For this adventure, we would hike the Press Expedition Route from the Elwha to Lake Quinault. This land is protected inside the Olympic National Park, so we were in for an adventure. We re-supplied food in Port Angeles, Washington and headed towards the trail.
Elwha to Quinault Trail (Press Expedition) Details
We started our adventure at the Whiskey Bend Trailhead in the Elwha Valley. From there we would hike on the Elwha River Trail 29 miles, to a pass called Low Divide. We reached the start of the Quinault at the Low Divide (
Skyline Trail also starts here), and then we would walk the North Fork Quinault trail 16 miles down the river valley (North Fork Trailhead).
Want to learn more? Complete trail guides to the Olympic Peninsula.
Editor's Note: Article part of
a multi-week backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park.
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| Elwha River Trail, Olympic National Park |
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| Our Press Expedition hiking map from Elwha to Quinault |
Notes from Our Hike
The first few days were spent lounging around on gravel bars of the Elwha River. We were lazy and even doing laundry in the sun. We didn't see many people, but we did see numerous wildlife, which was a surprise to me; since it was so dry in the first.
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| Laundry in the river (no soap) |
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| Just as the sun was going down I was already asleep. Something woke me and as my shelter fell halfway down. Recalled seeing a white flash as I awoke. The next morning the nature alarm of the sound of hoofs hitting the ground made me jump out of the Sleeping Bag. To my surprise it was a young Mountain Goat in the Elwha Valley. |
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| Hiking through a 100 year untouched forest in the Elwha Valley |
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| Ultralight tent in camp on the Elwha river gravel bar |
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| The Park is busy restoring Botten Cabin in the Elwha Valley. |
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| Barefoot through the swamps of the Elwha |
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| Reflections of Mt. Seattle near the Low Divide |
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| A side trip |
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| Exploring the upper corners of the Elwha |
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| Mount Christie |
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| I got tired of eating mosquitoes with every breath - the bug head net is a great invention |
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| Woke up at 3am in the middle of a meteor shower, then again before sunrise, we tried to beat the bugs. |
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| Crossing over to the Quinault River side |
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| Items used the most during this section - later used a water bottle on the filter - since threads do not match up on the Platypus Bags |
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| Crossing the 16 Mile Ford (note: summer during dry period) |
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| Started off the morning with a small Black Bear in the trail - hitched to the Post Office with a group of Boyscouts - after a short time we were back to walking the road - 20 miles to the next trailhead, so another hitch would be needed |
On the next part of this adventure, we
visit La Crosse Basin for a few days!
Updated in 2025 by
Barefoot Jake
