Trails for everyone, forever

Home Go Hiking Trip Reports Big Creek

Trip Report

Big Creek — Saturday, May. 10, 2025

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

According to rec_gov the campground opens for first come first serve starting May 16th (reservable dates start May 23rd), so you have a few days left to get this one in before the crowds descend. Campground host was already there, and there was also a tent set up in another campground - maybe helping with getting the campground ready for opening?

The gate at the entrance is open, so you can continue on to the day use parking lot inside the campground, allowing for much more parking than in the winter months (though there were still people parked along the road when we got back from our hike).  Vault toilets were reasonably clean (one on the left was much cleaner than the one on the right) and stocked with TP but no hand sanitizer. 

Thank you to the Mount Rose Trail Crew, who always has this trail in tip top shape.  We took the loop CW, heading up to the viewpoint on the way to the Mount Ellinor TH, and found no issues to report.  There was unfortunately a bit of trash left at the viewpoint, so we loaded it up and packed it out.

Flowers blooming included bleeding heart, yellow violet, trillium, vanilla leaf, hooker's fairy-bells, false solomon's seal, western star flowers, red elderberry, a rhododendron, and I think one dogwood but it was too far off trail for me to be certain.

Saw around 15 people on trail. Several dogs, but all were leashed and well behaved.

Gaia clocked the day at ~7.3 miles, +1830 ft gain.

Did you find this trip report helpful?

Comments