2. Olympics SOUTH
Updated May 2009
See also: A Trail Less Traveled
Section 2: Olympics South
This sequence of buses around the south side of the Olympic Peninsula gives you access to the lush green rain forest river valleys of Olympic National Park, the Quinault, the Queets, and the famed Hoh. It also allows easy access to the small but impressive Colonel Bob Wilderness, perched above Lake Quinault.
All of these trips could also be reached via the north route described in Section 1, in fact, some of them should be approached from the north, for reasons I’ll explain below.
The south route has some advantages: by avoiding the ferry ride, the total cost to reach the west side of the Olympics is about seven bucks cheaper than the north route. You’ll reach the Lake Quinault drainage considerably sooner via the south route, and reach the Upper Hoh Road about an hour earlier (when you’ve got nineteen miles of road to cover, possibly on foot, an hour means three miles or more). And you’ll get to spend a couple hours in Aberdeen, birthplace of grunge rock legend Kurt Cobain.
The south route has a few disadvantages, too: the bus routes that travel around the south side of the Peninsula are far enough away from the mountains, and separated by low hills, so you won’t get any good views of the peaks as you approach. You don’t pass directly by an ONP Information Center or Ranger Station until you reach Forks, and you must visit one of these in person to register for your trip. The Center in Forks is a small one with limited hours (it is advisable to call ahead to make certain they’ll be open at the time you plan to pass). Also, you have to spend a couple hours in Aberdeen.
The Bogachiel, described in Section 1, should be reached via the north route, as you would not pass a ONP office via the south. The next river south, the Hoh, could be approached from either direction (though the south route would give you a bit of a headstart, as mentioned above), as there is an ONP Information Center at the trailhead. The next river, the Queets, must be approached from the north, despite the time disadvantage, as there is no ONP station there.
The southernmost of the rain forest rivers, the Quinault, presents a special problem, as though there is an ONP Ranger Station, it’s about five miles up the North Shore Road (and the North Shore Road often washes out beyond that point, and the Road is very primitive and not advised for large vehicles—so there’s very little through auto traffic along that road; they all turn around and drive up the South Shore Road). So, if you’ve arrived via the South sequence of buses and made it to the Quinault Ranger Station before they close (usually at five), but you’ve pretty much no chance of thumbing a ride on up the road, you’ll have to walk it.
On the bright side, though: just before you reach the Station, when you pass the Rain Forest Lodge, look for a small sign at the side of the road marking a spur trail to the Big Cedar Tree. By all means, go see it. It’s more than twenty feet in diameter, and it has rooms inside of it, and it’s kind of incredible. Oh, and you’ll usually see elk along the upper reaches of the North Shore Road.
If you take the South Shore Quinault Road, you can either visit the Colonel Bob Wilderness (outside of the Park, you simply sign the roster at the trailhead) or go all the way to the Graves Creek Entrance (registering there) to the Quinault River trail leading to the Enchanted Valley. If you took the South Shore Road, the Irely Lake / North Fork Quinault Trail would not be one of your options, as you won’t pass by anyplace you can register.
You might consider using the South Route as an exit, having entered elsewhere (say, following the historic Press Expedition of a hundred-plus years ago, when five or six stupid white boys in November went up the Elwha and crossed the Olympics, coming out the Quinault in March).
Trail Options:
A - Colonel Bob Wilderness
Bus stop to trailhead: 3.5 miles
Roundtrip, trailhead to summit: 14.5 miles
You’ll disembark GHT 60 at the Quinault Mercantile, stop for the obligatory burger and soda there, and head up the South Shore Road about 3.5 miles to the trailhead just off the road. Long switchbacks in cool, old growth forest lead eventually to a marshy, boggy hollow about a mile from the summit with good campsites and plenty of year-round water.
From the summit, you seem to be looking straight down at Lake Quinault. And you’ll have a great view in all directions. See the mouth of the Columbia River, and the southern coast of Washington, all laid out like a map (or, if it clouds up, see a whole lot of nothing. It happens…)
B - Enchanted Valley
Bus stop to trailhead: 12-18 miles
Round trip, trailhead to Enchanted Valley chalet: 27-39 miles
One of the premier destinations in the Park, the Enchanted Valley trail starts out as gentle, flat, rain forest, fords the Quinault River (unless they’ve finally replaced the Pony Bridge), and eventually climbs to delightful meadows, bracketed by sheer 3000-foot rock walls, festooned with countless waterfalls.
The variable road and trail distances arise from the frequency of the upper end of the South Shore Road being washed out or otherwise impassible. But, as the Quinault is an oft-visited destination, a ride is likely. Smile at the cars.
C - Queets River
Bus stop to trailhead: 15 miles
Roundtrip, railhead to end: 16 miles
This is possibly the least-visited drainage in the entire Park, because to reach the trailhead you must first ford the river, a feat that often is not even possible until late July or early August (and the river level can fluctuate with whatever might be going on upstream after you cross).
As mentioned earlier, approach this one from the North Route, so you can register at either Port Angeles or Forks. West Jefferson Transit will take you south from Forks; just after the bus stops at Kalaloch (usually long enough to grab some ice cream or a bottle of pop) it heads inland. Tell the driver what you’re trying to do, but keep your eyes open for the sign anyway.
It’s a fifteen mile, coarse gravel road (signs are everywhere, telling you that there’s no camping allowed along the road—but if you run out of light, just bushwhack over to the river and camp there).
