Olympic National Park

[+-Eleanor-]

I will be in Seattle next week and was checking out the local caches. I was curious if anyone had any information on the condition of the trails at The Olympic National Park. We would love to do some of the higher terrain caches, but don't want to make the 2 hour drive over there if they're unattainable right now. Any information, or suggestions of "must find" caches would be greatly appreciated.

Edited January 3, 2007 by -Eleanor-

[+huskerrich2000]

let's see, right below you is a thread about snow at sea level in Seattle, we all know about the plight of hikers on Mount Hood and the wilderness of southern oregon. I would say that the Pac NW is having a banner year for snow, Plan on Toledo like caching.

[+MissJenn]

We would love to do some of the higher terrain caches

Tell us more of what you mean.

I know that moving to WA from PA, I learned that folks mean different things with those same words.

 

Here is one thread that likely has info in it you could use. Timing might not be right, but who knows.

 

This cache and those around it might be what you want, and although not in the Olympics, it's a nice hike with a (lower) peak and a view. Other people around here can suggest many others.

[+Criminal]

There are several in the National Forest, but none in the ONP that I'm aware of.

Edited January 3, 2007 by Criminal

[+Prying Pandora]

Don't forget that caches are not allowed in National Parks so there wouldn't be anything but virtuals in Olympic National Park. Not sure if its doable right now, but you should consider the A.P.E. cache. It's a pretty good hike up from Asahel Curtis since the tunnel is closed in winter. You'll get a coveted cache icon for it.

[+-Eleanor-]

Ok, sorry for the confusion. When I was looking at the area in Google maps, it showed it as Olympic National Park. Now when I look at the geocaching google maps, it shows them separate. Thanks for the clarification .

 

Initially I was looking at ones like Elk Lake Trail. Where it's not a long hike, but a tough one. We were hoping to avoid any good amount of snow, don't want to have to pack too many extra clothes.

 

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

[+Criminal]

Ok, sorry for the confusion. When I was looking at the area in Google maps, it showed it as Olympic National Park. Now when I look at the geocaching google maps, it shows them separate. Thanks for the clarification .

 

Initially I was looking at ones like Elk Lake Trail.

To get to those two caches you'll have to cross a couple washed out sections and one VERY steep washout on the old FS road. When we placed them we had to gouge foot-holds in the slide to make it across. The drop is prolly close to 100', or so it seemed. That last crossing was treacherous without the snow; with the snow it might be good to pack some rope and maybe a body bag.

[+W7WT]

I have a Virtual at Hurricane Ridge that is certainly one of the better virtual locations in the country. This is above Port Angeles. Right now the road is open and you can drive to the cache. Perfect place for some

snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. There is also a rope tow for down hill and snow boarding. There are days when the weather conditions match the name. Stop at the ranger station for conditions. This is in a National Park so be aware unless you are an old man like me there is an entrance fee. Last I knew it was $10. So if you are in the area go visit GC9C5F "High on a Windy Hill" Dick, W7WT

[+Allanon]

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

I've not done the hike from the non-tunnel side, but it is doable in the snow (I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in) and it really shouldn't be missed if you are interested...who knows, you might even find a few local crazy people that might want to go with you...

[+WeightMan]

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

I've not done the hike from the non-tunnel side, but it is doable in the snow (I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in) and it really shouldn't be missed if you are interested...who knows, you might even find a few local crazy people that might want to go with you...

I did that hike, but in the summer time. I have heard that, depending on snow conditions, it may be best done with snowshoes. Others might want to respond to that part of it.

 

The first part is a pretty good uphill, with lots of rocks and roots in the trail. That should be easier in the snow. Be careful. The first thing you come to looks like it might be the Iron Horse Trail, but it isn't. The Iron Horse Trail is fairly wide and suitable for groups on bicycles. The first crossing is an old road that peters out to the west. There is a nice bridge over the creek on the proper trail.

[+Half-Canadian]

I have a Virtual at Hurricane Ridge that is certainly one of the better virtual locations in the country. This is above Port Angeles..... This is in a National Park so be aware unless you are an old man like me there is an entrance fee. Last I knew it was $10. Dick, W7WT

 

Dick,

When I went up there to do your virtual last summer, the fee was $20.00 -- and that was US greenbacks, not Canuck Bucks

[+W7WT]

I have a Virtual at Hurricane Ridge that is certainly one of the better virtual locations in the country. This is above Port Angeles..... This is in a National Park so be aware unless you are an old man like me there is an entrance fee. Last I knew it was $10. Dick, W7WT

 

Dick,

When I went up there to do your virtual last summer, the fee was $20.00 -- and that was US greenbacks, not Canuck Bucks

 

WoW, I have had a Golden Pass Card for so long I didn't realize it was that high. No wonder you were in shock when you had to pay $20 to get the cache. Thanks for the information. I wonder if that is the standard price for all the National Parks. I will have to do a google and find out. Dick Yes, at least at Yellowstone it is $20. I was thru there last summer and they gave me a new Golden Age Passport. I guess some of roads like the BlueRidge Parkway and Naches Trace are free. Thanks

Edited January 4, 2007 by W7WT

[Team Misguided]

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

I've not done the hike from the non-tunnel side, but it is doable in the snow (I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in) and it really shouldn't be missed if you are interested...who knows, you might even find a few local crazy people that might want to go with you...

