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Trip Report

Royal Basin via Royal Lake — Saturday, Jul. 6, 2024

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Trip Report By

300

Type of Hike

Overnight

Trail Conditions

Trail in good condition

Road

Road recommended for high clearance only

Bugs

Bugs were terrible

Snow

Snow free

Trails Hiked

  • Wildflowers blooming
Upper lake (Imperial Tarn)

Posting another report to share photos of the upper basin. All campsites around upper lake are all snow free. TONS of newly hatched mosquitoes, so bring repellent (and spray down your tent prior to your hike) and a bug net. Secure your food in bear canister. Lots of deer around, and probably some bears out there too (but never saw one).

Glacial moraine leading to Mount Deception
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Comments

Strider on Royal Basin - Royal Lake

Thanks for the report! I have a permit for next week and am interested in hearing more about the road conditions. What kind of vehicle did you drive up there, and how annoying/challenging was the drive (in terms of the number and size of potholes, washboarding, etc.)? Were ALL the forest roads in rough shape, or just one in particular? (Trying to get a sense of whether or not my car can handle it.) Thanks for any details you can provide!

Posted by:


Strider on Jul 12, 2024 11:22 AM

Pribbs on Royal Basin - Royal Lake

Well the worst part of the road is that beginning part that descends down to Dungeness Forks camp. That is like the Rite of Passage. Then after the Dungeness bridge the potholes are not overly bad. Just a long drive in. Gonna want at least a small SUV or crossover.

Posted by:


Pribbs on Jul 12, 2024 12:03 PM

MikeOnAHike on Royal Basin - Royal Lake

I just got back from there. I didn't think the road looked too bad, but a friend was driving so it's hard to say for sure. We passed a Prius (they were nice enough to pull over). I can't remember whether I saw any regular passenger cars at the trailhead. Plenty of Subaru Outbacks and Foresters. I drove the road myself in an Outback ~2 years ago, and didn't find the road to be especially challenging.

Our front tire was flat from a puncture when we arrived. I'm not sure how long we were driving on it, or whether we picked up the puncture on the road. It was good to have a spare and an air compressor, though!

Posted by:


MikeOnAHike on Jul 16, 2024 08:57 AM

Strider on Royal Basin - Royal Lake

Thanks, Pribbs and Mike! I appreciate the details; this helps a lot. Wow, yeah, good thing you had a spare tire and air compressor, Mike!

Posted by:


Strider on Jul 16, 2024 09:42 AM