Deer Lake, Sol Duc Falls — Thursday, Jul. 1, 2021

A very nice day hike to Deer Lake! The Sol Duc Falls trail head was surprisingly quiet when we set out at 10:30am, though there was still a number of people admiring the falls. The hike to Sol Duc Falls is very easy, with a very well maintained trail. We continued on up the trail to Deer Lake- the approx. 1700 feet of elevation gain over 3 miles was moderate at worst with excellently designed switch backs. This trail is one of the best maintained trails I have hiked in recent memory! Deer lake is relatively small but surrounded by pleasant meadows and views of the high ridge above- we did not continue above the lake but it appeared that snow started not much higher than the lake itself. Saw a doe and her fawn grazing along the edge of the lake which was a nice addition to the day! Lots of people at the falls in the early afternoon.