Beautiful and easy trail through old growth forest to a stunning waterfall cascading through a canyon. We got to the trail around 10am on a Saturday and had to park along the road but it wasn’t too busy on the trail itself. The hike was simple with a great payoff at the end. Good one for families! #FirstTripReport

Arrived sound 11am and there parking lot was almost full; however, the trail wasn’t too croweded on the way out. On the return there were lots of people in large groups.

This was one of our afternoon hikes during our visit to the Olympic National Park. The truth is that I have a mixed review of this hike. The trail was great. It was short and easy, great for all levels. The waterfalls were beautiful and it was really fun to climb down and play on the rocks in the water. 

The downside is that this hike was SO crowded for a weekday afternoon. Since it is such an easy and accessible hike, it was busy and the busy-ness made it a little less enjoyable. 

Overall, I think worth it to go to this one, but maybe early in the day to beat the crowds.

Hidden Lake is appropriately named. The forest has almost completely reclaimed the faint way trail with fallen trees, limbs, forest duff, young trees, salah, and blueberry bushes. I lost the trail several times along the way. At three or four points what seems to be an obvious trail heads downslope which is the way I went. Mistake! I found myself several hundred feet below the actual trail. The trail tends to stay high. There is a small amount of flagging on trees but most has deteriorated over the years. Blueberries and huckleberries are ripe. I didn't see any wildlife but fresh bear scat.

The six of us started on a sunny Sunday at 9 am. Parking was not an issue in the morning but was scarce when we returned at 5 pm. The road is paved all the way to the trailhead and an Olympic NP pass is required at the tollbooth (Discover Pass/NW Forest Pass not accepted).

The 0.8-mile Sol Duc Falls Trail was fairly busy with tourists, especially in the afternoon. We chose to go CCW, so took the Deer Lake Trail from the Falls area. CCW is superior due to the elevation profile. In regard to recent trip reports, the bugs were indeed the worst at Deer Lake than anywhere else on the hike, but they weren't anything more than an occasional annoyance. I think the lack of recent rain, a light breeze, and the fact we didn't stop near the lake helped. Bug spray is still recommended but I didn't feel bombarded.

Some snowfields exist starting at 4,700 feet on the Deer Lake Trail and continue intermittently on the High Divide Trail, but are nothing of concern. All sections of the trail are mostly snow-free. There is one 30-foot-long snow section a quarter-mile before Bogachiel Peak that has decent exposure but I felt pretty surefooted and safe using the established boot prints. Just take your time and exercise caution. Some of us had poles but none of us had any snow equipment and we didn't regret not bringing any. By next weekend there will probably be very little snow to speak of on the trail. There was an older gentleman coming down the trail near Deer Lake who basically chastised us for not bringing snow equipment. Kinda strange given the conditions, but perhaps a good reminder that different people can draw different conclusions about the requirements of the same trail on the same day. Or maybe he did the trail several days prior and it was more treacherous then.

The Bogachiel Peak Trail is steeper and narrower than the High Divide Trail and might require using your hands. It is snow free. The views of Mount Olympus, Seven Lakes Basin, Hoh River, the Straight, the Pacific, and Canada in the distance were incredible and make Bogachiel Peak a must-add detour from the High Divide Trail (a detour that actually subtracts mileage and elevation gain).

The Sol Duc River Trail is rockier and rootier in the top 2/3, but was so smooth in the bottom portion that it was very pleasant to jog it in.

The views were amazing, the wildflowers were pretty, and the trail is in great shape. Not a single blowdown to step over on the whole loop. More waterfalls than I expected too. We ended with 18 miles and 4,500 feet of gain in about 7 hours. It's a few weeks later than usual, but this loop is fully open for business! Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/7523785860