Mount Jupiter — Saturday, May. 2, 2015

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Previous reports mentioned a road closure at 3 miles onto Mount Jupiter Road, but I think that's because Mount Jupiter Road is closed for the winter. As of May 2nd 2015 it was open all the way to the trailhead. I tackled Mount Jupiter Road in a 15-year-old Saturn 2WD sedan, but it was slow going. I would have liked a SUV/truck with a little higher clearance and/or 4WD AWD for Mount Jupiter Road. As for the trail - it's a total gem. I wish I'd known about it years ago, and I'll definitely be back. We camped out the night before down the road at Dosewallips Campground, which was nice. Leaving at 9 we got to the trailhead at around 9:45, getting back at 6pm. The trail is gentle to moderate for most of the way until about the last mile, which is pretty strenuous. The views from the top are totally worth it, though, and we only ran into one other gentleman the entire day. Cell and GPS coverage are spotty along Mount Jupiter Road and along the trail, so bring a map of Mount Jupiter Road and the trail. We used this one: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/olympic/recarea/?recid=47883