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TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:56 am
by jeremiahkim
Hey all,

My wife and I did the 20 or so mile High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin loop in Olympic National Park over three nights. It was our first backpacking experience in Washington and it did not disappoint.
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We hiked out of the Sol Duc Valley and hit the loop counter-clockwise. With each Park having it's own guidelines for backcountry camping, we were locked into our itinerary of Deer Lake, Heart Lake, and one of the Sol Duc River sites. Each site had one to eight established sites, some of which were right up to the water's edge which felt a little off, but it's how they do it I suppose.

Being used to the Sierra, it was quite a neat experience. Below the tree line, it was like walking through tunnels of green and above the treeline, the wildflowers and vistas were breathtaking.

We also encountered quite a bit of wildlife: a black bear, three mountain goats, a heard of 30-40 Roosevelt elk, deer, and of course, fish.
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There's a lot of great write ups about this loop and planning for it that I found helpful. Faxing the wilderness application was a bit of a stressor as their line was jammed the day that permitting began in March. If I were to submit the application today, I would recommend Potholes campsite past Deer Lake as a better night 1 option. Deer Lake was crowded and were had the (mis)fortune of being camped near two louder groups. Some of the established sites also don't seem to be listed on many of the maps online. Watching the sun set from Deer Lake Junction site would have been spectacular but we didn't know it was an option.

All in all, a great trip!

Re: TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:08 am
by maverick
Very pretty, your 4th photo reminds me of the views from Hurricane Ridge and love the mix of wild flowers, any more photos of them? :)

Re: TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:12 am
by Wandering Daisy
My husband and I did a trailer trip to Olympic Park in June. In retrospect I realize that I could have hiked down from Hurricane Ridge and he could have picked me up at Sol Duc. Well, that is what you get first time in an area, not knowing the trails, conditions or regulations very well. We were expecting nothing but mist and rain, so I had not planned much hiking. But it was totally clear blue skies all the time we were there. We enjoyed the rain forest, but actually preferred the long hikes on the beaches. I would love to climb Mt Olympus some day! Thanks for the trip report. Now I know a little more about possibilities.

Re: TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:37 pm
by jeremiahkim
maverick wrote:Very pretty, your 4th photo reminds me of the views from Hurricane Ridge and love the mix of wild flowers, any more photos of them? :)
I'm a lousy botanist, but the flowers really were wonderful. :)
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Re: TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:59 am
by rhyang
Great shots ! I keep meaning to head up there.

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Re: TR: High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin in Olympic

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 3:39 pm
by maverick
Thanks for including those extra wildflower shots, very pretty. :thumbsup: