With very little reports on this loop, I risked my first backpacking trip of the season starting at Slab Camp and looping through Gray Wolf, Three Forks, then down Deer Ridge. 

Day 1: The road in is filled with potholes and large puddles to drive through but I saw many cars making it up. I have a Subaru and had no problems. Hiked in to Slide Camp (5.2 miles aprx.) and camped here because it was getting too late to make it all the way to Gray Wolf. The trail was well maintained with just a couple drops of rain along the way.

Day 2: Packed up early and hiked into Gray Wolf (3.1 miles from Slide Camp) to find a good campsite for the night. We saw one other group of 2 and did not see another person all day. We wandered further up Gray Wolf Creek after setting up towards Gray Wolf pass and only made it to the first creek crossing. We crawled over and under probably 15 trees and when we got to the bridge to cross the river there were 2 more trees that collapsed on the bridge and broke the railing. Considering how fast the water is flowing right now and how the bridge seemed to bend under the weight of the trees we decided not to cross though it seems possible. After hiking back to camp for lunch, I wandered up Cameron Creek with the same story as Gray Wolf. Plenty of trees to navigate around and only went about a mile or so before getting tired of crawling in dirt. 

Day 3: Took our sweet time hiking up Three Forks (4.8 miles) (somehow I didn't know how steep this was) and crossed some snow at the very top before the intersection with Deer Ridge. It was probably around 200' of snow that was unavoidable but I was only sinking in just above my ankle. The snow at its deepest is probably 1 - 1 1/2 feet deep so it wasn't too bad. Most of it was soft on top and then packed down below. I had gaiters so my feet stayed pretty dry but we did not use microspikes for this. After reaching the intersection with Deer Ridge, we were greeted by some sunshine and clouds moving in. Deer Ridge was snow free and a lovely downhill the rest of the way. There were no wildflowers blooming yet up that high but it was freshly melted out terrain. Only saw 3 people on the hike out. Day 3 was about 9 miles total. 

Overall, this is a great loop! All beginner-intermediate friendly if you don't mind a little elevation. Total mileage was 23 miles with 5600' elevation gain.

Looked for a two day, high elevation loop in the Olympics, and developed this challenging but rewarding hike.  Clockwise; 8 pleasant miles along the Grand Ridge Trail from Obstruction Point to Deer Park followed by a continuous 3200' descent in 4.3 miles to the no-quota Three Forks Camp.  Day 2 was completely different, with a grueling 15 mile/6900' elevation gain back to the trailhead via Cameron Creek Trail, then up, up, UP! over Grand Pass and the gorgeous lakes in Grand Valley where swimming in Moose Lake was popular.  The Grand Pass Trail finally climbs up Lillian Ridge and finishes at Obstruction Point.

Going clockwise made more sense than CCW as there's no water between Ob. Pt. and Three Forks and carrying a full day's worth up 4500'+ over 12 miles is crazy.  The gentle 3200' descent from Deer Park was much easier on the knees than would be that 2300' crazy steep Grand Pass to Cameron Creek drop.  Of course that became a climb that seems to never end.  Just be sure to water up from the stream you cross before leaving the trees as you're totally exposed from that point upwards until finally reaching the lakes an hour or two later.

This was a 42 mile, 3-day backpack of the Grand Loop in Olympic National Park.

Map of route: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/m ... d8a23?u=i

This route is listed in the book, "Trekking Washington" by Mike Woodmansee. I've also listed the Alltrails route including waypoints for my two camps.

I was able to get a backpacking permit a week before the trip. I didn't book the permit online instead I called the Wilderness Information Center.

Day 1: Obstruction Point to Lost Pass. 12.5 miles with 4530 ft elevation gain.

I took the first Bainbridge Ferry from Seattle at 5:30 AM. I was hiking by 10AM from the start at Obstruction Point. I went along the scenic Lillian Ridge and passed Grand and Moose Lake. I saw more people on this section up to Moose Lake than any other section of the route. I then crossed over Grand Pass and Cameron Pass and made my way to Lost Pass. The initial descents over these passes are steep so take your time. The ascent to Cameron Pass is steep and was about the least enjoyable part of the whole trip. The Grand Valley and Cameron Valleys were however very beautiful. I saw just one party of two in between Grand Pass and Lost Pass. I got to Lost Pass just before 6PM where I set up camp. While there was very little wind, it was cold and I awoke to a frost covered tent.

