On our way in we were warned that the trail from Elip Creek over to Three Lakes would be over grown and a GPS was needed. There was enough growth to make us damp (soaked through actually) from dew on the foliage, but we didn't lose the trail at any point. I would recommend filtering water before reaching three lakes due to the lack of streams and how muddy the lakes are. We saw one bear and her cub, the bear grass was in bloom at higher elevations, and the frogs at the lakes were wonderful.  

We started from the N Fork Quinalt trailhead with the intention to complete a loop via Skyline trail, and had a challenging, rewarding, and ultimately successful trip.

The N. Fork Quinalt is in very good shape all the way to low divide, and camping at Low Divide was lovely. Lots of Black Bears around, so be careful with food storage!

We took a day trip up to Martins Park, the trail is steep, wet, brushy, and occasionally faint, but not difficult to follow. Widlflowers in peak bloom up there and melting out fast!

The Skyline trail is where the real adventure began. Our first day, from Low Divide to Lake Beauty, wasn't too bad. Trail was generally easy to follow. The biggest hazards were a couple of very steep, deeply eroded gullies with no tread to speak of. We had to hack in a rudimentary tread with an ice axe. The crossing of Seattle Creek was not too bad, although hazardous snow bridges exist on this and other drainages. The area is melting out very fast so be careful on the snow! There is water everywhere this time of year, as the route crosses tons of drainages with fresh snowmelt.

Lake Beauty was still mostly under ice and snow, so we camped on snow up at the pass above the lake. The views from up here are tremendous. From Lake Beauty to Promise Pass, the route is mostly on rock and snow, with no discernible trail. The snowfields aren't too steep, but the fins of rock do require some occasional down climbing or route finding. An Ice Axe and microspikes are still a good idea on this route. 

After Promise Pass, the route drops sharply into a burn and traverses the south face of Kimta Peak. Very slow, difficult going here. The route is brushy and overgrown, there are lots of game trails, and the slope is VERY steep, so watch your footing. We kept losing the trail and made very slow progress, <1 mile/hour. Then we climbed a steep snowfield to get back on top of Kimta Ridge. From Kimta to Three Prune camp, there is a mostly snow free and recognizable trail. No major challenges in this section, but a few patches of snow and some blow down. Three Prune is a lovely place to camp. Water could be a problem between Lake Beauty and Three Prune later in the season, but for now, all the snowmelt provides dozens of little streams and cascades.

From Three Prune, we descended the Elip Creek trail back to the North Fork Quinalt on good, easy to follow trail, albeit with a few large downed logs to clamber over.

All in all, a wild, challenging, and fun route through some spectacular scenery. Should get a little easier soon as more snow melts. Be prepared: good map and compass and/or GPS required!

Not a lot of recent reports for this loop, so here goes! Hiked this trail with some friends over the 4th of July weekend. Great 3 day loop averaging 7 miles per day with 3500+ ft of e.g. 

Day 1: Departed from the Irely Lake trailhead around 10:00 am - stopped for a quick snack at the lake - some cool snags in it with ospreys hanging out. The first few miles of the hike were easy and mostly flat. The trail is a bit overgrown, so you're pushing through salmonberry and huckleberry leaves, but it's easy to stay on the trail, no chance of losing it. Plenty of small creeks to get water from along the way. Some climbing begins leading up to Big Creek - once you get up a bit in elevation the trail is no longer overgrown. Big Creek is a great spot for lunch and a refreshing dip before the real climbing begins. Easy crossing. The switchbacks going up from there will get your heartrate going! This trail takes you past a Champion Yellow Cedar. You'll see a campsite-esque clearing by a huge cedar (just off the trail to your right if you're going uphill) that we thought was the one, but a little further up the trail is a sign next to a much thicker one (although it didn't seem as tall). 

Not much further on it transitions from forest to subalpine meadows - you'll go past some wetland ponds before hitting the actual three lakes area, where there's a privy (subtly marked by some red flagging and no walls for privacy, so verbally 'knock'!). Several campsites pretty widely spaced but with little shade, so be prepared to get cooked out of your tents early. Bugs were a mild annoyance, but not that bad. Frogs were wonderfully loud, and the lake is full of frog eggs and tadpoles, so please avoid using soaps or rinsing off any bug spray or sunscreen near the lake! The bearbag hang is clearly marked and functional. There is a running stream coming out of the north side of the lake.  **One of the creeks just below Three Lakes had a bunch of false hellebore (Veratrum viride) growing along it, which is toxic and I believe can make the water downstream toxic, so take care!

Day 2: The next day we hiked from Three Lakes to Elip Cr - there's still a bit of elevation to climb up, but some lovely meadows with creeks to refill water and great views. Still some snow on the trail, with patches to walk across, but we were fine in boots with poles. The downhill turn is abrupt, and there was still snowy patches (~3600 ft) on the switchbacks leading down, so it was a little dicey at times. Microspikes would have helped but weren't necessary - just had to be careful to kick out steps to avoid sliding down the hillside. The sign indicating the trails up to Three Prunes vs. down to Elip Creek were there, but had fallen over. The split is pretty clear and obvious at least in snow-free conditions. Hike down was hot and exposed until an abrupt change into the forest. Lots more downed logs on this part of the trail, nothing too sketchy or challenging, but it is a long downhill, so legs were hurtin' by the end of it. Clear signage indicating the second trail split - hang a right towards Elip Cr.

