The hardest hikes in Olympic National Park, by the numbers
Of the 145 trails in Olympic National Park in our dataset, 54 (37 percent) rate strenuous or very strenuous on the gain-and-distance scale we use and run 3 to 30 miles with at least 1,500 ft of climb; these are the 25 with the highest rating.
North Fork Skokomish River Trail leads with 12,852 ft of gain over 16.9 miles, 760 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 77 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 2,993 to 12,852 ft and distance from 8.4 miles to 26.7 miles; the median gain is 4,574 ft and the median distance 14.5 miles.
13 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are out-and-back (9) or loop (3).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Fork Skokomish River Trail | 16.9 | 12,852 | 760 | 77% | 1,402 to 5,932 | 659.1 | |
| 2 | Elwha River Trail | 17.1 | 12,635 | 739 | 93% | 1,430 to 5,247 | 657.4 | |
| 3 | Bogachiel River Trail | 14.5 | 12,135 | 837 | 74% | 812 to 4,371 | 593.2 | |
| 4 | Barnes Creek Trail | 14.7 | 9,849 | 670 | 584 to 4,683 | 538.1 | ||
| 5 | Skyline Ridge TrailOlympic Peninsula | 20.3 | 6,267 | 309 | 59% | 3,134 to 5,296 | 504.4 | |
| 6 | Grand Pass Trail | 11.7 | 10,864 | 929 | 95% | 3,844 to 6,684 | 504.2 | |
| 7 | Elwha River TrailOlympic Peninsula | 26.7 | 3,922 | 147 | 32% | 1,104 to 3,638 | 457.6 | |
| 8 | Hoh River TrailOlympic Peninsula | 17.1 | 4,897 | 286 | 32% | 681 to 5,089 | 409.2 | |
| 9 | Gladys DivideOlympic Peninsula | 17.6 | 4,331 | 246 | 73% | 841 to 4,959 | 390.4 | |
| 10 | Elwha River Trail | 12 | 5,994 | 500 | 57% | 306 to 1,827 | 379.3 | |
| 11 | Queets River Trail | 12.9 | 5,309 | 412 | 385 to 3,713 | 370.1 | ||
| 12 | Boulder Lake - Happy Lake Ridge LoopOlympic Peninsula | 16.1 | 4,238 | 263 | 57% | 1,723 to 5,272 | 369.4 | |
| 13 | High Divide LoopOlympic Peninsula | 17.6 | 3,739 | 212 | 25% | 1,981 to 5,331 | 362.8 | |
| 14 | East Fork Quinault TrailOlympic Peninsula | 18 | 3,552 | 197 | 31% | 628 to 3,253 | 357.6 | |
| 15 | Bailey Range RouteOlympic Peninsula | 13.4 | 4,574 | 341 | 44% | 4,299 to 6,007 | 350.1 | |
| 16 | North Fork Skokomish River TrailOlympic Peninsula | 14.7 | 4,140 | 282 | 38% | 835 to 4,652 | 348.9 | |
| 17 | North Fork Quinault River TrailOlympic Peninsula | 15.8 | 3,848 | 244 | 21% | 497 to 3,548 | 348.7 | |
| 18 | Heather Park LoopOlympic Peninsula | 11.8 | 4,730 | 401 | 54% | 1,848 to 6,033 | 334.1 | |
| 19 | Elwha River Trail | 8.4 | 5,951 | 708 | 86% | 1,240 to 4,224 | 316.2 | |
| 20 | Dosewallips River TrailOlympic Peninsula | 13.1 | 3,701 | 283 | 24% | 1,602 to 4,495 | 311.4 | |
| 21 | Six Ridge TrailOlympic Peninsula | 10.1 | 4,546 | 450 | 53% | 1,482 to 4,639 | 303 | |
| 22 | Long Ridge TrailOlympic Peninsula | 9.5 | 4,758 | 501 | 32% | 1,020 to 5,726 | 300.7 | |
| 23 | Hayden Pass TrailOlympic Peninsula | 10.2 | 4,140 | 406 | 23% | 1,796 to 5,820 | 290.6 | |
| 24 | Happy Lake Ridge TrailOlympic Peninsula | 9 | 4,278 | 475 | 54% | 1,739 to 5,281 | 277.5 | |
| 25 | O'Neil Pass TrailOlympic Peninsula | 11.5 | 2,993 | 260 | 37% | 2,718 to 4,943 | 262.4 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band strenuous (150 to 200) or very strenuous (200 and over), 3 to 30 miles, at least 1,500 ft of gain, ordered by rating desc, gain per mile desc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Olympic National Park" here means the 145 trails in Olympic National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Olympic National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with North Fork Skokomish River Trail.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.