It's all in the perspective.
pper Lake Mills Trail leads 0.4 mile from the small roadside to the banks of the , in the . The locale at the river coincides with the exit and termination of , which forms an impassable barrier to travel. It looks like it could be a surviving, partially unmodified fragment of an ancient mountain …
Continue reading “Upper Lake Mills Trail, Olympic Nat’l Park to the base of Rica Canyon“
lwha River Trail is the northern half of the main north-south thoroughfare down the middle of the . It’s 27.7 miles long, begining at the and ending at the junction with the . With the southern North Fork trail, the Elwha forms the main north-south through-route in the Park Sites along the Elwha include Camp …
eyser Valley along with , its best-known locale, form an area at the beginning of the that is popular for day-hiking and easy, laid-back weekend camp-outs. Most people who come here just call the whole area Humes Ranch. It’s a real valley, which much of the Elwha River ‘valley’ is decidely not. There was once …
Continue reading “Geyser Valley, Elwha River, Olympic Nat’l Park day-hiking the Elwha River wilds“
umes Ranch is an old mountain homestead along the in the . Many refer to the general environs and cultural-features complex, as ‘Humes Ranch’, although it’s only one part of it. The homestead dates to around 1900; the had first been entered & traversed by Westerners, less than a decade earlier (by the ). …
Continue reading “Humes Ranch, Elwha River, Olympic Nat’l Park old homestead on the Elwha River“
pper Lake Mills Trailhead is an unimposing pullout on the gravel , a one-lane montane ‘improved goat-trail’ that serves the important and nearby . The pullout serves the , or if it is full use Whiskey Bend at road’s end, and walk a couple of tenths mile back down. The trailhead is a little less …
Continue reading “Upper Lake Mills Trailhead, Olympic Nat’l Park a deceptively minor pullout“
lwha River drains the central and interior , flowing to the north and emptying into the central . It’s a principle watershed on the , of far northwestern . The upstream portion of Elwha is entirely contained within ; it is an important developed tourist destination for the Park, and is a rewarding & diverse …
Continue reading “Elwha River, Olympic Nat’l Park premier lowland recreation in Olympic Nat’l Park“
lk Overlook is the first side-trail and first named attraction one comes to, only about 3/4 mile up the main from the , in the . The intended view is of the meadow, where sometimes folks see the local elk herd feeding or bedded down. It’s worth a lot of dry runs down the hill, …
enchmark Rock is an informal spot about 3/4 mile up the from its beginning at the . The author , in his book , refers to the location as Benchmark Rock, in his Elwha Trail section (pg 40). (Note that historically & culturally, the name of this trail is sometimes seen as Elwha Trail, and …
he is sometimes seen referred to as the Elwha River Road. Locals are not affected … even though they also practice & perpetuate the ambiguous usage. The road that visitors to the and the facilities & recreation along the will be looking for is the Olympic Hot Springs Road. Not the Elwha River Road.
lympic Hot Springs Road leaves at its bridge over the and goes up the valley (south), soon entering the . The junction is about 10 minutes west of . This is the road that leads to popular recreational areas on & around the river, to the , and provides access to various river-valley campgrounds and …