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Get a taste of the Olympic Peninsula’s delights along the Duckabush River Trail (Trip 1).

Southeastern Olympic Mountains

Remote enough that many Portlanders probably haven’t spent much time hiking there, the Olympic Mountains nevertheless loom large in the conceptual—and actual—landscape of the Pacific Northwest. The mountains fill the center of the Olympic Peninsula, a wild extension of land in western Washington that is separated from the rest of our region by Puget Sound and its numerous tidal arms. This was one of the last areas in the Lower 48 to be explored, and to this day much of the peninsula remains wonderfully undeveloped, thanks largely to the protection provided by Olympic National Park. Although relatively low in elevation (the highest peaks are only around 7,000 feet), the mountains are remarkably “tall” because they begin practically at sea level. They are also exceptionally rugged, having been eroded into sharp ridges and deep valleys by ancient glaciers and the enormous quantities of rain that continue to fall today.

Only a small portion of the far southeastern edge of this range is close enough to Portland to make a reasonable weekend destination, but that sampling is well worthwhile and, with the exception of lush rainforests, includes all of the attributes found elsewhere in these mountains: plenty of wildflowers, abundant wildlife, lovely streams and lakes, and terrific mountain scenery.