I took a few days off work in order to go hiking with my son up in the Olympic Mountains. We went to a new spot called Grand Lake, which neither of us had visited. It is within the national park and requires a wilderness overnight permit which can be purchased at recreation.gov. The difficult thing about this hike is that it is difficult to get to. If you live in Seattle, you have to travel a significant distance, crossing islands, a ferry, floating bridges, and then an 8 mile dirt road that really should be only traversed with four-wheel-drive. The trail begins high as well, which means you go down, and then have to climb to return to your car. So the most intense exertion is on the way out, and in our case, during the last mile of the hike. Things to think about in retrospect, but it wasn’t clear on the way in. Regardless, the trail was in great shape, and the beauty was just awesome.

You begin at obstruction point making your way along a 6000 foot elevation ridge which is above the tree line. The views are spectacular in every direction. To the south, you can see all the way to Mount Olympus, the highest peak in the Olympics. To the east, layers of ridges appear, some of which look like dragons teeth, reaching up into the sky with snow still filling the creases. To the north, you can see the straight of Juan de Fuca in the distance, and further Vancouver Island in Canada. After less than two miles, the trail begins a steep descent into Grand Valley. Switchbacks take some time and careful steps over lots of rock. Here the wild flowers are plentiful and marmot burrows snake through the trail and surrounding meadows.

We made it down to the lake and set up camp. There are under ten official sites, with a privy and bear wire on site. We set up camp by the lake, and chilled for the rest of the day, enjoying some excellent freeze dried food. I explored a bit finding a deer, a very cool waterfall and wildflowers.

The next day, we slept in and then decided to hike up to Grand Pass and check it out. It was so worth it! The valley stretches out to the south up to a few peaks with ridges connecting them in a bowel shaped beginning of the valley.

The alpine elevations were sparsely populated with life, but they hold their own beauty.

We crossed a few lingering snow patches, and then reached the top. The view was spectacular!

The Olympics are so impressive. The rugged peaks, small glaciers, deep valleys, and easy access make hiking and backpacking a true joy. We saw just a few folks on this hike, and it’s peak summer season! This means we were able to be alone and feel like we were the only humans enjoying this magical place. To the right, we climbed up to the top of the flanking peak, and then could see 360 degrees and feel as if we stood on top of the world.

Yeah… I took a lot of pictures and we stayed up top for an hour, enjoying our lunch and the incredible scenes all around.

We hiked back then, peaceful and contemplative, feeling both a sense of accomplishment and thankfulness.

One of the joys of this hike is the awesome marmots that live and hang out in the meadows up in this region. We laughed and were amazed at their behaviors.

Back at camp, we hung up our hammocks by the waterfall and enjoyed some rest after our day hike.

The next day we chose a different path back to the parking lot, heading north and then through Badger Valley. The middle of the trail passed through mosquito hell… so hard, so many bites. Otherwise the trip was not bad in terms of bugs. I have no pictures from this part of the trip, as I was just trying to make it through as fast as possible.

Then we climbed up and up, passed a few large meadows, and switchbacked all the way up to Obstruction Point where we began our journey.

I loved this hike and it proved far more scenic than I expected, especially with the added hike up the peak above Grand Pass. The flowers were out, and so were the very friendly deer and active marmots. It was a great hike and I would recommend it! Valuable information to know: We went up and down over 4000 feet on this hike. It was an intense workout. The road in is gravel/dirt, room enough for 1 vehicle much of the route, and not for any RV’s or little vehicles with low clearance. Mosquitos were intense at times, but not at high elevations. I guess I would say if you question your vehicle or your fitness level, then choose an easier trip.

You never lose when you head up into the Olympics. I am so thankful for the opportunity and experience, so aware that this world is just a beautiful place.