Romano - Day hiking. Olympic Peninsula: national park/ coastal beaches/ southwest Washington

Bailey Range and Hoh River from Bogachiel Peak

Hiker approaching the summit of Colonel Bob Peak on the Petes Creek Trail

Cinquefoil adds beauty to Baldy-Gray Wolf Peak in background.

DAY HIKING

Olympic
Peninsula

national park/coastal beaches/southwest washington

Craig Romano

The Mountaineers Books is the nonprofit publishing arm of The Mountaineers, an organization founded in 1906 and dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134

2007 by Craig Romano

All rights reserved

First edition: first printing 2007, second printing 2008, third printing 2009, fourth printing 2010, fifth printing 2013, sixth printing 2014

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Copy Editor: Julie Van Pelt

Cover and Book Design: The Mountaineers Books

Layout: Mayumi Thompson

Cartographer: Moore Creative Design

All photographs by the author unless otherwise credited.

Cover photograph: Mossy trees by Skokomish River by Alan Bauer

Frontispiece: Tarn above Sunnybrook Meadows

Maps shown in this book were produced using National Geographics TOPO! software. For more information, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/topo.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Romano, Craig.

Day hiking. Olympic Peninsula / by Craig Romano.1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59485-047-9

ISBN-10: 1-59485-047-X

1. HikingWashington (State)Olympic PeninsulaGuidebooks. 2. Olympic Peninsula (Wash.)Guidebooks. I. Title. II. Title: Olympic Peninsula.
GV199.42.W2R65 2007
796.510979794dc22
2006039135

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59485-047-9
ISBN (ebook): 987-1-59485-122-3

Hikes at a Glance Chart

Acknowledgments

In addition to my trusty pick-up and several (now well-worn) pairs of hiking shoes, writing this book would not have been possible without the help and support of the following people.

First, a big thank-you to all of the folks at The Mountaineers Books, especially publisher Helen Cherullo and Hally Swift for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this exciting new series. Thanks, too, to Cassandra Conyers for being so supportive and encouraging in the planning stages of this book. To my series partners, Alan Bauer and Dan Nelson, it is an honor to be working with you. Thanks for your help, and to Alan: thanks for listening to me when I was stressed out! I want to thank Mary Metz, my indispensible Project Director for her guidance and keeping me on task! I want to especially thank my editor, Julie Van Pelt, whose professionalism and attention to detail have greatly contributed to making this book a finer volume. I know editors dont usually hear writers say this, but it truly has been a pleasure working with you.

I also want to acknowledge guidebook pioneers Robert L. Wood, Ira Spring, and Harvey Manning for their inspiration and invaluable knowledge. I am honored to be walking in their bootprints.

Thanks to the following land managers who offered their time and insight: Jon Preston of Olympic National Park, Molly Erickson of Olympic National Forest, Susan Graham of Olympic National Forest, Christine Redmond of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and Terri L. Butler of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. And a special thanks to Jim French of the Olympia Mountaineers for getting me to go to churchChurch Creek that is.

Thanks, too, to Lori Lynn Gray and Kristi Agren for their help in finding great places for me to stay in Clallam County. The Washington State Ferry system should be thanking me for helping them make their budget!

Lastly, but most importantly, I want to thank my wife Heather for believing in me and supporting me while I worked hard on this manuscript. Thanks for hiking with me, too, to so many of the special places in this book. And mille grazie for the back massages after all my long nights in front of the keyboard.

Preface

I first stepped foot (actually wheel) in Washington State in April 1980. I had bicycled across the country from my home state, New Hampshire, entering the Evergreen State in Pacific County. I immediately fell in love with the raw beauty and expansive wild tidal flats of Willapa Bay. The Washington that I first experienced was the Washington I had always imagineda land of big timber, big rivers, and a big coastline.