There is also a campground at road’s end, and some huge trees, including the state’s tallest Black Cottonwood, and the world’s largest known Sitka Spruce. (The world’s largest Douglas fir is across the river, just off the trail—they grow ‘em big out here.)
The ford of the river is tricky, the actual crossing place varies year to year. It’ll usually be marked; ask around at the campground, and cross with others, if possible. It’s safer. The river is wide, with a rocky bottom; you should also watch out for logs floating downstream.
But once across, you have some damned fine rain forest to revel in. And it’s flat as a board, gaining only 800 feet in fourteen miles. The trail, sadly, does not connect with any other, so you must exit the same way.
Other options: Described in Olympics North section
Seattle to Olympics (South Route) – Monday through Friday only
| Sound Transit 592 leaves | Seattle; 2nd & University | @ 6:07 AM | Arr. SR 512 Park & Ride | @ 7:08 AM |
| Pierce Transit 601 or Intercity Transit 603 leaves | SR 512 P & R | @ 7:05 or 7:15 | Arr. Olympia Transit Center | @ 7:49 or 7:55 |
| Grays Harbor Transit 40 leaves | Olympia Transit Center Bay K | @ 7:50 (and 10:00) | Arr. Aberdeen Transit Center | @ 9:20 (and 11:25) |
| GHT 60 leaves | Aberdeen Transit Center | @ 11:30 AM | Arr. Quinault North Shore | @ 12:50 PM |
| West Jefferson Transit leaves | Quinault North Shore | @ 12:53 | Arr. Forks Transit Center | @ 2:30PM |
You’ll end up in Forks at just about the same time, for about five-and-a-half bucks (you save primarily because you avoid taking the ferry). It is, however, not as scenic, as you don’t get any good glimpses of the mountains because of intervening terrain. You do, on the flip side, get to spend some time in Kurt Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen (believe me: the novelty wears off fast—the town is chronically depressed any way you measure it; now even the lumberyard and mill have shut down, and the only growth industry is the correctional facility). But those are just my opinions.
You’ll note that the bus connections are tight, but Interstate 5 traffic in the early morning is mainly headed toward Seattle, not south, so those first couple buses run largely on time. Worst case scenario: you might miss your 7:50 connection in Olympia. But you’ll another couple of options on the 601 or 603 to reach Olympia in time for the 10:00 bus. You’ll just have to find breakfast there (Otto’s, a block away from the Transit Center) rather than in Aberdeen.
Olympics South Side (Quinault) to Seattle (Monday through Friday – early run)
| GHT 60 leaves | Quinault Mercantile | @ 6:30 AM | Arr. Aberdeen Sta. | @ 7:30 |
| GHT 40 | Aberdeen Sta. | @ 8:15 | Olympia Greyhound* | @ 9:45 |
| IT 603 | Olympia Transit Ctr. | @ 10:30 | SR 512 P & R | @ 11:20 |
| ST 594 | SR 512 P & R | @ 11:35 | Seattle | @ 12:50 |
*Also serves Olympia Transit Center, either five minutes before or after – you’ll have plenty of time to make your connection.
Quinault to Seattle (Monday through Friday – middle run)
| West Jefferson Transit leaves | Kalaloch * | @ 8:02 AM | Arr. Amanda Park Mercantile | @ 8:27 | |
| GHT 60 | Amanda Pk. Merc. | 8:40 | Aberdeen Sta. | @ 10:00 | |
| GHT 40 | Aberdeen Sta. | 11:30 | Oly Greyhound | @ 1:00 | |
| IT 603 | Oly Transit Ctr. | 1:30 | SR 512 P & R | @ 2:15 | |
| ST 594 | SR 512 P & R | :28, :58, :28,:58… | Seattle | • minutes later |
*The West Jefferson Transit bus can help you if you have exited, for example, the Queets River trail, and wish to take the south route back to Seattle.
Quinault to Seattle (Late Run – Monday through Friday)
| GHT 60 | Amanda Merc.* | 1:00 PM | Arr. Aberdeen Sta. | 2:30 |
| GHT 40 | Aberdeen Sta. | 3:30 | Oly Greyhound | 5:00 |
| PT 603 | Oly Trans. Ctr. | 5:05 | SR 512 P & R | 6:00 |
| PT 601 | Oly Trans. Ctr. | 5:25 | SR 512 P & R | 6:10 |
| ST 594 | SR 512 P & R | :28, :58, :28, :58… | Seattle | 75 minutes later |
*West Jefferson Transit, southbound from Forks and points between, also connects with this bus. And that ultimately southbound GHT 60 makes a stop at the Quinault Mercantile at 12:40 PM, before it goes on to Amanda.
An uncommon feature of this route is that it runs seven days a week. Note that there is only one, I repeat, one sequence that will allow you to reach Seattle on Saturday and Sunday.
Quinault to Seattle (Saturday and Sunday only)
| GHT 60 | Amanda Park Merc.* | @ 9:35 AM | Aberdeen Sta. | 10:55 |
| GHT 40 | Aberdeen Sta. | 11:35 | Oly Greyhound | 1:00 PM |
| PT 620 | Oly Transit Ctr. | 2:00 | SR 512 P & R | 2:48 |
| ST 594 | SR 512 P & R | :05, :35, :05, :35… | Seattle | 75 minutes later |
*This bus stops at Quinault Mercantile at 8:55, before heading to Amanda Park.
Fares:
| Sound Transit | $3.00 (ask for transfer) |
| Pierce Transit | $1.00 (present transfer) |
| Grays Harbor Transit | $2.00 (day pass) |
| West Jefferson Transit | .50 |