 

Basically if you get to the Annette Lake Trail head, big emphasis on IF and there is snow in the parking lot you can expect that the cache will be under about 4 feet of snow. A good judge would be to drive to the east side of the tunnel parking lot near Hyak and see what the snow level is there, that is about the same elevation and should give you an idea of the snow level. I don't think it will be accessible anytime soon with all the rain/snow we've been getting.

[luckykoi]

I have a Virtual at Hurricane Ridge that is certainly one of the better virtual locations in the country. This is above Port Angeles..... This is in a National Park so be aware unless you are an old man like me there is an entrance fee. Last I knew it was $10. Dick, W7WT

 

Dick,

When I went up there to do your virtual last summer, the fee was $20.00 -- and that was US greenbacks, not Canuck Bucks

 

WoW, I have had a Golden Pass Card for so long I didn't realize it was that high. No wonder you were in shock when you had to pay $20 to get the cache. Thanks for the information. I wonder if that is the standard price for all the National Parks. I will have to do a google and find out. Dick Yes, at least at Yellowstone it is $20. I was thru there last summer and they gave me a new Golden Age Passport. I guess some of roads like the BlueRidge Parkway and Naches Trace are free. Thanks

 

$20.00 is more like a start ing price to get into National Parks now some are higher priced!

[luckykoi]

duplicate posts the editor has gone crazy..

Edited January 4, 2007 by luckykoi

[luckykoi]

I will be in Seattle next week and was checking out the local caches. I was curious if anyone had any information on the condition of the trails at The Olympic National Park. We would love to do some of the higher terrain caches, but don't want to make the 2 hour drive over there if they're unattainable right now. Any information, or suggestions of "must find" caches would be greatly appreciated.

 

Unfortunately access to many ONP areas is closed, the following are currently closed due to washouts: Queets, Hoh and Dosewallips. Staircase is closed due to fire damage to the road this summer. Hurricane Ridge is only open on the weekends. The Quinault area trails even in the lowlands are tough in the winter with the rivers being unbridged.

 

I was going to say you could try the Elwah river trail for some lowland hiking but the Whiskey Bend Road is closed due to land slides.

 

All the higher peaks are covered in snow.

 

Trail conditions for ONP are listed at : http://www.nps.gov/archive/olym/wic/conditions.htm but are often quite outdated.

 

Mount walker is not in ONP but nearby and has three caches on it. It's a nice hike in the winter, short and steep.

 

Big Creek Campground is in ONF and has two caches.

 

Dosewallips state park has two caches. You can do a road walk to Dosewallips campground (walking around the road washout) in ONP and grab three caches or just drive to the washout and grab one cache right at the washout. Dosewallips road is a good low land "trail" and makes and 11 mile RT hike with only a bit of snow at the end. I was up there last week.

 

For a change of pace you could do what I did today and go up Gold mountain on the Kitsap Penninsula it's about 8.5 miles round trip and has one geocache and one terracache at the top.

Edited January 4, 2007 by luckykoi

[+ironman114]

Ok, sorry for the confusion. When I was looking at the area in Google maps, it showed it as Olympic National Park. Now when I look at the geocaching google maps, it shows them separate. Thanks for the clarification .

 

Initially I was looking at ones like Elk Lake Trail. Where it's not a long hike, but a tough one. We were hoping to avoid any good amount of snow, don't want to have to pack too many extra clothes.

 

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

 

How do you feel about "STEEP" hikes? you can skip the washouts and slides if you go straight up from the road below. I have done it before and could guide you if I get the weekend off. Mind you it is a 1/2 mile walk (climb, you don't need to climb trees for this one) straight up! I once packed a rubber raft into the lake and back out.

 

I can't say what the snow level is right now thew weather is pretty variable and the coast usually is warmer but still can be unpredictable. elevation is about 3200'

[luckykoi]

Ok, sorry for the confusion. When I was looking at the area in Google maps, it showed it as Olympic National Park. Now when I look at the geocaching google maps, it shows them separate. Thanks for the clarification .

