Arrived at the Staircase Ranger Station at about 7:45am; the road in was fine for all vehicles, only unpaved for a short stretch. We went clockwise, starting by heading over the wooden bridge over the Skokomish. The trail climbs slightly as it follows the rapids upstream, river rushing on the trail's right. The brand new suspension bridge is wonderful, and marks the halfway point I'd guess. The latter half of the trail is less exciting than the first, with little water views but nice none the less. Took my time to take pictures, but even so it took us about 2 hours, maybe a tad more.

This was a great choice for a rainy day hike! Since all of the beautiful scenery was right in front of us, a clear day wasn't necessary to enjoy it, and we can save clear days for the trails with overlooking views, like nearby Mount Rose. We finished the Rapids loop and didn't feel anywhere near finished hiking, so we went right back in and did Four Stream, so in the end, we did the Rapids loop twice. We turned a short sweet trail into a more serious hike, and it was perfect.

not sure why the WTA guide says 4 miles but the Park sign said the loop around the rapids was 1.9 miles beginning at the trailhead. Very doable, flat. lots of good spots for pictures, giant rocks to climb just after the cable bridge just on the south side of the river. awesome hike overall, short and sweet. can also see the views of Mt. Rose and the drive in was great with the views of Lake Cushman. After the hike, took a jump into the lake from the giant boulder - my guess it was around 30ft jump, felt great on a 85 degree day!

Day-hiked this on a weekday at 5pm and saw 2 other groups, not near as crowded as I thought it might be. It is a great hike for beginners, lots of different stuff to see. The campground at the trailhead is pretty nice too. I was a little confused finding the trailhead after I parked as there are no signs for "Staircase Rapids loop" but plenty of marked signs for other trails. Just follow the sign for "Rapids Bridge" and you'll get there. The trail isn't 100% of a loop, it starts and ends at opposite sides of the parking lot about 0.2 miles apart. The first half (if you start by walking UP from the parking lot) is a basic walk through the woods for a mile to the bridge. It's uphill the whole way, but you'll only gain about 300ft elevation. There is one pretty cool dry creek crossing with a nice wooden bridge, thanks park service! At the halfway point is the mini Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge. That area is very nice and has alot of little paths branching out for exploring. The second half is much more scenic, as you walk downhill along the Skokomish River pretty much the whole way. Again, lots of side paths venturing down to the river for better views. Near the end keep an eye out for a sign labeled "Big Cedar". You can't see it going the direction I was on the loop, but was lucky to be given a heads up by another group. I would have totally missed it! It is a very short trail (maybe .1 mile) and leads to an old fallen tree. It's the biggest tree I've ever seen. If you see the bee that chased me all the way back to the main trail, slap him in the face for me please. My GPS said closer to 2 miles than the 4 miles listed on WTA, but who knows. Bugs weren't too bad, on the drive up along Lake Cushman the horseflies were swarming but not biting. Driving up to the trailhead, Lake Cushman has some excellent views, and lots of pull off points on the road. All in all, excellent hike for getting a feel of the Olympics. If you go, consider camping and possibly doing a bigger trail while your there as well!

This was a perfect beginner hike for my friend and her two small children. the trail is very well maintained and extremely popular. Great views of the river and lots of nice spots to let the kids rest and snack! Favorite quote of the day: "Wow!! Everything is made of NATURE!" -teeny little city girl in awe of the outdoors.