Deer Park Rd out of Port Angeles, part of Olympic Naitonal Park, is quite an adventure. Derek rode up it before it was open to cars for the season so we knew what to expect. After the pavement ends it’s 8 miles of narrow winding dirt road with a lot of blind corners and a steeeeeeep dropoff. But, there is fantastic hiking up at the top!
This is wilderness so there is no riding on the trails at the top. We hiked the Maiden Peak Trail which I highly recommend if you can swing it. It’s rated moderate which is probably fair, but the altitude might get some people. If that’s the case you can always turn around because it is an out and back.
The trail starts downhill through the forest and then undulates a bit before heading up the rest of the way. There are a few meadow breaks with wildflowers but it isn’t until past the two mile mark that you can look back and see water and the mountains. It’s a great view and very quite up on the trail.
When you are done with the hike be sure to continue driving another mile up the road to Blue Mtn. The views are expansive of all the mountains seemingly everywhere in Washington. It was a little hazy when we were up there but you can see the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands as well. The short half mile Rainshadow hike at the top is a nice loop and we tacked that onto our day since we were up there.
The Rainshadow Trail is a short loop that goes to the top of Blue Mtn (6,100′). Numbered signs correspond with an information pamphlet that talks about the area. About 15,000 years ago a massive continental ice sheet held the Olympic Mountain and the 3,500-foot thick ice reached halfway up this mountain! It’s a special place for sure.
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