The gravel road along Lake Cushman is better than it was last year, but still is significantly rough -- drive slow and you'll be fine.  Fly down it and you'll wreck yourself like this other lifted pickup truck that needed a tow this weekend. 

No snow on the trail.  Mosquitos existed at dusk and dawn but weren't a nuisance.  The trail had a few blowdowns to navigate, but nothing that posed more than a momentary hurdle if you have average mobility.

Found the reservation system confusing.  A "walk up" permit apparently means "call the office in Port Angeles."  Thankfully, the helpful ranger let us use his satellite phone to call them and it all worked out.

We arrive at the trailhead about 8am, parking lot was about 1/2 full at that time and bathrooms were well stocked and clean. The North Fork Skokomish trail approaching the turn to Flapjack is wide and well-maintained - easy walking the whole way. Once you turn up towards Flapjack the trail becomes narrower and much steeper. Some trees were down across the trail, but they were fairly easy to navigate around. There were a few campers around the lake, but most sites were still open when we got there shortly before noon. We decided to continue up to Gladys Divide after talking with another group about the conditions. The trail up to Gladys is more overgrown and the snow starts in earnest about half way up. We used spikes and poles, which weren’t strictly necessary but did make it easier. There was a boot path through the snow which made navigation simple. The views from the divide were fantastic! We returned to Flapjack for a quick snack, a swim, and some time to bask in the sun before coming down. More campsites were filled when we returned to the lake. We got back to the car about 9pm. Total mileage 18.69. Fantastic big hike to celebrate the start of summer!

Was lucky that the infamous mudslide on 101 didn't affect my plans this morning. This was a great reminder that I should always check WSDOT alerts before heading out! 

The great news is that the road to Staircase has graduated from its cheese-grater status. Yes, some potholes, but they are minor. The road is in rather pristine condition. The North Fork trail to the Flapjack Lakes Trail junction is excellent. Only one log to climb over. The trail to Flapjack Lakes is kinda a tale of two trails. Before the Madeline Creek crossing, it is flat and quite nice. There were a few blowdowns to manage, ranging from mildly to moderately inconvenient. This was the theme after the creek crossing as well, but the trail steepens and becomes very rocky. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the lakes before I had to turn around, but I was maybe a mile away. I stopped at around 2800 ft, and the trail was still snow-free. Only saw one other person on this trail the whole time.

Once back on the North Fork Trail, I started to see more people. And of course, there is always that one person with a dog, even though the signs CLEARLY state NO PETS. Makes me crazy. Other than that making me kinda grumpy, it was a wonderful, moody day in the enchanted forest. 

Getting in:
Started our hike around 8am, later than expected due to the roads getting in. The Forest Service road was full of potholes that slowed us down to a crawl, but once we entered National Park land it was paved and quick to get in. Only one other car in the parking lot the entire day.

The weather:
Cloudy/foggy all day. All of the views along the hike were obscured because of this (but this was excepted). It started out sprinkling, let up, than began to rain, and briefly snow, as we approached Flapjack Lakes.

The hike:
The first 3.5 miles from the trailhead to the junction were a breeze. Super friendly grade that was easy to hike along. There were a few muddy spots right before the suspension bridge and then there were some immediately after. Because of the rain during the hike and the days prior there were some slippery rocks and running water along the trail that require us to slow down a little more. The views of the river along this portion were beautiful, as we overlooked the greenish-real water the majority of it. There was one tree down along the trail, around 2.5 miles in up to this point.

After 3.5 miles we reached the first major junction for Flapjack Lakes/Black & White Lakes, which would be another 4 miles to the Lakes. We began this portion of the hike and soon came across the switchbacks (7 official switchbacks), which were in good condition. After that we hit the stretch towards Madeline Creek, where we came across some beautiful old footbridges over boggy parts of the trail. We did encounter a fallen tree on one of the bridges but it was easily passable. The trail begins to get steeper and you do come across some eroded sections where you’ll be walking uphill on exposed and slippery rocks. We encountered four more blowdowns to the lakes, two of which we had to walk off trail and around to get past.

After another 3.5 miles (7 total now) you reach the last junction, where you begin a steeper ascent to Flapjack Lakes. The trail isn’t super obvious at first but is relatively easy to find without snow. This last section was only a ½ mile hike but took much longer because we were high enough for there to be snow. There were places where water was running on the trail which made it easy to hike, but in some exposed places there were 2-4 inches of snow. Some portions of this trail had orange flags attached a few feet up in the trees to mark where to go, which was nice when the trail wasn’t incredibly obvious. Microspikes were not needed at any point in the hike.


Photos:
1. One of the footbridges along the trail
2. View of one of the lakes
3. View of some of the visible mountains
4. Falls of Madeline Creek

Long week called for a long Saturday hike to get away from assignments and people and college prep. Did some research on some river valleys I could wander up, and decided on the North Fork of the Skokomish as my best bet.

Got to the trailhead at about 8:10 am. Road in national forest portion on upper end of Lake Cushman is very potholey, but no potholes are more than a foot deep. Just lots of them. Road in national park is beautifully paved as always. When I left the parking lot I was the only car parked in staircase area. Started hike about 8:35 am.

First few miles of trail were what you’d expect from a river valley in the Olympics, steady grade, damp trail, and big trees. Intermittent patches of snow every 20 feet or so become more frequent about 3-4 miles in. Weather was nice, trees were drippy from storm night before though so very wet. Much of the trail for a lot of the day Mother Nature was using as a stream bed instead, which lead to wet shoes. About 5 miles in started to see lots of animal tracks, from my best guesses I saw: elk, black bear, cougar, and raccoon. Saw 5 humans total during the day.

I followed North Fork trail about 7 miles in to Camp Pleasant, when snow became deeper and entirely consistent. Had a pb&j and then turned around. On way back I decided to check out the Flapjack trail, which ascends steep switchbacks for a half mile and then curves around the hillside at a steadier grade. Most of the climb the snow (slush) was intermittent, until 3 miles up the flapjack trail when it became 6 or 7 inches deep. Was running short on time so I turned around at a neat waterfall, about .6 mile shy of the lakes. Will have to return next season.

Final stretches of trail were self explanatory, yet even wetter than the morning as rain had passed through and the slush was even more slushy. For another change of scenery I took the staircase rapids alternate trail across the bridge back to the ranger station, and enjoyed more river views with misty snowy peaks looming above. Got back to truck at 4:25 pm.

Hike was ~21 miles total. 14.2 out and back on north fork trail and 6.5 on flapjack spur. Very moist day on the trail, with a great example of the variability of weather in late fall in the mountains. While not one with show stopping vistas, hike was peaceful, refreshing, yet also exciting (the big game tracks were at least) 🐆🐻🌦️