This hike in Olympic National Park is one of our favorites in the state of Washington. It’s a tough slog, but much of the uphill is shaded, and you’ll be rewarded with incredible views of Crescent Lake,the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Canada in the distance. There’s a boulder at the summit that’s highly Instagrammable and frequently used for photos.
Sources seem to agree that the elevation gain is about 2,000 feet, but they differ on the distance. The National Park Service says it’s 1.7 miles to the summit; the Washington Trails Association says 2 miles; and Alltrails says 2.65. These are one-way distances (so double them to get the total mileage), and our best guess is that it’s about 2.25 miles each way, though it’s a steep and strenuous hike.
Note that you don’t need to pay the entrance fee to Olympic National Park to do this hike. You’ll start from the Storm King Ranger Station. Get there early because the parking lot can fill up, even on week days. Follow the trail in front of the ranger station (between the building and the lake) towards Marymere Falls. You’ll go through a tunnel under Highway 101 and continue about a half a mile to a large boulder, where a small sign marks the turn off for Mount Storm King. You’ll take about a 180-degree turn and begin up a series of steep switchbacks.
Keep an eye on the beautiful forest surrounding you as you climb; the trees are almost exclusively pines and firs at the bottom, but after a while you’ll begin to see manzanitas and madronas mixed in. After about half a mile, the trail flattens a bit, but it’s just to fool you; the steep switchbacks start again soon, and you’re not quite halfway there.
Eventually you’ll see a sign indicating that you’ve reached the end of the maintained trail (our guess is that this is the 1.7 mileage used by the National Park Service). Continue on; the trail is still obvious, but it can be slick and exposed, so there will be set ropes you can use to pull yourself along. Finally you’ll crest a rocky a ridge and descend to the ledge that offers the famous vistas.
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