VOC trips are organized by members like yourself, not professional guides. The trips go into wilderness areas where assistance is unavailable and unexpected events can occur. You could be seriously injured or die. You are responsible for your own actions. Please use caution.
Olympic National Park Exploration, Take 2 · Fri. Apr. 15th, 2022 - Mon. Apr. 18th, 2022
Warning: This is an old trip - it already happened
- Details Page: Where you can see brief trip details (publicly viewable).
- This trip does not have an associated Wiki Page.
- This trip does not have an associated Message Board Thread.
- Signup Page: Where you can signup, bail, edit participation entries, see/email members on the trip, etc.
- Wikitext Page: From where you can cut and paste information formatted for the wiki.
- Printable List Page: Which generates a printable list of participants.
- Edit Page: Where the trip organizer can edit the entry for this trip.
- Mark Going Page: Where the trip organizer can sign members up as "actually going".
- Modify Signups: Where the trip organizer can change signup classes.
Start: Friday, Apr. 15th, 7:00 am
End: Monday, Apr. 18th, 10:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting: Tuesday, Apr. 12th, 7:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/5121824260?pwd=MFhtZGpDUml6VGs4dElLQm5weDFpZz09
Description:
The first time I tried to plan this trip was for April of 2020, and we all know how that went... Now that the border is mostly back to normal let's head down to Washington to spend some time exploring Olympic National Park! With a sculpted coastline, expansive swathes of old-growth temperate rainforest, refreshing hot springs, and soaring snow-capped peaks, the Olympic Peninsula is truly worthy of sharing its name with the home of the gods of Greek mythology. Over the long Easter weekend I would like to experience each of those different parts of the park via beachside backpacking, day hiking in the rainforest, hot spring soaking, and maybe some snowshoeing (weather permitting). The Powers That Be in Olympic (i.e. the US National Park Service) limits groups in the park to 12 people, so that will be the maximum we can bring.
Here is a rough itinerary, subject to changes/cancellation depending on weather:
Friday, April 15:
Drive to Neah Bay, Washington (7 hours), picking up two sets of permits (NPS + Makah Reservation) on the way. Backpack and camp on spectacular Shi Shi Beach (~6.5 km one way).
Saturday, April 16:
Explore Shi Shi Beach in the morning before packing up camp and heading back to the trailhead. Find a strategically-located dispersed campsite or campground in the forest surrounding the park and set up camp for the next two nights. Depending on how long this takes we could then go for a short hike to Sol Duc Falls and/or take a dip at the Sol Duc Hot Springs resort ($15US entry). Return to camp refreshed and ready to relax by the fire.
Sunday, April 17:
Explore the Hoh River Trail, which goes through one of the finest remaining stands of old growth temperate rainforest in the States. Go as far as we feel like and take in the beautiful forest scenery and hopefully see wildlife. On the return we can potentially stop in at Rialto Beach for an evening stroll if there’s time. Then go back to camp for the final night of the trip.
Monday, April 18:
Depending on weather and conditions in the high country, the final day will involve driving up to Hurricane Ridge to go on a short snowshoe adventure. Then, all that’s left will be the drive back to Vancouver! And maybe a stop for tacos or some other good food along the way :)
Expected costs, depending on number and occupancy of vehicles:
Shi Shi Beach permits and parking - $24US / $30CA per person
Gas for entire trip - approx. $40US / $50CA per person
Park entrance fee: $5US / $6CA per person
Sol Duc Hot Springs $15US / $19CA entry (optional)
Plus maybe a fee if we decide to stay in a campground, but I much prefer car camping in the woods for free.
Things to bring:
- Passport and any appropriate visa/study permit. Take care of any necessary paperwork beforehand.
- Full backpacking set up (backpack, tent, sleeping bag & pad, etc.) and stuff for car camping (stove, chairs, etc.)
- Bear canisters are required for camping on Shi Shi Beach. We can try to share or they are usually available for rent at the visitor center (not sure if VOC has any or not)
- Warm clothing for both rain and snow
- Waterproof shoes/boots
- Snowshoes & microspikes
- Swimsuit for hot springs
- We’ll make a grocery run in Bellingham or Port Angeles before heading into the park, so you don’t need to bring a lot of food at the start
- A car, if possible. We will need 2 more drivers to bring everyone if the trip fills up.
The weather is highly variable that time of the year, so we could get lucky and have some nice days BUT we will need to be prepared for wet and cold conditions. Thus this trip is not particularly beginner friendly and is recommended to those with prior experience in the backcountry. Preference will be given to those with a vehicle first, then in order of signup on the committed list should there be more people interested than available spaces.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
PC: https://www.myolympicpark.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/shi-shi-beach/
Posted: 2022-04-05 16:07:04
Last modified: 2022-04-12 13:47:19