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Malachai Constant
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Joined: 13 Jan 2002
Posts: 16093 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
We always used to do it by heading up hardscrabble and summit of Big Snow. Exiting through Tanks, La Bon Gap, and Williams to Middle Fork. Unfortunately, Middle Fork road adds 20 mi. now. Took until second trip to find shortcut to Williams from Tanks. 
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?
Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 7464 | TRs | Pics
Location: The Hermitage |
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Bedivere
Why Do Witches Burn?
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 Sun Jan 08, 2017 12:41 pm |
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| Malachai Constant wrote: | | We always used to do it by heading up hardscrabble and summit of Big Snow. Exiting through Tanks, La Bon Gap, and Williams to Middle Fork. Unfortunately, Middle Fork road adds 20 mi. now. Took until second trip to find shortcut to Williams from Tanks. |
That was such a great entrance to the high route. Loved that little bit of routefinding to get up to lower Hardscrabble where the scenery begins immediately with the towering cliff of Big Snow's Southern flank then the views open up as you get to upper Hardscrabble. Really irked me when they closed that road, loved to take newbie hikers up to Hardscrabble and it also provided really good access to other lonely spots along that ridge that require much more effort than a weekend can accommodate now.
However, there is a reasonable alternative by going up Dingford to Big Snow Lake. That's a pretty fun route too, but a bit more challenging in a couple of spots.
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Highsierraguy
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Joined: 05 Jan 2017
Posts: 10 | TRs | Pics
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Any suggestions for a loop or semi loop around Olympic NP?
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:19 pm |
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| Malachai Constant wrote: | | We always used to do it by heading up hardscrabble and summit of Big Snow. |
| Bedivere wrote: | | there is a reasonable alternative by going up Dingford to Big Snow Lake. |
I've done both as ALHR egress. I give the edge to the latter for reasons I will not discuss here.
This summer Anita and I did the ALHR as described in Beckey I, going in from Lake Dorothy to Gold Lake. Pretty cool. Might do a TR.
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
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Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:21 pm |
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| Highsierraguy wrote: | | Any suggestions for a loop or semi loop around Olympic NP? |
How many days? Do you have glacier travel chops?
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Highsierraguy
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Joined: 05 Jan 2017
Posts: 10 | TRs | Pics
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We'll land in Seattle late on a Sunday and will have till Friday. So 5 days. Glacier Chops...not sure what those are....
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kenbee
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Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 104 | TRs | Pics
Location: seattle |
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kenbee
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Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:46 pm |
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If you're thinking of the Olympics, here's a possibility which doesn't require glacier chops (i.e. skills and experience on glaciers, basically): https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8013687&highlight=muncaster+basin
Muncaster Basin is definitely off the beaten path--a combination of trail and off-trail (some of which is occasionally brutal), and some spectacular high Olympics scenery. The trip report I linked here was a longer one than you have time for, but we did at a leisurely pace...you sound like hikers who could do it in your time frame without marching yourselves to death. Feel free to PM me if you're interested in details--in the meantime, you can't go wrong with any of the other suggestions so far!
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Highsierraguy
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Joined: 05 Jan 2017
Posts: 10 | TRs | Pics
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Thanks for the ONP suggestion!! That looks like an amazing trip! For some reason I thought the ONP was mostly coastal with a lot of beach camping....but from that trip report it looks much more mountainess. Are there any good loop trips on the Washington Coast (in the ONP or likewise)?
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Malachai Constant
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Joined: 13 Jan 2002
Posts: 16093 | TRs | Pics
Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
The Skyline loop in the Quinault area is another good possibility. We did it on a long weekend but that was pretty rushed. There could be snow at the high point this summer.
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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olderthanIusedtobe
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Joined: 05 Sep 2011
Posts: 7709 | TRs | Pics
Location: Shoreline |
| Highsierraguy wrote: | | Thanks for the ONP suggestion!! That looks like an amazing trip! For some reason I thought the ONP was mostly coastal with a lot of beach camping....but from that trip report it looks much more mountainess. Are there any good loop trips on the Washington Coast (in the ONP or likewise)? |
Only loop on the coast I'm aware of is Cape Alava/Sand Point. But it's relatively short, approx. 9 miles. About 1/3 of the distance for each leg getting out to the beach and 1/3 of it is on mostly rocky beach between the two trails.
The coastal strip is only a sliver of the overall area of ONP. The vast majority of it is river valleys and mountains.
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JonnyQuest
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Joined: 10 Dec 2013
Posts: 593 | TRs | Pics
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| Highsierraguy wrote: | | Any suggestions for a loop or semi loop around Olympic NP? |
For a nice "almost loop" in ONP that offers a good combo of on/off trail (with the "off trail" mostly following beaten paths), the northern part of the Bailey Range is nice. Enter via Olympic Hot Springs to Appleton Pass / Oyster Lake. From there, take the "way trail" to Swimming Bear Lake / Cat Basin. Then across Catwalk, traverse Mt. Carrie, and then pick your way of choice to Ferry Basin (could stay low for Cream lake or high for "Stephan" lake if lakes are your goal). From Ferry Basin, up Mt. Ferry and drop off to Ludden / Scott saddle, where you pick your way to the old CCC trail along Ludden to Dodger Pt. Then out via Long Ridge trail to Whiskey Bend.
Ingress / Egress trailheads are not the same, but close enough to make a bike shuttle or hitch fairly easy.
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