Roughly 40 mile loop starting at Deer Park.

TLDR: Great trail with limited obstacles/blow downs. Lots of water access throughout the loop, which is required for those hot sunny summer days. As someone who is very uncomfortable with exposure, no part of this trail felt unsafe. Clockwise or counterclockwise would work equally well as each direction has its challenges. Most people we met seemed to be going clockwise.

Deer Park —> Badger Valley/Grand Lake via Grand Ridge: The ridge line here is hot and exposed and does not have any water access. We were not able to get water until we started dropping into the valley where we found a few springs and eventually reached a reliably flowing creek. Wasps were an annoyance and stung a member of our party. Lots of flies as well. 

Grand Lake: The buggiest area on our loop and where we camped our first night. Cute little lake, but would stay at Moose next time as that lake is more scenic. Tons of fish were jumping at Grand so come prepare for some good catch and release fishing. Lots of campsites around the lake. We were told that there was a hornet nest near site 5 so we avoided that area. A well maintained privy with two toilets is near the bear wire. 

Grand Lake to Grand Pass: Easy to follow, beautiful trail. Lots of water access as you climb until you start nearing the pass. The views from Grand Pass are gorgeous. A quick scramble up to Grand Mountain gives you even better views including a peek at Mt Rainier and Mt Olympus. 

Grand Pass to Upper Cameron: The decent down into the valley was our least favorite of the trip. Many sections here are steep with loose rock. Nothing dangerous, but it requires slow movement at times. We had hoped we would be able to follow the ridge that extends from Grand Pass to Cameron Pass since we knew a primitive trail exists here (it’s visible), but there seemed to be more exposure than our party would be comfortable with. Upper Cameron is a lovely place to camp with big open meadows and a rushing stream. The wildflowers were out in full force leading up to Upper Cameron making it a gorgeous part of the hike. 

Cameron Pass: Rocky with lots of shale and loose gravel under your feet. A large gully cuts through the trail but is easy to croas with sturdy feet. No exposure anywhere here, just lots of places where you could slide and have a bad time. The views here were my favorite from our loop.

Cameron Pass to Lost Pass: Beautiful terrain with open meadows and amazing views. Is often exposed and quite hot. Many streams coming out of the bowl that sits between these two passes giving you ample water sources. We heard rumors about the hazardous climb to Lost Pass but found this to be an uneventful and easy part of our hike. 

Lost Pass to Bear Creek Campground (Butler Creek): We had also been warned about dropping down Lost Pass and again found this to be relatively easy. The trail is well maintained without much hassle. Our group agreed descending Grand Pass was worse. So many blueberries in this area!!! Watch out for bears. Luckily we didn’t see any. Bear Creek Campground is pretty miserable. I would not recommend camping here soon if you can avoid it. There are two small sites, both of which currently smell like horse poop (of which there is A LOT at one site). Surprisingly though, this site has a great privy! The trail through the valley is brushy with cow parsnip making this my least favorite section of our hike. Many others camped at Dose Meadows which I would imagine is a much better option. 

Butler Creek to Gray Wolf Pass: Wildfire smoke and a heat wave hit us hard this day making the climb up the Pass all the more miserable. The trail is in great condition and much of the climb is luckily quite shaded until near the end which makes it manageable. Many more berries here to snack on, so that helped as well. Smoky views from Gray Wolf Pass for us, but otherwise a beautiful vista. 

Gray Wolf Pass to Ellis Creek Campground: The trail descending from the pass is easy to follow without consequence or exposure, though once again you’re walking through scree fields. Quickly enough you make it to a small tarn and creek where you can fill up your (likely depleted) water bottles. As you drop the valley grows more and more beautiful until eventually you’re surrounded by old growth, heavy moss, ferns and a raging river. This area is gorgeous and lush. We stayed at Ellis Creek and loved it. Ellis has three spots compared to the much larger (10?) Gray Wolf and Three Forks campsites. All were beautiful. No privy at Ellis but both Gray Wolf and Three Forks had one. 

Three Forks to Deer Park: The climb out to the trailhead at Deer Park is long and cruel. The nearly 4000 foot gain will make you question why you decided to save the worst for last. There is no water  once you leave the valley so fill up before your climb begins. Luckily the trail is mostly shaded with the exception of the old burn out area near the top.

Leave a snack in the car to reward yourself! This loop is beautiful and filled with so much variation and solitude. 

FOUND: Leatherman between Gladys Lake and Grand Pass and a pair of trekking poles at Dose Meadow camp site.  If they’re yours and you’d like them back, leave a comment with contact info. 

