Sol Duc Falls is a perfect family-friendly excursion when you’re camping in the Sol Duc Campground. We had the pleasure of hiking this trail with my sister, her husband, and their two small children and everyone enjoyed the outing.
Hiked: late May
Best time to hike: May to October
Distance from Seattle: 3 hours, 40 minutes
Accessibility: Entirely paved highway and road
Length & elevation: 1.6 miles round trip, 255 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy
Crowds: Well-trafficked
Trail views: Forest, stream
One thing to note: while you don’t need a vehicle pass to park in the lot, you will have to enter Olympic National Park through the gates on the road leading to the trailhead. This means that you’ll have to pay the day use fee if you don’t have an annual pass (day use, valid for 7 consecutive days: $30, annual for Olympic National Park: $55, annual for all national parks: $80).
Since it was such a quick and easy trail, there isn’t quite as much to say about it, so this post will be more heavily focused on the photos and videos.
The trail is super nice, with only gentle inclines and declines, and fairly wide throughout. The trees are magical and it looks like you’re in a fairy tale.
Descending on our way to the falls
About halfway along the trail, there’s a pretty stream crossing with great photo opportunities, so be sure to stop and take a picture or two!
This hike was a great excursion if you’re camping in the Sol Duc campground – it’s a five minute drive, the hike itself is quite pretty, and the destination is nice as well. I wouldn’t recommend driving all the way from Seattle just to hike here, though – best to tag it on to a trip when you’re planning to be spending a few days in the area.
Elizabeth Seeks 