Quinault National Recreational Trail Hike

8.8 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •

We spent a fantastic four days (except for another deer collision :(, and I'll go over that in the last TR ) in the Olympic Peninsula during the Washington Spring Break. We stayed in Forks for our basecamp and so decided to stop along the way in the Lake Quinault area for a hike. We didn't expect much from this area since it's near a populated area that is popular; Lake Quinault Lodge.

The Lake Quinault National Scenic Trail is a network of trails that are tied together and can be hiked in small loops, if desired. We decided to make it into a larger loop, as recommended at the forest service station, and began by walking clockwise and on the road, at first. Our first stop was the worlds tallest Sitka Spruce, and it is EXTREMELY impressive with a 58+ foot circumference! This area was crowded and the kids playing and running around the spruce roots really bothered me, with no restraint from mom and dad. We took pictures and left quickly.

We then headed up towards Gatton Creek Falls. It didn't take long to lose the crowds and we saw very few hikers on the remainder of the trail! I should mention that the amount of old growth in this forest is very impressive and worth seeing. Gatton Creek is beautiful and rugged with plenty of picture opportunities. We then turned left at the trail intersection and headed around a small loop while heading toward Cascade Falls. Cascade Falls is another great photo op! Continuing our hike we went through a small cedar bog where a few wood walkways kept us off the wet ground. Upon arriving at the Willaby Creek Trail, we headed up it a short distance before coming to a long wet log that needed to be traversed. It was quite slippery and my wife didn't feel comfortable, so we turned around and continued our loop. I should mention that the Willaby Creek Trail is quite primitive and not maintained, and I would have liked to gone up its entire short 1.3 mile length.

Continuing the loop we soon intersected the self guided Rain Forest Nature Trail Loop, which would be very nice for a family hike. We then crossed the SWouth Shore Road and hiked up another short road to intersect with the shoreline trail. Great views were had on the shoreline. After 8.8 fairly easy miles we returned to the Quinault Ranger Station where we parked. It was a great first hike on our vacation!