entire trail up to Royal Basin was in good condition with no obstacles encountered. We were greeted at Shelter Rock by some whistling marmots and set up camp at one of the nearby sites. While it quit raining for the evening, the clouds did not completely clear to reveal the unworldly ridgetops and peaks that enclose Royal Basin. Getting an early start the next morning, my hiking partner Tomas and I were greeted by clear skies. We hiked to the upper basin above Royal Lake and saw numerous marmots, deer, and beaver on the sunny slopes above the green basin floor. Continuing on to the upper, upper basin, we considered hiking to one of the nearby ridgetops to capture a view of the interior Olympics but turned back once we stepped onto a snowfield and discovered it to be frozen solid and slick to boot. Just as well; as we finished exploring the upper, upper basin, the clouds returned to recapture the surrounding peaks and ridgetops. After fueling up on Beanie Weanies and Vienna Sausages, we broke camp and headed back to civilization. After completing the hike, Tomas and I agreed that Royal Basin offers some of the better of the best in the Olympic Mountains.

Once you leave the Upper Dungeness River Trail and head up Royal Creek, you'll find lots of blowdown all the way up to the lake and a real log jam about three miles in. There are patches of snow just as you reach the lower meadows. The footlog across Royal Creek is cracked in the middle and partially submerged. You need to either cross it, partially covered with water and ice, or ford. Once past the footlog, it is continuous snow to the lake, although the meadow to the west of the lake is melting out fast. I camped Friday without having seen anyone on the trail or at the lake. It was cold enough overnight to freeze the water in my water bottle. On the way out Saturday, I only saw eight hikers headed up to the lake for the day.

Started about noon, plenty of
parking this late in the year. Not too steep until about 3800 feet elev. Prepare for a hard climb up to about 4800. The meadow area just before crossing the stream is extremely nice, but one of the logs placed for crossing has fallen into the water, and the second log has NO traction, so I recommend crawling (we did it with our packs on without too much trouble). The last mile or so is pretty tough (Especially when you're in a hurry!) but worth it at the end. Temperature got down just below 30 at the lake during the night. Overall a pretty good trip.

Well, lets just say it wasn’t
our best trip. I was, however, our first opportunity to put on the packs this summer, and unfortunately, our shapes proved it. We started on July 30th, and the weekend promised to be beautiful and not as hot as the past few days. We headed out of Sequim, along Palo Alto Road, and followed the signs to the Dungeness River trail (you can also get there via Louella Road, just south of Sequim Bay State Park, which connects with Palo Alto). We planned to hike the full seven miles to the lake and spend three nights there relaxing and exploring. The trail was dry, although a bit steep in places, especially for the two of us, who have been dragging our tails so far this year. There are a couple of nice camps at about the four mile mark that are on the creek and low enough to still have a campfire. We should have stopped there for the night, but nooooo - we had planned to hike the entire way, and so we continued. Once you come out of the woods, the meadows are fabulous, with many varieties of flowers. We stopped for lunch at the first one, and then hiked the rest of the way, never seeing a soul except for the ranger and a friend, who passed us at about 5½ miles. The last mile was grueling, but at least it was dry. The lower meadow was empty, but has two or three large, flat camps. A tip when crossing the creek - walk on the small lower log facing the big one to use as a support. We found it much easier than trying to balance on the twisted log with a pack on. The campsites at the lake are up in the rocks, so look carefully. The lakeside is closed for revegitaion. Unfortunately, there is not much to see from the tree-sheilded camps, so I would recommend continuing on to the upper meadow (follow the sign to Shelter Rock). From the meadow, you can see the falls, and the lupine smells wonderful. Don’t mistake the giant marmot for a bear cub, as I did. The ranger told us he had never seen a bear at the lake. We did see several deer, and a rabbit apparently made his home under a tree in our camp. The mosquitos were the worst I’ve ever seen (except for one trip to Lake Wenatchee as a kid that I won’t get into here). We planned to fish, but no one at the NP could tell us what the regulations were. Once at the lake, we were told we could keep whatever we caught, as long as we used lures. Since we brought only eggs and marshmallows, we were out of luck. As I was boiling water for dinner, I felt a few raindrops, so we pulled the large piece of light plastic out of our pack and draped it over the tent. The ranger stopped by on his rounds and assured us that the forcast was for great weather. Fifteen minutes after he left, the sky opened up and it rained most of the night. We pulled all our belongings and ourselves under the plastic. Unfortunately, most of the mosquitos joined us. At least we were dry, but Steve kept saying that if I was still alive when when we got back to the car he was going to kill me (the trip was my idea - he chose the trail from several options I presented to him). The next day, after much discussion, we decided we couldn’t take the mosquitos one minute longer, so we packed up and hiked down to one of the campsites at the creek. There, we spent a bug-free, dry night, and most of the next day, before packing up and hiking the rest of the way out. The forest service road to the Dungeness River trailhead was good, but a bit narrow for two cars passing each other. A couple of large Ford pickups tried to run us off the cliff on the way out.

Except for some muddy spots to
cross/jump over, there were no real hassles except one chest-high blowdown, easily ducked under for the average human but definitely more of a challenge for a llama-equipped party that I encountered at that point. (They made it.) Wildflowers are in ample evidence from about the 4-mile mark onward (at least 15 varieties) and in more limited numbers further down. The lower basin provides the best flower show. The only snow to be seen was on the ridges above the upper basin. Once intrepid pair actually crossed the basin and went up into the really high country. The biggest obstacle, no doubt, is other people. Week-enders had really better be prepared for the possibility of both a full parking lot and no open campsites in the high country -- 15-20 parties were either up there on a Friday or headed that way that evening. There are 3-4 lower-elevation campsites that were all still unoccupied as of about 7 PM that evening.

We decided to try this as an
early spring trip and should have thought twice. I'm no expert, so some of this trip was a totally new experience for me. From the trailhead, the rain never let up, leaving a fairly muddy, sloppy trail. As we continued on, we met some late-morning snow with the trail completely covered for sections at times. A few feet of snow remained around 4500-5000 feet and the orange tags were our guide since the weather wasn't cooperating. Soon after this, the snow became deeper and orange tags more scarce. Even with snowshoes it was a difficult trek. As we met freezing rain and hail about 1-2 miles from the top (I think), we decided to turn back and try this trail later in the season. Overall, the trail was easy to follow for the first 3-4 miles and the rest was wet, tiring and frustrating. We did see one set of tracks from a previous hiker who seemed to have made it further.