Happy Lake Ridge Trailhead, Olympic Nat’l Park a well-made pullout, hidden in glare of famous neighbor

Pullout trailhead for Happy Lake Ridge Trail
Pullout trailhead for Happy Lake Ridge Trail

Happy Lake Ridge Trailhead is a roomy pullout along the upper Olympic Hot Springs Road.  It’s a shy mile beyond the Observation Point lookout, and a couple miles before the end of the road at Boulder Creek Trailhead.  It is at 1,700′, up the northern side of Boulder Creek canyon some 650′. Traffic is usually light; the main useage being folks using the trailhead at the end.  A good spot to stop and look around, without being committed to the almost 3,000′ climb of Happy Lake Ridge Trail.

Happy Lake Ridge Trailhead sign
Happy Lake Ridge Trailhead sign

If this slope was not forested, it would have big views across Boulder; the bottom eastern end of Cat Ridge in the low foreground, and with short hikes up the trail, Mount Fitzhenry and Mount Carrie in the mid-ground.  As the road goes up-country, Cat Ridge gets higher  and eventually takes over the view south.  There are useful gaps in the tree-cover.  And if the slope wasn’t forested, it would be somewhat scary.

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