Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 268

US 101 is the only road that accesses this vast, heavily wooded area. Paved roads pen-
etrate the interior at the Hoh Rain Forest and Lake Quinault but are sometimes washed
out.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
BACKCOUNTRY HIKES IN OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
Many skirt the park's well-trampled edges on easily accessible 'touch the wilder-
ness' hikes. Far fewer plunge into the Olympic's mossy, foggy, roadless interior.
Here are a few ways in.
Seattle Press Expedition Hike
One of the most popular cross-park treks follows the pioneering route taken by
James H Christie, a former Arctic explorer who answered the call of theSeattle
Pressnewspaper in 1889 to 'acquire fame by unveiling the mystery which wraps
the land encircled by the snow-capped Olympic range.' Starting at the Whiskey
Bend trailhead on the Elwha River, the route tracks south and then southwest
through the Elwha and Quinault River valleys to Lake Quinault, covering 44 moder-
ately strenuous miles. Called the Seattle Press Expedition Hike, it commonly takes
walkers five days to complete.
Pacific Coastal Hikes
There are two long-distance beach hikes along Washington's isolated coast. The
most northerly is the 32.7-mile stretch between the Makah Shi Shi trailhead near
Cape Flattery and Rialto Beach near La Push (a shorter 20.2-mile version runs
from Ozette to Rialto Beach), which commonly makes up a moderate five-day,
four-night trek. This hike stays faithfully close to the shoreline, meaning that a
good understanding of tidal charts is imperative. There are 14 campgrounds en
route, eight of which take reservations.
The more southerly hike runs from Third Beach just south of La Push to the Oil
City trailhead at the mouth of the Hoh River. This 17.5-mile route is more precipit-
ous and tougher than the northern route, with the trail ascending and descending
over numerous headlands. As a consequence, fewer people do it. All seven camp-
sites on this segment are first come, first served.
If you are contemplating a trek along the coast, request information from the Na-
tional Park Service ( www.nps.gov/olym ) , buy good maps, learn how to read tide tables
and be prepared for bad weather year-round.
The Scenic Bits
Though the Seattle Press Expedition hike is the Olympics' best-known trek, it isn't
necessarily the park's most scenic. Purists rave about the Enchanted Valley , which