| Start | National Forest road dispersed camping along Sol Duc River |
| Points of interest | Salmon Cascades Ancient Groves Trail Sol Duc Falls Cape Flattery |
| Eating and drinking | Snacks: Forks Outfitters aka Thriftway |
| End | Washington DNR dispersed camping outside of La Push |
Today’s itinerary involved Sol Duc Falls, Cape Flattery, and positioning ourselves for the northern beaches tomorrow.
Sol Duc Falls
After waking up at our dispersed campsite along the Sol Duc River, it was time to pack up and head back to the highway so that we could enter the Sol Duc area of the Olympic National Park. Note that there is a gated entrance here requiring a fee or pass.
Salmon Cascades
The first pull over/stop when heading down the road to the Sol Duc Falls is the Salmon Cascades. During spawning season, you can see salmon jumping. Unfortunately, this is the wrong time of year. Even so, the short walk exposed us to a beautiful forest with huge trees overlooking the rapids that turn into calm waters.
The small parking area also has toilets and trash cans, which were a welcome sight for us on both counts. The dogs also had an opportunity to stretch their legs before we continued down the road.
Ancient Groves Trail
According to the National Park Service, an old growth forest usually refers to Douglas-fir/western hemlock forests with trees older than 200 years, abundant downed wood on the ground, a multi-layered canopy of small plants, shrubs and trees, and standing dead trees called snags.
Our next stop was our first old growth forest of the trip: the Ancient Groves Trail. It was so quiet; is it possible that we were the only ones on the trail?
We opted for the second pull over and thoroughly enjoyed the counter-clockwise walk through our first old growth forest of the trip where we stared in awe at the towering trees standing amid the moss while listening to the sound of the river running far below.
Sol Duc Falls
We made ours way to the end of the road, the parking lot for the Sol Duc Falls Trailhead – approximately 1.6 miles round trip. As we began walking, we noticed we were hiking down . . . that means one thing: we’ll be hiking up on our way back. Always a fun realization at the start of a hike.
The walk is incredibly scenic, and the falls are pretty, but we enjoyed the walk through the woods more. Although populated, the trail was not overcrowded. We enjoyed the cool weather, even if it was overcast and damp.
Cape Flattery
When planning our trip, we noticed Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point in the Lower 48. That’s definitely a unique little stat that would entice us to add it to our list, and we did. The road to Cape Flattery is long and windy, and we had to drive it in both directions as it is the only road. Due to the need to maintain low speeds, it does take some time to reach Cape Flattery, but it is certainly a must-do. Even with the rain limiting visibility, we enjoyed the views offered by the coastal drive along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Before driving to the trailhead, we stopped at the Museum at the Makah Culture and Research Center to use their facilities and acquire the required recreation permit ($20 and good for the year). The permits can be purchased online or in-person on the Reservation. This same pass will also work to provide access to other Makah land, including Shi Shi Beach trailhead, which did not make the cut for this trip due, in part, to the 4 mile round trip hike (plus an additional good bit to see point of arches).
With our permit acquired, it was on to the trailhead, then the muddy walk out to the overlook – approximately 1.5 miles round trip. The trail is generally well-maintained. The boardwalks brought us to a fork – with a decision to go right or to go left. We opted for the right path, which took us down to the point – across from which you could see the lighthouse and sea caves. So many sea caves. The vista is absolutely stunning. On our way back, we took the left fork to a shorter boardwalk with a view of the cliffs. Despite the weather, we enjoyed decently good views.
End of the day
We headed back up the trail to the van and followed the windy road back to 110. Our original plan for the day involved a trip to Rialto with dispersed camping on the road to La Push, but we decided that all of the beaches could wait until tomorrow. We made a quick detour into Forks to see about dinner – spoiler alert – we opted for what we had on hand in the van. Before we turned back, we spotted Forks Outfitters, which houses a hardware store, clothing shop, and grocery store all in one! It is just as you are probably imagining it – actually – think even bigger.
I was successful in finding some hiking socks after forgetting mine at home and desperately missing them today. They were shutting down their deli/hot bar but had pre-packaged what we’re calling “buffalo chicken egg rolls,” though they had a different name in store. So absolutely terrible for you but definitely hit the spot in the moment until we were able to secure some food for the evening.
We made our way to Washington DNR land and found an ideal spot off a gravel road – were able to back into it and have privacy on three sides. Perfection for the evening.
Day 2 post-mortem
Long, tiring, and wet day and truly regretted not having my gaiters or my hiking socks. Won’t make that mistake on the next outing. Overall, though, we saw some beautiful places and the van worked well, mostly.
First shower attempt today – and struggled with obtaining hot water. Not sure the reason for it. We’ll have to try again soon. We also have a better appreciation for why there are so many posts about needing to upgrade the suspension. Storyteller Overland leaves the stock suspension in their vans (other than some upgrades on the Beast MODE). However, the upfit is heavy – pushing the van close to its GVWR. We felt it most driving out to Cape Flattery with the windy road – very bumpy and tippy. Add that to the research list. We’re also in need for some more quick access storage – seat back storage and headliner shelf?
Tested out Starlink this evening because cell service was weak. Though we had a clear view of the sky directly overhead, there were obstructions due to the trees on both sides. The download speeds were relatively slow. We’ve still got to figure out the setup for regular usage.
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