HK_Olympic_NP_Final-13

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous.

Trail type: Secondary.

Best season: Late May to mid-October.

Elevation gain: 2,400 feet.

Maximum elevation: 3,050 feet.

Topo maps: Lake Crescent; Custom Correct Lake Crescent–Happy Lake Ridge.

The Hike

This trail makes a steady ascent of a minor peak on the northern boundary of the park, with views of both Lake Crescent and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Cougars are occasionally sighted on the dry slopes of the mountain. The trek begins by ascending gradually out of the cedar-dominated valley bottom and onto the drier slopes above. Here a mixed forest of Douglas fir and bigleaf maple is underlain by Oregon grape and salal. Early openings in the trees offer views of Lake Crescent and Aurora Ridge beyond it. After 1.5 miles the trail crosses two intermittent streams and begins to climb more briskly across the fluted face of the ridge.

After another 0.5 mile the path zigzags up to a saddle in the ridge, where a poorly placed clear-cut interrupts the forest. Vancouver Island can be seen, as well as the patchwork scars of clear-cuts covering the slopes to the north. As the trail climbs along the north slope of the ridge, it enters a dark forest of hemlock and red cedar. This forest type thrives in the moist soils that occur on slopes shaded by the bulk of the ridge.

After mounting a series of false summits, the trail arrives at a second saddle that offers views to the south. Just beyond it lies the summit of Pyramid Mountain. Here an old lookout shack harks back to World War II, when observers were stationed at this spot to watch for Japanese aircraft that might attack the naval bases of Puget Sound. Views from the summit are sweeping, featuring the cobalt waters of Lake Crescent and the rugged summits of Mount Storm King and Happy Lake Ridge rising beyond it. Far beyond the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the snow-clad cone of Mount Baker rises above lesser peaks of the Cascades.