Griff Creek — Sunday, Apr. 30, 2017

Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast

I did this hike as a part of a WTA work party and had an absolute blast of a time. Heading in, the road leading to the trail head/Elwha Ranger Station was a little torn up at spots but it was nothing any normal car couldn't navigate. Just be mindful of the 1 lane bridge halfway and yield to exiting traffic. The trail head itself begins directly behind the ranger station in a small daisy covered flat. Initially the first .5 mile up isn't too steep. The trail is also in very good condition at this point. We cleared 2 major trees spanning 3 sections of the trail. From there we hiked to the Rock View lookout point at roughly 1800ft, which I highly recommend you stop at. The view from here is truly wonderful. Looking down you can see what remains of the drained Lake Mills and the upper dam. Looking further out you can see the snow-capped ridges of several mountains. After our stop there we hiked another .2 miles up and began more trail work, widening the trail and clearing minor obstructions such as fallen maples, windblown logs and overgrown shrubbery. Then it was time to reach the top. Unfortunately we did not go all the way. Being that it was a WTA work party we had some serious work about .3 miles from the top when we came across 3 more fallen trees on the trail, all roughly 25 inches or more in diameter. After we cleared those it was time to head back down. Be wary of the trek back down and don't be fooled. Your knees and shins will surely feel every step. Bring plenty of water. This trail rises considerably given the fact it's under 3 miles. All in all we had a great time, cleared most of the major diversions and widened the trail in spots. If you're looking for a challenging hike with great views of the entire Elwha river basin this is the trail you want. I hope this helps and have fun if you go!