The Geyser Valley trail in Olympic National Park is an area along the

Elwha River The Elwha River is a river on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Mountains, it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river's cou ...

between Rica Canyon and the

Grand Canyon of the Elwha The Grand Canyon of the Elwha is a deep canyon on the Elwha River located below Dodger Point approximately upstream from the now-drained Lake Mills (Washington), Lake Mills in Washington, United States. It can be reached approximately from the W ...

, where many homesteaders tried to eke out a living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, this trail allows hikers to visit several interesting sites, as well as, providing several loops of different lengths. The route begins at Whiskey Bend Trailhead, at the end of Whiskey Bend road, approximately 5 miles from the Elwha Ranger Station. It travels for about 1.3 miles along the Elwha River trail, before the first descent down approximately 400 feet to

Goblins Gate Goblins Gate, or Goblin Gates, is a narrow gorge, about across, on the Elwha River in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. It is located in Olympic National Park where the Elwha River enters Rica Canyon, east-southeast of Olympi ...

at the head of Rica Canyon. The trail continues along the

through a riparian forest of bigleaf maple,

red alder ''Alnus rubra'', the red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America (Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Montana). Description Red alder is the largest species of alder in North A ...

, black cottonwood, with

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

, Western red cedar, and Grand fir. The trail passes the alder grove of

Krause Bottom Krause Bottom is a riparian forest area on the Elwha River along the Geyser Valley trail in Olympic National Park, Washington. It contains a forest of bigleaf maple, red alder ''Alnus rubra'', the red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree n ...

, where the first possible loop back up the slope heads up, and some old homesteader clearings, before arriving at Humes Ranch Cabin, approximately 3 miles from the trailhead. Humes Ranch Cabin is maintained today by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

as a historic site, and the meadows below the cabin are kept open as Humes once did. You can also see 100-year-old fruit trees in the pastures. Approximately 3/4 of a mile further, the trail climbs the eroding cliffs along the river and crosses Dodger point bridge at the mouth of the

. This marks the end of Geyser Valley, but the trail continues for 11 miles up to the summit of Dodger Point Mountain at over 5,700 ft. It is possible to begin looping back to the Elwha river trail, by slowly climbing the slope. The trail will meet the short-cut coming up from Humes Ranch Cabin and then will pass the old homestead of Michael's Cabin. The trail then heads back on a level grade back towards Whiskey Bend trailhead. Homesteaders historically reported seeing enormous numbers of salmon coming up the river each year to spawn. However, salmon have been blocked from the upper 65 miles of river habitat with the construction of the

Elwha Dam The Elwha Dam was a 108-ft (33 m) high dam located in the United States, in the state of Washington, on the Elwha River approximately upstream from the mouth of the river on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Res ...

in 1913. However, both the

and

Glines Canyon Dam Glines Canyon Dam, also known as Upper Elwha Dam, built in 1927, was a high concrete arch dam built on the Elwha River within Olympic National Park, Clallam County, Washington. It was located upstream from the mouth of the Elwha River at the S ...

were removed in 2012. As part of the

Elwha Ecosystem Restoration The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project is a 21st-century project of the U.S. National Park Service to remove two dams on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, and restore the river to a natural state. It is the largest da ...

project, Chinook salmon began returning to the Geyser Valley.

Gallery

Image:Humes.jpg, Humes Ranch Cabin Homestead Site Image:Elwha River - Dodger Point Bridge3.JPG, Dodger Point Bridge Image:Elwha River - Humes Ranch Area2.JPG, Geyser Valley of the Elwha River

External links

Humes Ranch Loop Description
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geyser Valley Trail Hiking trails in Olympic National Park Protected areas of Clallam County, Washington Transportation in Clallam County, Washington