We did a 5 day backpacking trip starting/ending at Deer Park via Grand Valley, Grand Pass, Cameron Pass, Lost Pass, Dosewallips River trail, and Gray Wolf Pass. Total trip was 44 miles and about 15980 ft elevation gain.

Overall: Just a few very small sections of snow remain on the north side of Grand Pass, Cameron Pass, and Gray Wolf Pass. No microspikes are needed, trekking poles helpful.  Water sources are plentiful throughout the trail and at all camp sites.  We mostly filtered water, occasionally filling up without though with no issues.  All the countless streams, creeks, and river crossings either had bridges or logs to get across, no fording necessary. Navigation seemed straightforward during the whole trip but we did use Gaia GPS which makes it pretty easy as well as carried a Gray Wolf - Dosewallips Custom Correct map.  Many mosquitoes throughout the trail and at campsites.  One of us used Deet and the other went without.  The difference was about 60 bites & endless itching for the Deet-less person and maybe 10 total for the other. Saw a couple of black bears, many marmots and deer, lots of wildflowers.

Day 1: Deer Park to Gladys Lake, 12 miles, 3700 ft elevation gain, 3500 ft loss.

Took the Obstruction Point trail to the turnoff for the Grand Valley trail.  Obstruction Point trail is gentle grade up and down, then a moderately steep descent into Grand Valley.  Saw a black bear 150 ft away about 15 min after starting the descent.  Once he saw us, he ran off further into the valley.  After about 8.7 miles the trail starts to ascend towards Grand Lake, then Moose Lake, and Gladys Lake.  The trail is in good condition all the way to Gladys Lake.  We camped at site #2 at Gladys Lake which has the best view out of the 4 sites available but is very dusty.  Bear wire was also available at the lake. 

Day 2: Gladys Lake to Dose Meadow, 11 miles, 4200 ft gain, 5900 ft loss.

Gladys Lake to Grand Pass is a beautiful trail with views of the Grand Valley, some snow patches, a couple of tarns.  Once on top of the pass, can pick out Cameron Pass that’s about 6 miles away and is the next destination.  First 0.5 mile descent from Grand Pass goes through large, steep, open meadow with marmots, deer, and many wildflowers, all blooming.  After that, trail steepens descending towards Cameron creek for about two miles.  After crossing the creek, trail starts to ascend, is slightly overgrown, with lots of downed trees.  We met a ranger who was clearing the overgrown trail.  He checked our permits, asked whether we had a bear canister, and told us that as of July 12, there is no max quota anymore for camping at Upper Cameron.  We weren’t planning on staying there but it was nice to know that was available. Eventually the trail gets to upper Cameron, where there is a few nice campsites, a pretty waterfall, and views of Cameron Pass.  The final ascent to Cameron Pass is a steep, 0.5 mi/600 ft, loose dirt/rocks path.  The views at the pass include Mount Olympus and Mount Anderson, and you can almost see Lost Pass.  After a steep descent from the pass, a gentle ascent leads to Lost Pass.  Then, a 0.9 mile or so to Dose Meadow drops about 1200 ft down a steep forest side with lots of downed trees.  Dose Meadow has at least three campsites that we saw, bear wire, views of Mount Frommer and a large meadow with lots of deer wondering about and many marmots hanging out on the rocks in the sun.  After we spent the night, the next morning saw a black bear meandering through the meadow about 300 feet away.

Day 3: Dose Meadow to Falls Camp, 11 miles, 3700 ft gain, 4200 ft loss. 

Followed Dosewallips River Trail for about 3.4 miles, easy grade, past Bear Camp (has a toilet and a shelter, about three campsites, bear wire) to the junction with Grey Wolf Pass trail which goes up 3.5 miles and gains about 2800 feet.  Trail is a moderate ascent, in good condition, and has views of Mount Deception and Mount Mystery on the way up.  On top of Grey Wolf Pass, the view is of the valley below, a couple of tarns, and in the distance you can pick out the road on Blue Mountain which is just above Deer Park and where your car is if you started from there.  Descent from the pass is not too steep and eventually travels along the Gray Wolf River to Falls camp. Falls camp has easy river access, two sites right off the trail, and a couple more a few feet away.  We stayed at a nice spot about 50 ft to the left of the trail by a small meadow. 

Day 4:  Falls Camp to Three Rivers Camp, 5.7 miles, 980 ft gain, 2700 ft loss.

