Scouts in the Olympics

[Brad P]

I’m still gathering ideas to present to the troop for a roll your own 2023 high adventure trip. The Olympics in Washington looks like a fantastic place with a lot of variety.

Hike the Hoh River Trail to the Blue Glacier. Enchanted Valley Chalet. Beach trails. Then maybe have a side activity for whale watching.

I’m thinking of a 10-12 day trip and we would rent a van to take us from trailhead to trailhead. Backpack a few days in each area.

It looks like you need to go on recreation.gov 6 months ahead and book day 1, then next day book day 2, etc. for each area.

Just curious if anyone here has experience in this area and can make suggestions.

Thanks!

[DWR D]

“It looks like you need to go on recreation.gov 6 months ahead and book day 1, then next day book day 2, etc. for each area.”

That does not make sense to me. On Rec.gov you can book an entire trip with one visit to Rec.gov… maybe I am not understanding what you are writing.

Weekend starts are harder to get… many of the areas in the Olympics are the weekend playground of people from Seattle and other cities.

Weather is THE Major Factor. The Olympics are known for rain… and a lot of it. Hard to forecast that 6 months in advance… or even a week in advance! The people who live in Washington know that… and a week or so before a sunny forecast they hit Rec.gov fast and hard… reservations fill up fast. But with a large group you probably will need to schedule way in advance. I have found that the most dependably good weather period is last week of July thru the 2nd week of August… not guarantees, but the best odds of good weather. On the coast hikes you need to know how to read a tide table. Get the local tide tables and plan your trip around the best tides for getting around the rocky points. There is an App called “Tide Now WA” that works really good. probably others also. And there are paper tide tables also.

It’s a great area.

 

[DWR D]

The book, Hiking Olympic National Park by Falcon Guides is very helpful.

As are the Custom Correct Maps… which can be ordered online… especially helpful for the coast has they have all the major rocky points marked with maximum tide for safe passage.

[Brad P]

That does not make sense to me. On Rec.gov you can book an entire trip with one visit to Rec.gov… maybe I am not understanding what you are writing.

I could be wrong, but what I read on one site was that dates open 6 months in advance. So book day 1 exactly 6 months in advance. Day 2 isn’t open until the next day.

The weather is a concern as it’s the rainiest place in the lower 48, I believe. I’ve watched videos of the shore trail hikes and they showed what it looks like at high tide. There is no trail.  :)

The book, Hiking Olympic National Park by Falcon Guides is very helpful.

I saw that book on Amazon, I believe, and there’s a new edition coming up soon.

 

 

[BlackHatGuy]

How many people?

Washington Trails Association website is a fabulous place to look for information on hikes in Washington. Great info, with lots of member trip reports posted there which can help get current info (the trip reports are in chronological order).

The Blue Glacier hike gets a bit scary for anyone with a fear of heights, as the trail gets very narrow with a very long dropoff on one side for a section, and then you have to climb down a rope ladder on a long, steep slope. The climb isn’t so bad, but getting to the rope ladder can be a bit dicey, fwiw.

[Brad P]

How many people?

Probably 8-12.

 

[BlackHatGuy]

“Probably 8-12.”

Just make sure you get a campsite that will accommodate that many people, some are pretty small. Any group campsite shouldn’t be a problem.

[Brad P]

Just make sure you get a campsite that will accommodate that many people, some are pretty small. Any group campsite shouldn’t be a problem.

Yeah, that’s a limitation in my search for a trip. The scouts would be sharing 2 person tents. The 2 or 3 adults would be in solo tents.

[BlackHatGuy]

Not sure when you’re looking to go, but be aware that everything tends to be pretty swamped with people during the hiking season here, especially anything within spitting distance of Seattle and especially when kids are out of school. I’ve done most of my backpacking trips here in May/June, never more than 3 people in a group, and didn’t have any issues. I don’t backpack up here in summer.

[DWR D]

“So book day 1 exactly 6 months in advance. Day 2 isn’t open until the next day.”

Pretty sure that when you book day one at exactly 6 months you can also book the rest of the trip. That’s the way it works for other parks on Rec.gov

8-12 people can be a problem in some areas. I recommend calling the Olympic park staff as they are very helpful…

[DWR D]

Another book that is very helpful is “100 Classic Hikes, Washington”

[Brad P]

Visit the Olympic National Park Wilderness Permits page on Recreation.gov to make a reservation. Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance on a rolling basis. Reservations will become available on the website at 10:00 AM EST/7:00 AM PST.

https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-reservations.htm#:~:text=Permit%20reservations%20can%20be%20made,still%20required%20with%20Wilderness%20passes.

 

The reservation system is on a rolling six-month window. This means that on January 29 you can reserve a camp area for a trip beginning July 29 or earlier.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2020/01/time-reserve-your-backpacking-trek-olympic-national-park

[YoPrawn]

I can’t imagine trying to plan a trip in the Olympics with 12 people these days. 30 years ago, it was super easy, but today, ONP is a zoo of people.

Try some of the longer river hikes other than the Hoh for a little more space and fewer people. Dosewallips and Skokomish river valleys have some pretty big camps. A lot of the larger groups with kids I see are doing multi-day trips going point to point from the Quinault River up and over into the Dosewallips river. Probably the best route to get everything the mountains there offer. There is usually enough space for big groups to camp from what I can gather.

One of the best overnighter spots is Marmot Pass on the Eastern side. It’s popular during the hiking season, but tons of room to set up camp. Has a great view of the inner peaks and the Puget Sound from the pass.

[Brad P]

Thanks for the input on this trip. I’m still researching options for 2023. This one certainly has some challenges (permits, rain, crowds).

I’m next researching trips in The Winds with a side trip in Yellowstone. The Winds is a bucket list trip for me. I’ve been to Yellowstone, but I doubt many scouts have. The Winds might also be crowded, but no permits. Yellowstone could either be backcountry permits or base some hiking out of the many campgrounds.

No question the hardest part of this research is the group size followed by keeping in mind the abilities of scouts vs. adults.  Well some scouts.

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