Press Expedition Traverse

The original Press Traverse Expedition traveled southbound from the Whiskey Bend trailhead to the Middle Fork Quinault trailhead — this entry outlines a southbound traverse from the Whiskey Bend trailhead to the North Fork Quinault trailhead.

The Olympic Hot Springs road is inaccessible to vehicles due to a washout, but hikers can still access this trail by walking or biking 6.2 miles one-way along the closed road from the Madison Falls parking area. Southbound hikers hoping to avoid the extra 6.2 miles of hiking or biking can begin their southbound journey from the Wolf Creek trailhead at Hurricane Ridge.

The trail from the spacious Whiskey Bend trailhead is soft and well-manicured, taking you through an old-growth forest with access to features like the Goblin's Gate, Rica Canyon, Krause Bottom and the historic Humes Ranch Cabin. 4.1 miles further will take you to Lillian Camp. Rest here and take advantage of the backcountry privies, or consider a short walk down the quiet Lillian River trail.

Enjoy the Elwha River Valley as you walk among giants. This stretch of trail is smooth but infrequently visited, with options to spend the night at Mary's Falls or Canyon camps. Elkhorn Camp offers a backcountry ranger cabin (summer only), a stall for stock and a shelter for hikers (campsites are available closer to the river).

Expect wet, sometimes brushy, sections of trail through the thick of the forest. The trail diverges to the west at Hayes River camp. Until now, you’ve been hiking along the Pacific Northwest Trail. Here, the Pacific Northwest Trail runs west towards Mount Fromme, and much later, Marmot Pass (and much, much later, Glacier National Park).

South of Hayes Camp, the trail teeters between a burn scar to the east and the Elwha to the west. The trail gets brushier from here to the Low Divide; expect brush up to your chest in some seasons, as well as bounties of fruitful mushrooms in the late summer. Chicago Camp offers respite for hikers looking to sleep before climbing the steep, brushy trail to Low Divide. Campsites aren’t obvious here — look for trails bending toward the river to find official tentsites.

Low Divide is where you can expect to start encountering northbound hikers, many of whom might be doing out-and-back treks from the North Fork Quinault trailhead. The Divide itself is a gap between the Olympic Mountains and offers upper-montane meadows and views of the surrounding peaks and walls of the valley. This is the highest elevation of the traverse.

From here, the trail descends all the way to the trailhead, passing Sixteen Mile, Trapper Elip and Wolf Bar camps along the way. You’ll likely spend a lot less time navigating the Press Traverse than the original party, which took around six months to travel across the forest.