 

Initially I was looking at ones like Elk Lake Trail. Where it's not a long hike, but a tough one. We were hoping to avoid any good amount of snow, don't want to have to pack too many extra clothes.

 

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

 

How do you feel about "STEEP" hikes? you can skip the washouts and slides if you go straight up from the road below. I have done it before and could guide you if I get the weekend off. Mind you it is a 1/2 mile walk (climb, you don't need to climb trees for this one) straight up! I once packed a rubber raft into the lake and back out.

 

I can't say what the snow level is right now thew weather is pretty variable and the coast usually is warmer but still can be unpredictable. elevation is about 3200'

 

This is how the forest service says to get around the washout:

 

ACCESS: Note: FS Road #24 (Jorsted Creek

Rd.) is closed 1 mile west of US Highway 101

due to a washout. Travel Highway 101 to FS

Road #25 (Hamma Hamma Recreation Area) 14

miles north of Hoodsport. Turn west on FS

Road #25 and drive 6.5miles to the junction of

FS Rd. #2480. Then turn left and travel 3 miles

to the FS Rd. #2401 and turn right on FS #2401,

then go 2.5 miles to FS Rd. #2401-012.

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/recreation...ils/ElkLake.pdf

 

Oh wait that is a different elk lake then the one with the cache.

Edited January 4, 2007 by luckykoi

[+Criminal]

Ok, sorry for the confusion. When I was looking at the area in Google maps, it showed it as Olympic National Park. Now when I look at the geocaching google maps, it shows them separate. Thanks for the clarification .

 

Initially I was looking at ones like Elk Lake Trail. Where it's not a long hike, but a tough one. We were hoping to avoid any good amount of snow, don't want to have to pack too many extra clothes.

 

We were really interested in doing the APE cache, but heard that since the tunnel is closed, it was pretty hard to get to. We weren't sure about the snow in that area, either.

 

How do you feel about "STEEP" hikes? you can skip the washouts and slides if you go straight up from the road below. I have done it before and could guide you if I get the weekend off. Mind you it is a 1/2 mile walk (climb, you don't need to climb trees for this one) straight up! I once packed a rubber raft into the lake and back out.

 

I can't say what the snow level is right now thew weather is pretty variable and the coast usually is warmer but still can be unpredictable. elevation is about 3200'

 

This is how the forest service says to get around the washout:

 

ACCESS: Note: FS Road #24 (Jorsted Creek

Rd.) is closed 1 mile west of US Highway 101

due to a washout. Travel Highway 101 to FS

Road #25 (Hamma Hamma Recreation Area) 14

miles north of Hoodsport. Turn west on FS

Road #25 and drive 6.5miles to the junction of

FS Rd. #2480. Then turn left and travel 3 miles

to the FS Rd. #2401 and turn right on FS #2401,

then go 2.5 miles to FS Rd. #2401-012.

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/recreation...ils/ElkLake.pdf

The washouts we're talking about in RE the Elk Lake caches are on the logging road that was abandoned in the 70s. The alternate route Ironman mentions assumes you can get into the area.

Edited January 4, 2007 by Criminal

[+bumblingbs]

I have a Virtual at Hurricane Ridge that is certainly one of the better virtual locations in the country. This is above Port Angeles. Right now the road is open and you can drive to the cache. Perfect place for some

snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. There is also a rope tow for down hill and snow boarding. There are days when the weather conditions match the name. Stop at the ranger station for conditions. This is in a National Park so be aware unless you are an old man like me there is an entrance fee. Last I knew it was $10. So if you are in the area go visit GC9C5F "High on a Windy Hill" Dick, W7WT

 

Well, of course there are no caches in the NP, except W7WT's, which got grandfathered in, but if you love hiking you'd probably want to get a yearly pass, anyway.

 

In all the time I've lived here I always wondered what the road up to Hurricane Ridge would be like in the winter. We have 2WD, and if it's icy...there are steep drop-offs and no guard rail. Just wondering. Last winter two young folk went over the edge, in an SUV, I think; and the impossible happened - the vehicle caught on something ridiculous like a twig and dangled there until they were rescued.

 

There are some lovely lower elevation trails in both the National Park and National Forest.

[+-Eleanor-]

I really appreciate all of the feedback I've gotten on this. Sounds like a lot more of the area will be under snow than we anticipated. But I definately feel we were able to narrow down our cache list to ones we realistcally can get. Hope to run into some cachers in the field We'll be around Wednesday - Sunday!

 

Thanks!

[+bumblingbs]

Visiting? Heck, I mis-read it and thought you were moving here. Not sure, but it's possible that PCake's Mt Walker cache is clear. It's a good lung buster with views, down toward Quilcene. There's a road up to the top, but it's closed in the off-season, and you have to do it properly, by hiking.