Day 2: Lost Pass to Three Forks Camp. 17 miles with 2900 ft elevation gain

I dropped down from Lost Pass to the Dosewallips River Trail. The descent from Lost Pass was steep but once I got onto the Dosewallips it was a nice forest walk. I then took the Gray Wolf Pass Trail and made the ascent to Gray Wolf Pass. The views up near Gray Wolf Pass were great and the descent after the pass was maybe my favorite part of the trip. There was a nice waterfall, lake and valley. Then it was a long descent to Three Forks along the Gray Wolf River Trail. I met some wonderful people in camp that made the time there all the more enjoyable.


Day 3: Three Forks Camp to Obstruction Point. 12 miles 5230 ft elevation gain

I got an early start for the climb up to Deer Park. From there I took the Obstruction Point Trail back to the start. I've done this section before and the views were spectacular.

Misc: There was no snow at all to cross. Bugs weren't out at all. I think the recent cold nights got rid of them.

Days 1 and 2 had plenty of water. Day 3 is very limited. I heard there was a water source at Deer Park but I didn't really need it as I filled my bottles at Three Forks which lasted me to the finish.

I took a one-night backpack from Deer Park to Cedar Lake.  The Three Forks Trail was in great shape:  a recent log-out made it obstacle-free.  It's a big 3200-ft drop from the trailhead to Three Forks Shelter, but the gradient is pretty reasonable.  The Upper Gray Wolf Trail was in great shape as well.  A WTA volunteer crew had recently logged and brushed it out as far as Camp Ellis, and did a lot of turnpike and drainage work.  Between Camp Ellis and Falls Camp, there were a few blowdowns, but it wasn't bad.

The Cedar Lake Way Trail wasn't as bad as I'd been expecting.  From Falls Camp, it climbs 1200 ft in 2 miles.  There were a few blowdowns, some boggy areas, a fair amount of brush, and some particularly steep stretches, but it wasn't hard to follow.  I was able to rock-hop the crossing over Cedar Creek.  

It took me 8 hours to hike from Deer Park to Cedar Lake, moving steadily but not fast.  My progress was slowed by all the ripe huckleberries, which I couldn't help but snack on. 

The sky was overcast when I arrived at the lake, but it was lovely.  There was one party camped at a site on the west side of the outlet stream.  I wandered the paths west of there, where there were a few other not-very-appealing potential campsites, then crossed back over the outlet stream and followed a faint path to an excellent campsite on the east side of the outlet stream.

Bugs weren't too bad.  No flies, but a few mosquitoes.  I fired up my Thermacell and that kept them at bay.

Dawn over Cedar Lake was clear and beautiful.  I got hiking at 7, and was back at the trailhead at 3:30.  The long climb out of Three Forks at the end of the day was a grunt, but not too terrible.  My total mileage for the hike was 24.5, with a total elevation gain of 6740 ft.

Getting there: I got to the Slab Camp/Deer Ridge trailhead from the Hood Canal bridge, and WTA suggests taking Louella Road, but it appears that Taylor Cutoff Road near Sequim is both shorter and faster. The road is in great condition for a dusty gravel road, with just a few pothole patches right before the trailhead. After your hike, I might suggest pulling over and wiping the thick layer of dust off your back window before getting back on the highway.

I ran/hiked a 19.5-mile, 5.3k foot counterclockwise loop with a Blue Mountain spur, starting with the Deer Ridge trail up to Deer Park, then Rainshadow Loop, Three Forks trail, Upper Gray Wolf River Trail, and ending with the Slab Camp Creek trail back to the trailhead. All of the trails were well-maintained and in great condition. Deer Ridge is a very challenging trail with several very long, very steep sections that approach the 1,000 feet per mile mark for a few miles. The Three Forks trail would be almost as brutal of a climb, but I ran down it this time. The highlights were the views of the Straight from the peak of Blue Mountain and the 4 major bridges across Grand Creek, Cameron Creek, and Gray Wolf River. All of the trails were well shaded except for Rainshadow and the Blue Mountain road. On a beautiful and hot Sunday afternoon, I only encountered one group of 3 on Deer Ridge, 1 hiker on Three Forks, no one on Upper Gray Wolf past the campgrounds, and no one on Slab Camp Creek. There were plenty of people at Deer Park and Three Forks camping areas and the Rainshadow Loop, however.