Distance tracked: 4.8 miles        
Elevation gain tracked: 1,050 feet        
Toilets: 2 at trailhead (no water)        
Hiking time: 2 hours        

We hiked the trail clockwise so we'd end with a slightly more gentle descent and the joy of periodic falls on the second half of the hike. The trail was easy to get to and well marked the entire way, thanks to the fine work of an independent group of volunteers who work to maintain this and many other trails in the area. Not sure I'd call it "low-key," though. There's a pretty long slog of steep elevation gain in the first half of the trail going in this direction, so be prepared for an unchanging, steady hill for about a mile before you reach the high point of the hike!

All water crossings were safe and well thought out. Don't be fooled by the WTA photos with views of a big lake (Cushman, I presume). That's not visible from the main loop trail! It's mostly just shady trees, occasional streams, and big boulders.

Two friends and I set out on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 for a 4 night through hike (finished on Tuesday, Aug. 9) and had a rest day on Sunday. Road conditions were very good (minor pot holes) to the Irely Lake Trailhead as that was our end point. We are leisurely hikers and planned a loop route with easy days to start and longer days at the end.

Day 1 Friday: 2.5 miles from North Fork Quinault Trailhead to Wolf Bar. Follows the river, pretty easy. Beautiful camp site along the river with a fire ring. Plenty of driftwood around for a camp fire.

Day 2 Saturday: 4 miles along North Fork Quinault to Elip Creek camping area. Camped near the creek, could scramble down the rocks to the river. Really beautiful. Spent 2 nights at this site.

Day 3 Sunday: A lovely rest day. My friend saw a black bear across the creek around 9 a.m. My friend just stood up, clapped his hands, and the bear took off. The creek water is refreshingly cool. Did a small hike to Three Prunes Creek bridge. Overnight temps were in the upper 50s, not damp. Day time highs were in the 70s. We were in forest for the Wolf Bar and Elip Creek sections of the hike.

Day 4 Monday: The big day - 7.5 miles with 3000 feet elevation. Headed out at 9:30 a.m., found the Elip Creek Connector which takes you to the Skyline Trail. Several larger, downed trees to navigate. We did lose the trail once going over a collection of downed trees. Something didn't seem right so we turned around and found the trail again pretty easily. Lots of switchbacks and elevation and you come out in a sub-alpine meadow with wild flowers and heather blooming. The meadows were very sunny, no breeze, and it was probably in the mid 80s. There was a creek running in the meadow and we refilled our water. No snow crossings.

Got to the T junction with Skyline and it was another 3 miles to Three Lakes campsite with the saddleback at 4000 feet. We got into camp about 7:30 p.m. with sore shoulders and legs. Three Lakes had lots of mosquitoes. Easily found a dry area to pitch our tents. Nearby creek to get water. Quiet overnight sleep. Very damp morning.

Day 5 Tuesday: 7 miles to the car at Irely Lake. Took 3 hours to hike down to Big Creek. The Big Creek crossing involved navigating logs and rocks. Great spot to rest and have a food/water break. Another 3.5 hours to the car at our leisurely pace, stopping to take packs off, get water, check out the banana slugs, plethora of frogs, occasional garter snake, and incredible old growth trees. Plenty of water sources along the route. We just filled up at Three Lakes and at Big Creek.

This hike was a wonderful mix of following a river bed with lot of ferns and berry bushes, camping along a river, getting elevation into sub-alpine ecosystems, and descending into old growth forest. A beautiful snapshot of the Olympic Peninsula.

The most helpful piece of advice I can give you is start the loop from the RIGHT side - aka don't go over the first bridge past the TH sign! If you start from the right, you get nearly all the views in the first half with gradual switchbacks... the other half is (literally) all downhill if you go this way! If you don't, it is quite the challenge, but there are lots of benches to stop and rest on! It has plenty of parking and amazingly clean bathrooms, although I wish the trailhead was easier to find (I did about .5mi just looking for it).

The condition of this trail is better than any other I have seen in the Olympics or Cascades. It is absolutely pristine; no obstacles, nicely graded, solid new-ish looking bridges, good signage, many benches. Just lovely. 

We parked at little lot right outside campground gate. Bathrooms are clean and stocked. 

Took clockwise loop to overlook of Lake Cushman. We saw a few other people on trail throughout the day and had most of it to ourselves, including lunch from the overlook. Rhodies are beautiful, though past their flowering prime. Heard or saw some lovely birds including Hammond's Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Common Raven. Look forward to my next visit. 

Only 3 cars at the parking lot at 8:30 on a cool misty drizzly 4th of July.  The trees provided adequate cover.  A serene morning hike.

We circled counterclockwise coming down the wider shared trail to Mt. Elinor.  Clockwise might be better to be coming back closer to the sounds of the rushing creeks.  My next trip back will include time near the top of the loop to explore the access trails to the confluence of the creeks.