Followed easy Upper Gray Wolf River trail to Ellis camp (a couple of sites next to trail), Gray Wolf Camp (several campsites and a privy) and Three Forks Camp.  Lots of salmonberries on the way.  Three Forks Camp has a large open area next to a large shelter, a privy, as well as a really nice camp site about 150 ft from the shelter with easy river access (Cameron Creek), fire ring, and a flat area for a tent or two.  If you continue along the creek for another 250 ft, there are another 3 campsites together.  We set up camp and spent the day hanging out by the river for our last full day of the trip.

Day 5: Three Forks Camp to Deer Park, 4.6 miles, 3400 ft gain, 376 ft loss.

Trail is moderately uphill, in good condition, no downed trees, and also no sources of water.  While most of it is through the forest, near the top, you can see Baldy, Gray Wolf Mountain, Mount Deception, Gray Wolf Pass, and the Obstruction Point trail near Maiden Peak.  On our return to Deer Park, we saw the helicopters which are currently using part of Deer Park Campground as staging area for the goat removal operations.

My friend and I hiked this series of trails as a 3-day backpacking loop starting and ending at Deer Park.

We opted to go counterclockwise, as it seemed less physically demanding (it meant we didn't have to go up from Cameron Creek to Grand Pass, which was steeeeep) and I think it gives nicer views, since you get to look into the Olympics during the Grand Ridge traverse.

Day 1 was about eleven miles from Deer Park to our campsite at Moose Lake. Maiden Peak was under some clouds, but otherwise the rest of the route was clear with incredible views in all directions. Trail was in great condition the entire way, just a lot of walking on a side slope and a lot of sun exposure.  Once we made it to Obstruction Point, we opted to stay high on Lillian Ridge rather than take the Badger Valley cutoff which I think was very worth it! The descent toward the lakes from this route is harder on the knees but the views are so nice.

I'm quite happy we ended up staying at Moose Lake because despite the gnarly toilet (I'd avoid at all costs) there were virtually NO mosquitos. It was incredible. We chatted with many fellow backpackers who had camped at Gladys and it sounded like a rough time. In place of mosquitos, we did have rather aggressive deer who were not shy to approach us and our stuff. I woke up several times in the middle of the night to hear them licking my (empty) backpack 

Day 2 was pretty short, only seven miles to reach our campsite at Upper Cameron. We also added in a super short side trip up to Grand View Peak, which is only 1/4 mile off trail and an extra 300 feet of gain to get 360-degree views. Absolutely worth it. From there, it's a massive descent into the Cameron River Valley, which felt a bit demoralizing since we knew we would make up for all that loss later in the day by going back up to our camp at Upper Cameron.

This section of trail along Cameron Creek between the Grand Pass junction and Upper Cameron was the worst we encountered, maintenance-wise, on our route. It was never that bad, but certainly overgrown and had some trees across the way. We ran into a very friendly ranger who had de-limbed some of the fallen trees earlier in the day, which made them much easier to hop over (thank you!) Cameron Basin is beautiful and it was surprisingly empty for a Friday night -- only two other groups. Mosquitos were significantly worse up here.

Day 3 was our longest day around fourteen miles. We backtracked two miles along the Cameron Creek trail and then continued onward and downward on Cameron Creek until we reached the Three Forks junction. This section of trail was overall uneventful -- a classic river ramble -- but, the berries were popping off! I nibbled on some of the best salmonberries I've had in a long time, and even some huckleberries were ripe. We ended the day by heading up Three Forks, which is entirely uphill, but is so well-graded that I hardly noticed. It's mostly shaded and was pretty breezy. The only thing to note here is that there is no water whatsoever once you leave the Cameron Creek junction, so do stock up before you make the ascent.

After that it was back to the car and a rough summer Saturday wait for the ferry back to Seattle!

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I headed out to do a loop I've had in my sights for years. We ended up abbreviating the loop I'd originally planned, but we still had a great time, and got to the main attraction (Cameron Basin) so I'm counting it a win.

DAY 1

We started off from Deer Park and headed towards Obstruction Point. A quick aside -- since this is a loop you can do it either way, but I think counterclockwise is best because you hike towards the views of the Olympics this way. Otherwise you're down in a creek valley at your freshest.

The Grand Ridge trail is good for the most part. That said, there are a couple of very steep areas near Maiden Peak and the tread is not great, but not awful (we are two hikers who don't love exposure). We had trekking  poles, which I was happy to rely on. As with almost every hike I've done in this area, there was cloud cover creeping in on the north side, so we couldn't see the Strait, but we had gorgeous views of the Olympic mountains!

We took a snack break at the Obstruction Point trailhead and then headed up Lillian Ridge. This was my favorite part of Day 1 -- excellent views and didn't have to worry about a false step sending me tumbling downhill.

