Well, they’re right to say it’s burly. When you hit the bridge over Madeline Creek, pull out your hiking poles! That last 2-mile stretch is where nearly 2,000 of those 3,050 feet in elevation gain are hiding. I hope Gaia wasn’t counting the number of “Are we there yet??” map checks I did.
Details:
- Road: pavement ends 5 miles from the trailhead, then starts again 4 miles later (National Park entrance). My Honda CRV did fine, but my Civic wouldn’t have made it.
- Bridge: a sign at the trailhead says there's a bridge washed out, 0.57 miles ahead. It's nothing major - easy to cross on a pile of logs, didn't even get my feet wet.
- Trail: wide and flat for 2 miles, gradual slope for 3 more. After the turnoff from the North Fork Skokomish River Trail, and especially after Madeline Creek, it was narrow, rocky, and often partially eroded. Lots of blowdowns, but nothing impassible or perplexing.
- Giants: on I-90 hikes, you often think, “Wow! That’s a huge stump.” On Olympic National Park hikes, those huge stumps are still trees.
- Lakes: pretty views, but a lot of greenish stuff growing in them. I decided not to swim.
- People: Only saw people twice after the turnoff to Flapjack Lakes (sunny Monday hike).
- Snow: tiny bit right before the lakes, and visible above the banks; none to walk on.
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