Just returned from a 5 day backpack of the Press Expedition traverse beginning at the North Fork Quinalt River trailhead and ending at the Madison Falls Parking area via Whiskey Bend. It was an epic adventure in many ways and more challenging than I expected. With that said, it also was very enjoyable and fulfilling to have walked in the steps of the 1889/90 Press Expedition group, although we did their route in reverse. We encountered very few people during our trip, most of whom were Park Service trail crew.
Here is a description of the route as best I can recall.
Day 1 we hiked from the North Fork Quinalt trailhead to Elip creek camp without much difficulty. The trail was in pretty good shape and the creek crossing just before the camp was a rock hop. Elip camp is not very impressive in my opinion but it does have a water source right next to camp which is helpful. The outhouse is on the other side of the creek from camp which means you are rock hopping back and forth several times. The bear wire is basically non existent there so we had to use para cord to hang our food. A group of trail crew was camped there but no other hikers. Halfway House camp prior to Elip is a prettier camp in the trees but I did not see a nearby water source. About 6.5 miles to Elip Camp today.
Day 2 was a long hard climb up to the top of Low Divide on a fairly decent trail. The trail crew was working on a bridge shortly after Elip Creek, high over a canyon. Crossing the partially constructed bridge high over the canyon was a bit unnerving but the Park Service crew assured us it was safe to cross! Fording the Quinalt River was pretty straightforward and only about knee deep. The climb to Low Divide was fairly gradual but seemed to go on forever. Once we arrived at the divide, the views opened quite a bit. Beautiful and worth the climb! It is pretty boggy up there so the mosquitos were out in force! Bugs were the worst at Low Divide of the whole trip. The campsites at Low Divide are beautiful however and there is an outhouse and bear wire nearby. There were two female rangers at the ranger station there at the divide but no other hikers. Close to 10 miles of hiking today.
Day 3 began with a hike around two lovely lakes before taking an abrupt turn downhill. In some places the trail is rather steep with large steps. Trekking poles were helpful to prevent injury and we were thankful that we did the trip in reverse as this would've been a steep climb coming up the other way! This section of trial is also quite over grown and washed out in some places. Take care when negotiating this section! At the bottom of the hill, approximately 3 miles from Low Divide is the first crossing of the Elwha River just before Chicago Camp. Just to the left of the trail, and marked by pink flagging, is a large bark covered log that spans the river. We used it to cross but getting up onto the log was a pretty tricky requiring a bit of a balancing act on smaller logs! Chicago Camp has all but been wiped out by deadfall trees and debris from winter storms! Looks like a bomb went off! There were a few campsites that were doable if you were desperate. The trail is quite overgrown after Chicago Camp at least head high but it is not difficult to follow the trail even through all the underbrush. We camped at Hayes River which made for a long day. Hayes River is a very nice campsite with an outhouse and bear wire easily accessible. There is also a ranger station there but was not manned at the time. Camp Wilder which we passed before Hayes River is also a nice camp area but it was a bit too early in the day for us to stop. Close to 10 miles to Hayes River today.
Day 4 was by far the easiest and most enjoyable section of the hike with several level sections through beautiful old growth forest. We had two more river crossings both fairly easy and barely knee deep. There were some overgrown sections again but nothing that was difficult or disorienting. We stopped for a lunch break at Elkhorn Camp which would've made a nice overnight camp had it been later in the day. Elkhorn is beautifully situated on the river with meadow and forested campsites. There is also a shelter there. There is quite a climb up onto the ridge just before Lillian Camp which was a surprise to us thinking that we would just be following along the river for this section. We chose to camp at Lillian Camp which is rather small with room for possibly 4-5 tents max. There is an outhouse there but the bear wire has been partially destroyed by a large deadfall tree. You can kinda make it work but better to have a bear canister or your own para cord for this one. About 12 miles of hiking today.
Day 5 had its ups and downs as we passed Humes Ranch, Michael's Cabin, and Goblin Gates. Quick snack break at Whiskey Bend trailhead and then the dirt road hike down to the Elwha Ranger station. There are several ups and downs on the dirt road as well. Then a section of black top road, steep side trail around the road wash out, another mile of black top road and then the parking lot where out shuttled car was waiting. About 12 mies today.
Approximately 50 miles total in 5 days! Epic adventure in near perfect isolation! Go out and do it!!
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