We decided to make a loop out of these trails after getting weathered and smoked out of Plans A and B. A bit more research into Plan C may have been warranted, but we skipped that step in favor of confidence in our abilities and a bordering-on-desperate need for an adventure. We decided to make a lollipop, starting at Irely Lake and making a long trek up to the Elip Creek campground, camping two nights at Elip Creek with a side trip on our off day, and taking a short trip back to the car on the North Fork Quinault River trail. Our need for adventure was met and our abilities carried us through, thankfully.
Day One – Irely Lake Trail, Big Creek Trail, Skyline Trail, Elip Creek Trail, Elip Creek Campground. We parked at the North Fork Quinault River ranger station at 9am and walked down the road to the Irely Lake trailhead. We wanted to put our road walk at the beginning of the trip and the parking was ample at both locations. Bathroom at the North Fork Quinault River trailhead was clean and well-stocked. Heading up towards Irely Lake, we encountered some overgrown bushes along the trail and some mud, but also found tons of frogs! There were baby frogs everywhere and lots of larger ones too. Watching them was a fun way to pass the time to the lake and beyond. The trail was a little bit overgrown but easy to follow and in good shape overall. We stopped for a quick look at the lake and kept climbing. There is a large landslide presenting a major obstacle in the trail at the Big Creek crossing (picture two). Coming from the Irely Lake direction, it was challenging for us to figure out how to get around it and we spent a lot of time and energy deciding what to do. The trail is marked with an orange tag, but getting around those trees took some doing. We ended up crossing the river on a log and scrambling over some rocks to get back to the trail. It was sketchy but doable. I think you could climb over / under the trees, but we chose not too because it was so muddy and they were so large. By the time we made it up to Three Lakes we were looking carefully at the map and beginning to question our trip plans. The bugs at Three Lakes were tremendous, so we didn’t spend too much time questioning. We ate a quick lunch and kept walking. Above Three Lakes we connected to the Elip Creek trail and began the traverse towards our campground. The views from the ridge were spectacular and we tried to slow down and enjoy them as much as we could. Descending down the last portion of the Elip Creek trail was challenging, especially after dark. The huckleberries are completely overgrown and cover the trail. Yes, better huckleberries than nettles, but we still lost a lot of time fighting through them and even lost the trail a time or two. We came in to camp exhausted, scraped, and bug bitten at 11:30pm. Total mileage for the day 20.75. Time on the trail 13+ hours. Total elevation for the day 9,664ft. We pitched camp, took a quick dip in the stream, ate dinner and collapsed.
Day Two – Elip Creek Camp, North Fork Quinault River Trail. After a good night’s sleep, we decided to stick with our plans and explore up the North Fork Quinault River Trail. Another camper also told us about a great swimming hole where Elip Creek meets the Quinault River, so we planned to get back in time to check that out. We headed up the trail past the bridge that is damaged on Stalding Creek. We were able to ford the creek easily and spent a little time swimming there too. We continued on past Trappers Camp and found the trail severely overgrown with nettles and other itch producing plants. Thankfully, these did not last too long and the trail climbed easily and steadily into the forest. As the sun got warmer, we continued thinking about that swimming hole and decided to turn around at a nice waterfall after about 4 miles. We got back to the river and spent the afternoon swimming. It was fantastic. Total mileage for the day, 8.67. Total time, 4+ hours. Total elevation, 3,239ft. It was a good recovery day.
Day Three – Elip Creek Camp, North Fork Quinault River Trail. Headed back to the car from camp this morning. The trail was in reasonably good condition throughout. Still some overgrown bushes, but nothing terrible and we made good time to the trailhead. Especially fantastic trees in this section and the mostly downhill grade was a nice change from our previous two days. Total mileage for the day, 7.02. Elevation change, 575ft. Total time, 3+ hours.
All in all, I don’t know that I would have actually changed anything about this trip. Maybe a different route would have provided more balance in the daily mileage. But with these trails as our choice, I think this was a good way to do it if you are able to handle the massive first day. It seemed ridiculous while we were doing it, but the campground at Elip Creek was so pleasant – uncrowded, few bugs, beautiful location, water access, all the good things – I was happy to stay there for two days and have lots of time for swimming on our off day. Highly recommended with all the appropriate cautions.
Comments
Angela Eagle on Skyline, North Fork Quinault River and Halfway House, Big Creek, Elip Creek, Irely Lake
Nice job managing Elip Creek Trail in the dark. We hiked much of your route just a few days later. We started at Irely and had planned to get to 3 Prunes for the night, but our trek up Big Creek Trail was slow with so many fallen trees. We got to 3 Lakes around 5:30 and realized our slow pace, so we opted to stop there. Mosquitoes weren't too bad, but we did wear jackets, pants, and head nets for about an hour at dusk. On day 2, we hiked up to Elip and took it down to the North Fork Quinault River Trail and back to the car. Too bad lower Elip Trail is so awful, because it started out so pretty above the tree line. Big Creek Trail was overgrown, but never so bad to actually lose the trail. Elip had small pines growing on the trail. I hope NPS puts some maintenance into it soon.
Posted by:
Angela Eagle on Aug 22, 2024 04:30 PM