Gladys Divide

In the quiet southeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula, there is a hike leading from the only ranger station along Hood Canal and rising above the powerful and beautiful North Fork of the Skokomish River.

At 20 miles round trip, with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain, the path leading to Gladys Divide counterintuitively gets less tiring with every additional mile as the terrain opens up, exposing fantastic views of the entire Olympic interior, making you forget about your pumping heart and heaving lungs. While long and difficult, the experiences one has while hiking to Gladys Divide give a better insight into just what the human body is capable of accomplishing.

Starting along the Skokomish River and ending near the start of the Hamma Hamma River, this trail gives you forests, waterfalls, lakes, valleys, snowcapped, rugged mountains and panoramic views that will make you drool.

Except for late summer and autumn, Gladys Divide is rarely hiked, making this trail one of the best hikes in the Staircase Region of Olympic National Park. The first seven miles of the trail follows the Flapjack Lakes Trail, wandering past Donahue Creek Falls and next to the gorgeous Flapjack lakes. While awesome, press on past the lakes and keep heading up toward Gladys Divide.

The trail to Gladys Divide is one and a half miles long. Views from it are impressive, including the ridiculously craggy Olympic Mountains. Passing near the Olympic’s Sawtooth Mountains, the trail gains elevation, skirting a ridge, eventually capping off at the divide, overlooking the start of the Hamma Hamma River.

Take in this view before exploring a small path to your left, which gets you to the top of Mount Gladys and world class views of the entire Olympic Peninsula.