Landscapes of Olympic National Park – Staircase

Posted on July 3, 2024 by

21 Comments

On our recent trip to Hood Canal, we ventured into a remote corner of Olympic National Park, that surprisingly, we’d never been before – Staircase. We drove south on 101 from our campsite at Dosewallips State Park to Hoodsport, then west, past lake Cushman and into the wilderness on a rugged logging road, full of potholes.

It was worth it.

We had our sack lunch with a view of the Skokomish River, before heading out on the Rapid Loops trail.

The trail through the forest was marvelous and well maintained.

We stopped to pay our respects to a giant fallen cedar tree, 14 feet in diameter.

There were plenty of other cedars still standing, including this one with the beautiful feet.

It wasn’t long before the trail began to follow the river.

Glimpses of the rapids through the trees, to me looked rather like art.

We arrived at the suspension bridge at the top of the loop and paused for more river views.

The trail back from the other side was easier and downhill, so it wasn’t long before we arrived back to where we started and headed down the bumpy road to highway 101 and Hood Canal.

We’d heard of ‘the Staircase’ for years but never visited, preferring the westernmost areas of the park with the lakes and beaches. Surprisingly, (or not, for it’s truly wilderness,) there’s no direct connection to the west side from Staircase (You can see Staircase on the lower right section of the map from the Olympic National Park website, here.)

Its closer and just as beautiful and there are other hikes we’d like to take.

Now that we found it, we’ll be back.

Sharing with #Sunday Stills, Landscapes of the Great Outdoors.

~ Susanne

Category: National Parks, TravelTags: , , , , , , ,

21 Comments on “Landscapes of Olympic National Park – Staircase”

  1. Thanks for including the map. We are going to do the loop this summer and this is a good one.

  5. What a lovely walk, with the river views and beautiful trees! We didn’t venture into this part of the park – even if we’d had time to see more, I don’t think driving that road in our hire car would have been a good idea!

    • The other side of the park is huge and has much more to see and do. But this area is remote and rustic, and backpackers can do some long distance hikes into the wilderness from here.

  6. What a wonderful place! But no pets allowed, so just as well you left Benji and Tiger at home.

    Best wishes, Pete.

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