A few campsites on the west side of Elip, and a few spaces on the east side kind of tucked behind the rocky bluff. Outhouse is on the east side just off the trail (privy trail marked by a small cairn). Someone left TP in a plastic bag, so recommend leaving some trail magic if you can! Elip was knee high, so it was easy to rock hop to the other side without getting your feet wet (but we've been here earlier in the season and fording was dicier. The bear hang is still busted, but there's still a cable you can easily toss a line over to hoist a bag up. 

Day 3: Chill hike out. Wild Rose was also easy to cross, with at least two walkable logs. Definitely recommend stopping for a break at Wolf Bar on the beach - gorgeous view of the mountains and the NF Quinault is stunning. Again, the trail at lower elevation was overgrown with brush, but still an easy trail to follow. Tons of berries - be cautious of bears! A few short uphills, but mostly a flat easy hike out full of big trees and lovely streams.  

Definitely recommend hiking this loop clockwise. For one thing it splits up the elevation a bit vs. hiking all of it in one go. The other is the trail between Elip and Three Lakes is way more exposed, so it'll be a much hotter hike, vs. the west side of the loop (Irely to Three Lakes) is shaded and cool (and full of white banana slugs!). Also, saw more amphibians on this trail than any other I've hiked in the PNW, so herpers enjoy! Tons of berries throughout this hike, and there were three separate bear sightings from fellow hikers (we never saw one, but did see fresh scat). So bring your bear spray and definitely use bear cans and hang your bags away from camp. 

Hope that helps!

Over 4 days and three nights we explored the North Fork Quinault river and Olympic Skyline. Day one was an easy hike to Elip creek involving a well maintained trail and no fallen trees. During this Labor Day weekend both fords leading to the Elip Creek campground were reduced to simple rock hoping. At the Elip Creek campground plenty of camp sites exist, at least six, within the Elip Creek washout, so explore to find a private place or great view of the river crossings.  A bear wire at the camp ground is available but the pulley is broken. Along the 7 mile hike to the Elip camp ground other unofficial camp sites are evenly space with flat spaces and fire rings.

Day two was the climb to Three Prunes campground, a pleasant steady climb in the forest. THANK YOU for whom ever placed the flagging with the bee hive warning. Sure enough a bee hive is smack-dab in the middle of the trail inside a decaying tree. Orange flags now exist on both sides of the fallen log to warn hikers of this horrible foot stinging trap. Three Prunes campground is very limited with only three flat spaces to set up a tent, two of which are right next to each other. A small creek is nearby to supply water, but no bear wire available.

Day three we explored the Olympic Skyline to Kamali Peak. During this late summer no snow exists on the trail. Be vigilant as we were blessed to experience the same as many other hikers along this trail to see black bears feasting upon the berries in the alpine meadows. If you prepare yourself with a water supply an unofficial alpine camping spot exists near Kamali Peak providing anyone with panoramic views of the Olympics. The views of the park are simply stunning, and you will be forgiven for humming the main theme for the Lord of the Rings and the Fellowship.

Day four we returned via the trail to the Three Lakes campground. This is the trail that has several large blowdowns and muddy sections to navigate, but also includes the worlds largest Alaskan Cider (can't miss as it is on the trail) and the falls at Big Creek, perfect for cooling off in the summer heat. A small ford is near Irley Lake with freezing cold water, so get across quickly. Irley Lake itself is dried up at this point in the season.

I loved this hike! Especially the first third, the huge trees and prolific wildflowers were amazing!

I camped Wednesday night at the North Fork campground, two other spaces were occupied. Arriving about 5:30 I loitered at the nearby river, which was awesome.

I got on the trail the next morning at 6:30, and right away was struck by the immense size of the hemlocks, spruces and cedars, constantly stopping to take pictures and to ID the many types of wildflowers. The trail rose gradually but steadily until dropping down to the Big Creek crossing, then up to a gorgeous open area of heather, blueberry bushes and mountain hemlocks. Eventually I reached Three Lakes, which looked great in the morning sunlight. Pushing on along the Skyline Trail I passed numerous small ponds in mountain meadows, with views of Mt. Olympus and many others.

Reaching a high point, the trail drops a bit to the junction with Elips Creek Trail, which I descended. This was my least favorite part of the hike, it was fine but noticeably drier and less filled in than Skyline. I was also starting to get tired, at about the 12 to 15 mile point. On the other hand the more open woods allowed for quicker progress.

Reaching the junction with the North Fork Trail, it was an easy and pleasant 6.5 mile stroll back to the trailhead. Along here I saw a handful of other hikers, the first I'd seen all day. 

Total distance was 22 miles, elevation gain 4,000'. If I was going to do this again I might just turn around at the high point and backtrack the Skyline, it felt rugged and remote and was unlike anything I've done in the Olympics.