Wolf Creek, North Fork Quinault River and Halfway House, Whiskey Bend to Low Divide, Elwha River and Geyser Valley & Press Expedition Traverse — Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024

It took the Press Expedition half a year to traverse across the heart of the Olympics, but my partner and I enjoyed it in two nights and three days. We wanted to hike it last year, but the trail was closed from wildfire damage.

The hike

We entered via the Wolf Creek trail on Hurricane Ridge and exited the North Fork Quinault River trail near Lake Quinault. Permits were easy to obtain and the trail was non-quotaed: just call the wilderness information center a few days before.

The Wolf Creek trail isn't much to write about, but the section from Whiskey Bend to Low Divide is stunning. Probably my favorite river hike in Olympic National Park yet. It's a ton of old growth forest, carpeted in verdant greenery and delicious wild mushrooms. The hike is muddy and brushy in many parts, but is otherwise pretty flat.

Night one campsite was Elkhorn Guard Station and night two campsite was Trapper Shelter. Elkhorn Guard Station is one of the cooler established backcountry campsites I've been to: it's a sprawling meadow nestled deep in the canyon with great water access and a clean shelter to sleep in. No mice even! Trapper Shelter was a run of the mill three-sided shelter with flat spots nearby; the shelter was full when we arrived, so we pitched instead.

Between Whiskey bend and 16 mile camp we only saw eight overnight hikers. There was an entire 24 hours we did not see another person. It was awesome. We did hike with a park biologist (working on the spotted owl project) from Chicago Camp to Low Divide, plucking berries along the way. It wasn't until Wolf Bar that we began to see other overnight backpackers in earnest.

Distance: 57.75 miles
Elevation gain: 6,742 feet

Logistics/travel

This is a thru hike, so you'll need a ride waiting for you on the other side. Most folks seem to do a key swap or have a friend drop them off and pick them up. I left my car at Hurricane Ridge and didn't have those options available, so we hitchhiked our way back. Here's the breakdown:

Hitch 1 - Trailhead to lake quinault - 10.9 miles

There weren't many cars at the North Fork Quinault TH, so we walked 4 miles down the forest road to the junction with Graves Creek TH (Enchanted Valley). It only took us a few cars before a delightful trio of hikers (and trip reporters) picked us up and took us to near Lake Quinault Lodge.

Hitch 2 - Amanda park to kalaloch lodge - 37 miles

We walked about 3 miles to Amanda Park and got snacks at the grocery. We were picked up almost immediately by a pair of honeymooners from Texas. They took us to Kalaloch Lodge before stopping to explore the beach themselves.

Hitch 3 - kalaloch lodge to forks - 34.3 miles

It took less than 5 minutes to get picked up by a pair of travelers from Illinois. We stopped at Beach 4 and snacked on the rocks during high tide. The drive to Forks is slow due to construction and one-lane stretches. The drivers who picked us up were Team Jacob, in case you were curious.

Hitch 4 - Forks to Port Angeles - 56.3 miles

In less than 10 minutes we were picked up outside the grocery store in Forks and on our way to PA. We stopped en route at Granny's Cafe and enjoyed some massive soft served ice cream cones, plus checked out the pet emus in the back. We were dropped off at the Port Angeles Olympic wilderness information center.

Hitch 5 - Forks to Port Angeles - 19.7 miles

There wasn't a ton of traffic heading up to Hurricane Ridge in the afternoon, but we got a ride within the first 5 cars all the same. The drive up the ridge is much more scenic as a passenger than as a driver, that's for sure. We were back at our car by 6:30 p.m.

Hitch distance: 154 miles
Travel time: 8:15