Bailey Range is a major ridge and spine of the core Olympic Mountains, technically beginning from Mount Olympus itself, spiralling north and northwest through the northwest quadrant of Olympic National Park, then tapering & bifurcating beyond into civilian and timberland parts of the Olympic Peninsula. Official trails end at – ‘dare not to enter’ – the main interior Baileys, and (thus) hiking the core Bailey Range Traverse along informal routes is a prize feather in the backpacker’s hat … and its reputation is well-earned.
By far the most common, easiest and best view of the Bailey Range is from the Hurricane Ridge Recreation Area, the premier subalpine tourist spot for Olympic Park. From most points for miles along roads & trails, the north-central Bailey massif dominates the southwest horizon & primary viewscape. Weather permitting. The peaks are 7 miles distant (across the Elwha River valley) with the summits of Mt Olympus peeking over the range from 15 miles.
The major peaks visible from Hurricane include the 3 main mountains that make up the north part of the Range: Mount Carrie, Stephen Peak and Mount Ferry. Secondary peaks include Mount Fitzhenry, Mount Fairchild, Cat Peak and Mount Wilder. Peaks that are not officially names include Ragamuffin and Urchin, Mount Pulitzer, Ragamuffin and Urchin, and Mount Childs. These are all in the core, central portion of the Range, and ignore terrain southwest and north that sometimes is part of the Baileys.
The Bailey Range separates the Hoh River and the Elwha River, and forms large parts of the watersheds both. On the Elwha side, tributaries themselves often form significant watersheds, while on the Hoh side tributaries are mostly short and steep, directly into the valley & river. If it is assumed that the southern Baileys wrap west and connect to Mount Olympus, then Queets River also headwaters on the Range. If the Range extends north, then the Sol Duc River and Bogachiel River are attached drainages.
Physically, geologically, and technically-speaking, the Bailey Range and the fundamental underlying processes and forces that created it plainly do extend north (and northwest and west). The argument for connecting to Mt Olympus in the south is not quite so cut-and-dried and patent, but it certainly isn’t a stretch or ‘exercise’, either. The Range appears to undergo a bifurcation dynamic in the north. It splits at Cat Basin, forming the headwaters of the Sol Duc, and spins off Mount Appleton and its ridge-system, to the right, east. At the same time, the continuing High Divide ridge then splits, forming the underrated Bogachiel streams & ridges.