We just got back from a week-long trip to Seattle which included two national park visits. I’ll write about Mount Rainer separately. This post is specifically about the short day we spent in Olympic National Park – specifically the Staircase entrance.
PLANNING
This was our first trip with our five-month-old daughter, so we had to plan carefully for our visit. This wasn’t the kind of trip where we could spend hours in the car or camp in the park nomadically.
Additionally, we were staying in Maple Valley, a suburb southeast of Seattle. We had to drive almost two hours just to get to the southeastern section of the park.
Olympic National Park is an interesting park in the sense that there aren’t really ways to cut across the park. Highway 101 loops long-ways around the border of the park, with various entry points along the circle.
We chose to drive to Hoodsport, a town southeast of the park. We then followed the winding rode along Lake Cushman to the Staircase entrance. This minimized driving so we could see a scenic lake and enjoy at least one section of the park in a day.
GETTING THERE
We took off from Maple Valley around 7:45AM so ran into some traffic going through Tacoma. We used HOV lanes when possible (two adults + baby). Arrival at Lake Cushman was around 9:30, so we still made it “on time” despite some morning congestion.
There is a nice overlook point on the winding road between Hoodsport and Lake Cushman. We stopped briefly for a pic but wanted to keep moving just in case there was a long line at the park entrance.
That ended up not being an issue at all. We got to the park entrance at 9:45 with no cars in line. In fact, there was no one manning the entrance booth. Just a sign that said to pay at the pay stations and display proof on the dashboard. I had recently purchased the America the Beautiful Pass, so just put that on the dash for the day.
We went to the furthest parking lot, which is one of the smallest. It’s near the campground and only has about ten spots. Two were left other than the handicap when we arrived. Keep in mind there is a large overflow lot only about 50 yards down the road with plenty of parking.
HIKES
Hike 1: Staircase Rapids Loop
This was an easy, 2.1 mile loop along the rapids that flow right past the parking lot and adjacent campground. With Meticulous Jr. in tow, we wanted to make sure to minimize elevation increase/decrease and keep the hikes short, which I think was a good call.
The hike was easy, slightly uphill for the first half and then downhill along the other side of the rapids. You get countless glimpses of pretty fast rapids mixed with beautiful green pools.
As an extra which wasn’t included on the map, there is a detour you can take at the beginning to “Big Cedar.” This is a giant felled cedar with a 14-foot diameter trunk. Kind of a cool experience to stand near it and look at the cave-like chasms created by the trunk when it fell.
An obvious benefit of this loop trail was that it was a circle. You knew it was going to be 2.1 miles, and you knew when you crossed the trail bridge you were at roughly the halfway point. Nice milestones for two people worried about a baby freaking out at any moment…
After the loop we took a picnic lunch break near the first trailhead bridge which was nice with the sound of the rapids as a backdrop.
Hike 2: Shady Lane Trail
This one was a little longer, a 1.6 mile out & back (meaning 3.2 overall). It started to get hot by the time we started this hike around 1:30PM, so we knew we might not go the whole 1.6 miles out.
Turns out carrying a tiny whiny furnace isn’t the best way to complete all hikes fully.
Shady Lane tracks the rapids downstream from the trailhead, as opposed to the Staircase Rapids Loop where you start upstream then loop back on the other side.
We went about a half mile out before turning back due to the warming weather and parent fatigue. Similar to the Staircase Rapids Loop, you get a couple really nice vantages of rapids (although slower) and green pools (larger, because it’s slower).
For an interesting twist, we were highly entertained by a rando snorkeling in about a foot of water down the rapids. Looked like a dead body floating down the stream. Not sure if he was looking for something but I don’t think he found it.
OVERALL
Overall, it was a nice, non-life changing day. Nothing that blew my mind, but a couple short hikes in a pretty short day was good considering the logistics (two hour drive & baby in tow).
I will say it’s now clear why the western side of the park is the most popular. I’ve seen pictures of the Hoh Rainforest and the coastal area and I think that’s an area we have to hit next time we go.
Some friends of ours said you really need 2-3 days minimum in Olympic to see it all. Stopping at various different locations exploring multiple entrances seems to be the right path.
The funny thing about our day at Staircase was that Lake Cushman was probably the most visually appealing part, and it’s not even part of the national park. The overlooks and various stopping points along the gravel road leading up to the NP entrance made for the best pics of the day.
Long story short, it is a nice place to spend the day but the best parts of the park are likely elsewhere. Granted, we didn’t do the long overnight/camping hikes that start at Staircase Trailhead. But if you want to really see Olympic, you probably need more than a day, and it shouldn’t be only at Staircase.
