Backpacking in Olympic National Park

LENGTH	ELEVATION	DIFFICULTY	SEASON	PERMITS	TRAILHEAD
20-24 mile loop	5,400-6,000+ feet	Moderate	Summer through Fall	Olympic Wilderness Permit	Maps Location

Dive into the enchanting wonders of Olympic National Park, where lush forests, rugged coastlines, and serene alpine lakes converge to create an unparalleled wilderness experience. While the park is renowned for its towering forests and dramatic rocky beaches, there’s more to Olympic than meets the eye.

Nestled within its vast expanse are hidden gems like the verdant Hoh Rainforest and the rugged beauty of its rocky shores. But beyond these iconic landscapes lies a lesser-known treasure trove of alpine lakes and meadows, waiting to be discovered.

Get ready to experience the best high country Olympic National Park has to offer with the Seven Lakes Basin / High Divide Loop. This must-do 1-3 night backpacking trip will take you through stunning alpine meadows, pristine mountain lakes perfect for a refreshing swim, and abundant wildlife.

If you’re staying overnight, make sure to book an Olympic National Park wilderness permit, and read the Olympic National Park’s food storage regulations before arriving.

Getting There and Parking

The hike starts at the Sol Duc Trailhead, around 3.5 hours from Seattle, and 5.5 hours from Portland. The trailhead is popular for backpackers and day hikers alike, so expect competition for parking by mid-morning. When the main lot fills, find additional parallel parking on the entry road (this also fills by late morning!)

Accessing Sol Duc trailhead requires a National Parks Pass in addition to any overnight wilderness permits, payable upon entry at the guard station.

Hike Through This Trail With Me

Hike Details

The High Divide loop can be hiked in either direction, though I suggest hiking clockwise for easier access to the best campsites.

Sol Duc Falls

The first mile is an easy hike through the forest, arriving at the start of the loop just before Sol Duc Falls. Stay right at the fork to hike the loop clockwise, dropping down to Sol Duc Falls and heading to Deer Lake.

The trail climbs through a dense forest beyond Sol Duc Falls, becoming much quieter as day hikers drop off. From the bridge by the falls, it’s about 2.5 miles of forested, uphill hiking until you reach Deer Lake, the first of the lakes you’ll encounter on this hike.

Deer Lake

There’s camping available at Deer Lake, but you’ll find much better places further on. We took a short break here before continuing our hike.

Deer Lake offers a nice, clean lake as well as a pit toilet.

The scenery gets more interesting beyond Deer Lake, transitioning to heather meadows interspersed with ponds.

Lunch Lake

Keep climbing through varied terrain for another 3.4 miles until you reach the Lunch Lake/Round Lake trail junction. Lunch Lake is one of the prettiest camping areas on the loop, and whether you have a spot there or not, I highly recommend hiking the scenic 0.8 miles down to the lake. There is clear signage for Lunch Lake at the junction.

From the Lunch Lake trail junction, it’s about 1 mile further to the Hoh Lake trail turnoff, passing Bogachiel Peak. This is a gorgeous section of trail, with blooming wildflowers in July-August, and a view of glaciers peeking over a knife-edge ridge.

Hoh Lake

If you’ve booked a campsite at Hoh Lake, take a right at the turnoff to hike 1.2 miles down to Hoh Lake. It’s a steep trek down to the lake, but definitely worth it. I camped at Hoh Lake, and I found it to be my favorite part of the hike, though not officially a part of the loop.

Hoh Lake has about 5 campsites, an open-air pit toilet, and offers bear hangs. When I went in August, the lake was filled with tadpoles…

Heart Lake

If you’re not camping at Hoh Lake, or just don’t want to be bothered with the extra milage and elevation, keep left at the Hoh Lake turnoff to stay on the High Divide trail. The next destination is Heart Lake, 2.4 miles from the Hoh Lake turnoff. This is an excellent camping area, still in the alpine high country with plenty of views.

Sol Duc River

Past Heart Lake, the trail steeply descends for 6.7 miles along the Sol Duc River, through a seemingly never-ending series of switchbacks. Once you get out of the high country, there’s not too much to see in this section besides trees, and it can start to feel like a slog. Eventually, you’ll connect back to the loop near Sol Duc Falls, with only an easy mile back to the parking lot.

Best Campsites

There are many camping options along the loop, but sites must be reserved in advance. Here are my recommended campsites:

Lunch Lake: 0.8 miles off the loop
Hoh Lake: 1.2 miles off the loop (Note that Hoh Lake will show up in the Hoh Zone instead of the Sol Duc Zone on the reservation site.)
Heart Lake
Deer Lake: last resort if the other lakes are taken!

Permit Info

A wilderness permit is required to backpack Olympic National Park between May 15th and October 15th. Permits go on sale April 15th at 7 AM PST (exact dates vary each year), with the most popular locations selling out rapidly. Less popular campsites may remain available throughout the summer, and you can sometimes get lucky with cancellations.

Permits are reserved from Recreation.gov when available. For additional information about the Olympic wilderness, visit the National Parks website.

Bear and Wildlife Safety

Olympic National Park has a noticeable population of Black Bears, necessitating proper storage of food and scented items. Most campsites in the park require the use of bear canisters, though a few also have bear wires with a pulley system (but bring your own rope, just in case).

It’s not uncommon to see Black Bears in the Olympic National Park, along with other wildlife. The Olympic National Park’s Wildlife Safety article is a great place to learn more about the wildlife in the park. We saw lots of wildlife while hiking, including ptarmigan, deer, and marmots!