Perhaps the most popular hike in Olympic National Park, the trail up Mt Storm King is a brutal leg burner to a rugged summit with big time panoramic views. Set in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains, Mt Storm King is a relatively small, largely forested, peak that you may not notice from afar, but it provides awesome views from its summit and an adventure getting there!
The trail to the peak gains a massive 2,100 feet in just over 2 miles, so while this is a short hike, make no mistake, it’s hard! If you’re able to manage the hour or two of intense effort up this steep and rugged trail, it’s worth it for Olympics most popular hike!
Miles/Elevation:
4.1 miles
2,106 feet vertical gain
About Olympic National Park:
Situated along Washington’s Pacific Coast, Olympic National Park contains some of the nation’s most diverse environments all in one epic national park! From rock strewn beaches, to glaciated peaks, to temperate rainforest, Olympic has something for everyone!
Olympic National Park largely owes its diversity to the Pacific Ocean. Despite being located quite far north, the oceans’ moderating influence means temperatures never really get that cold here (at low elevations at least). On the beach it could be 50 degrees and foggy. In the forest and the hills it might be 40 degrees and raining. And in the alpine it may be 20 degrees and snowing!
A land of many diverse landscapes, Olympic has numerous awesome destinations. The Hoh Rainforest is the most famous of the park’s forests and contains the revered Hall of Mosses. Mt Olympus deep in the park’s backcountry is a sought after alpine summit. Hurricane Ridge is a must see spot in the park reached via a winding mountain road. And Rialto Beach is the most famous of all the parks’ beaches!
All these awesome spots are quite spread out though. Despite being located in the same park, it takes hours to drive from one side of the park to the other. This is largely due to the fact that there are no roads that pass straight through the park. Olympic largely consists of wilderness, and Highway 101 wraps its way all the way around the outside. It’s not a quick route, but it’s the only way to get from one side of the park to another.
Getting To The Trailhead:
The Mt Storm King Trail is near the northern edge of Olympic National Park right along Highway 101. The closest notable town is Port Angeles. From Port Angeles, follow 101 for about 18 miles on 101 West. You will eventually reach Lake Crescent, and roughly halfway around Lake Crescent, you will reach the turnoff for the Storm King Ranger Station on Lake Crescent Road. Turn off the highway, and then follow the signs to the large day use parking area near the ranger station.
Tips:
- Make a side stop at Marymere Falls before you head up Storm King.
- The trail is very steep, covered with roots, and very slippery. Wear good shoes, and always watch your step.
- The final approach to the summit involves pulling yourself up steep, slick, rock with ropes. Be prepared, and know your limits.
The Storm King Trail:
Starting Off:
From the parking lot, find the trail as it passes by the Storm King Ranger Station. There are meadows here interspersed with trees, and high above the tree covered Olympic Foothills provide great views to start the day!
Following the trail, you will briefly pass a small beach on Lake Crescent. This lake is not the main attraction of the day, but it is undeniably a beautiful lake. This little spot is a nice place to stop for a quick picture though.
After passing the lake, the trail passes under Highway 101. There is a tunnel under the 2 lane highway, and once under, you will find yourself in dense forest. The forest here doesn’t get quite as much rain as the Hoh Rainforest on the other side of the mountains, but whether it officially counts as rainforest or not, it’s really pretty!
There are some gigantic trees here, and hanging from many of the trees is the instantly recognizable Olympic moss! Below the trees and hanging moss, ferns cover large swathes of the ground, and tree roots are visible seemingly everywhere!
After a bit under half a mile, the trail will take a leftward turn as it enters the valley created by Barnes Creek. Once in the valley, you have a choice. The obvious option is to hike straight up Storm King; however, I would recommend a brief side trip to Marymere Falls.
Optional Side Trip To Marymere Falls:
Continue straight as you pass the turn off on the left which heads up towards Mt Storm King. About a quarter mile after that turnoff, the trail will split. Take a right and head across Barnes Creek.
There is a very nice bridge across Barnes Creek, and you definitely will not need to get your feet wet! Across the creek, turn right again and pass over a much smaller bridge crossing a much smaller creek! Once across this second bridge, you’re just about there!
After the second bridge, you will be forced up the steepest climb of the day towards the falls. There is also a fork in the trail. There is a tiny loop here, but both directions reach the overlook for the waterfall. I would go up one way and come down the other, but it really doesn’t matter which way you go up or down.
After a short but steep 150 foot climb, you will arrive at the viewing point for Marymere Falls. This waterfall is beautiful, but it’s not a huge waterfall by any means. I would describe it as gentle or delicate, really nice, but don’t expect Niagara! Anyway, it was a really pretty spot, and the sound of falling water in this rich forest was really really nice!
Up Storm King:
Back at the Storm King turn off, the following 1.6 miles to the summit will see you gaining about 2,000 vertical feet, so just calling this hike steep is a bit of an understatement!
Right from the beginning, you start climbing. The trail towards the bottom is probably about as bad as it gets. You’ll be making your way up a steep, slippery, root infested trail. If you can handle it physically that’s awesome, but hopefully you don’t trip over one of the literally millions of tree roots or slip on the nasty packed dirt inclines!