Soon Lillian Ridge starts heading downhill towards the lakes. This descent was rough on my knees but still quite pretty. We saw a lot of people heading up at the end of the day. Whew. Seemed tiring.

Down in the valley, we passed Grand Lake (which looked buggy) and headed for our first campsite, Moose Lake. We enjoyed a little lakeside time with some off-puttingly unafraid deer, and then got dinner started. While we felt all alone at the lake when we got there, a fair number of hikers showed up at dusk and I think every site was taken by the time the sun set.

DAY 2

We got a lateish start since we only had about 6 miles to go to our next camp (Upper Cameron!!). This was a beautiful day, scenery-wise. From Moose Lake the views just kept improving. The basin past Gladys is really striking and gorgeous. But because it starts climbing almost immediately, it was a little hard for me to get my stride. Luckily, despite a steep climb to the pass below Grand View Peak, it was relatively short, and we dropped packs at the pass so we could take a side trip to Grand View (totally worth it -- 0.3 miles to a stellar 360-degree view!).

At the top of the peak, we looked at Cameron Pass and tried to ID Gray Wolf pass. We needed to cross both the following day and weren't sure of snow coverage so being able to see them helped get a sense of what we needed to do. We also got some info from a ranger we encountered on the way down; he said that the trail up Cameron was decent and Lost Pass was fine, but didn't have in-person intel for Gray Wolf.

The descent from Grand View into the creek valley was pretty rough, but man I was glad we were hiking downhill instead of up. The trail has a couple trees across it but nothing too hard to clamber over or under, and the ranger had pruned away branches that would have made it harder, which was a huge help.

The Cameron Creek trail was pretty good until what I think was the last 3/4 of a mile -- at this point it gets really brushy (like, REALLY brushy). Some sections that got brushed out by the ranger we saw but mostly it is just...leaves. Everywhere. Luckily you can still see the tread, so it's not treacherous just...moist.

Cameron Basin was great when we got there. There are more campsites than there seem to be, you just have to go back to the far end of the basin for some of the other sites -- we found a perfectly suitable one, but when we went to Cameron Pass later that night we found the others, which were better and larger.

After chilling out at camp and getting eaten up by bugs, we took a little stroll to the base of Cameron Pass. As we got closer, we noticed that the trail up Cameron had a big washout crossing the trail that looked pretty bad to cross, particularly with packs on.

After seeing this washout and reviewing our anticipated route on GAIA in camp we decided to shorten the loop. We didn't have great beta on Gray Wolf and didn't particularly want to do a ton of riverside walking on trail we didn't know the conditions of (e.g., we weren't trying to brushbash for 14 miles), we decided to head out the following day via Cameron Creek.

DAY 3

This was the worst day for scenery, but overall a better hiking day than I had anticipated. Descending out of Cameron Basin, the trail winds through the forest alongside Cameron Creek for 9 miles to the junction of Three Forks. Those 9 miles of trail weren't particularly clear, so we couldn't hike as fast as we wanted to, (though things speeded up at the end) and the Three Forks junction was a welcome sight.

I thought Three Forks would be steep and brushy, but it's actually beautifully graded except for one short section near the top. It does not have water anywhere though, so be sure to refill as much as you can at the creek before you head up. We paced ourselves well, though couldn't hike fast enough to get away from the most annoying bugs of the trip (you know the ones that get into your orbit and won't leave you alone..those ones).

After a last, hot push in the sun on Three Forks we arrived back at Deer Park. Thankfully I had a couple bottles of water stashed in the car to refresh us.

Our goal for this trip was to hike to an off-trail lake in a valley of one of the Cameron Creek tributaries. We left from Deer Park in the morning and hiked down to Three Forks in time for lunch. From there we headed up the Cameron Creek trail past the lower camp and day hiked to our lake. On our third day, we hiked back to Three Forks and then up to Deer Park.

Cameron Creek Trail was a little bit overgrown in some areas, but still seemed pretty obvious to us. The places where it was most overgrown had some of the biggest, juiciest salmonberries I've seen, so the overgrowth was worth it in my opinion. A few fallen trees blocked the trail, but they all had obvious work-arounds, whether that be over, under, or around the trees. Three Forks to Deer Ridge had some downed trees freshly removed on our way back, so that was nice.

The bugs were present, but not awful. Black flies did swarm us a bit when we stopped, but they cleared out around 5 pm. The mosquitoes didn't bother us at all.

The lower camp marked on the maps wasn't very big, but there were a few nice sites along the river between the second foot log and the lower camp.