Be sure to check out the incredible Hall of Mosses when you’re visiting Olympic!
Complaining aside, the initial climb out of the valley passes through a tight set of switchbacks through Olympic’s famed pine forest. There is very little visibility down here, so don’t be expecting much for panoramic views near the start.
The Spruce Trail is a great little hike in Olympic’s rainforest!
As you climb though, the environment changes. The dense rainforest gives way to leafier and sunnier terrain, and once you are in pine forests up high, it is much brighter than the dense forest below.
Help keep this place beautiful. Follow Leave No Trace!
There aren’t a whole lot of milestones on this hike. Eventually though, you will reach the only real milestone on the trail before you begin approaching the summit. A bit over a mile and a half from the trailhead, you will reach the Crescent Lake Viewpoint. This viewpoint isn’t really marked, but it’s pretty obvious considering it’s the only place you can see Crescent Lake!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!
The views up here are pretty sweet, and it is nice to get an indicator of your progress considering you started along the shores of the lake below, and you really don’t get any views before this point!
After passing the viewpoint, you will begin approaching the upper slopes of the mountain. About a quarter mile after the viewpoint, the maintained trail ends, and the trail quality degrades significantly (if that’s even possible!).
Once this change occurs, you will be on more exposed terrain with views looking into the Olympic Mountains. As you continue climbing up the rough, rocky trail, you will eventually reach the crux of the day: the fixed lines leading to the summit.
Approaching The Summit:
The final approach to the summit of Mt Storm King takes you up steep rocky slopes that would be extremely dangerous to just walk or climb up. A slip here could easily mean falling hundreds of feet to your death, so ropes have been attached to trees and rocks in the area to help hikers pull themselves to the summit.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem too bad. The slope is steep, but not vertical. The ropes seem like a nice insurance policy but not totally necessary. However, when I got to this point, I actually decided to turn around.
This is possibly the most popular trail in Olympic, so there is a very low chance of actually having this area to yourself. There was a trio coming down the ropes while I was trying to go up the ropes, and people were going up the ropes just ahead of them, and more people were catching up to me who wanted to go up the ropes too. It was stressful!
I clambered up the first small pitch, but as I was approaching the top of the first rope, I decided to turn around. There were too many people all tugging on the same rope. The rock was actually super slippery and covered in fine dust. I just wasn’t comfortable with the climb, so I decided to go down.
No one likes turning around so close to a summit, especially after the hard work that went into getting so close, but for me it was the right call. Would I have made it up and down safely had I continued on? Most likely. Is there any need to push yourself when you aren’t comfortable? There isn’t. I like pushing myself, but for me this wasn’t the place to do it for me.
After turning around, the return to the trailhead was a straightforward, though difficult, hike back. Fortunately it was all downhill. Unfortunately the trail down the mountain was kind of terrible!
The descent down the upper slopes really wasn’t bad. The trail is steep, but the footing is good and there aren’t too many roots up high. But once I reached the lower slopes of the mountain, the footing was slippery, I was at risk of rolling an ankle with every step, and it really wasn’t fun. People around me were falling constantly, and I was thrilled when I finally made it to the bottom!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
I will fully admit I did not make it to the true summit of Storm King, so if you want to dismiss my opinion you are more than welcome, but to me, this isn’t a great hike. Sure the views are great at the top, but you spend a very long time without any views getting there. Yes the summit approach is cool, but the trail is a mess the entire way.
I totally get why people really like this hike and why it’s so popular, but to me it just isn’t a world class hike. For the adventurous, yea go for it. But would I plan a trip to Olympic built around this hike? Definitely not.
Pros:
- Huge views
- Exciting summit approach
- Nearby waterfall
Cons:
- Most of the hike is a brutal slog
- No views until near the top
- Rough and steep trail
- Treacherous final approach
Alternative Hikes:
Rialto Beach to Hole-in-the-Wall
When To Hike Mt Storm King:
Olympic National Park gets 4 strong seasons, and while the park can be visited all year, summer definitely has the best weather for being outdoors. The high elevation regions of the park receive huge snowfall totals during winter which makes for great skiing, but not so great hiking! Winter at low elevations means lots and lots of rain.
While you certainly can hike in the rain, the warmest, sunniest, weather of the year occurs during July and August. June and September can also have excellent conditions, but the risk of adverse weather and lingering snow at elevation are much higher.
I would personally recommend late July or August for a trip to Olympic, but if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds and aren’t interested in exploring the higher elevation backcountry, the shoulder months of June and September could be pretty nice. I personally would not visit here October through May because of the weather, but if you’re ok with tons of moisture and just don’t want to run into other people, by all means go for it. Be aware though the backcountry and high elevation reaches of the park will likely be snowed in.
Links For Further Reading:
Mount Storm King | Map, Guide – Washington | AllTrails
Mount Storm King — Washington Trails Association
Hiking Mount Storm King in Olympic National Park – Earth Trekkers
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