Grand Valley - Cameron Creek Loop

Hike up and down (and up again and down again, and then up one more time) around this loop in the northern part of Olympic National Park. You'll get stunning mountain views, pass tranquil lakes, and laze around in gorgeous alpine meadows, and you'll need that break, because the elevation gain on this one is no joke.

From the Obstruction Point Trailhead at Deer Park, head downhill initially through second-growth forest. The trail turns west and continues through the forest, now climbing steadily. Soon the forest peters out and the views improve as you continue climbing.

After 4.5 miles of gorgeous traversing, arrive at Roaring Winds camp. This is a dry camp but with a heck of a view -- if you can pack the water you need, it's a good get. Continuing on the traverse, you'll soon arrive at a junction for the Badger Valley trail and the Obstruction Point Trail. Stay right, and pass under Elk Mountain, the highest point of your loop! Follow the trail around the shoulder of Elk Mountain for 2 miles, passing another junction for the Badger Valley trail and arrive at the Obstruction Point trailhead.

This is a good spot for a snack. Drink some water and then hop right back on true trail, this time on the Grand Pass trail. Views here are incredible as you traverse Lillian Ridge, hiking straight into the horizon of peaks in front of you. 1.6 miles from Obstruction point, just as the trail begins to dip down the hillside, pass a junction for the bootpath to Moose Peak. The Grand Valley trail here is helpfully marked, and you'll follow it another 1.8 miles down to the junction where the Badger Valley trail links up with the Grand Pass trail, near Grand Lake.

Continue straight through this junction, keeping Grand Lake on your left, and hike about a mile, passing Moose Lake and arriving at the junction for Gladys Lake camp. All these are great options for an overnight, but be sure to have your permits.

Past Gladys Lake, there's a stunning basin leading up towards Grand Creek. It's a 1.2 mile climb from Gladys to the pass itself. Note that this basin can hang onto snow, so check trip reports and have traction with you if you're going out early in the season.

At Grand Pass, consider taking the 0.6 mile roundtrip side trip to Grand Pass Peak -- it has a gorgeous, 360-degree view from the top, and is well-graded and easy to follow. Plus it'll boost your spirits for the upcoming descent.

Leaving Grand Pass, you plunge 2400 feet in 1.6 miles. It's not great. Take it slow and take breaks as you need to. The top section has gorgeous views but the trail is rough -- you'll want to watch your step and probably stop walking to gawp at the scenery. As you descend, you trade the lack of views for better trail quality;  the trail at least starts switchbacking about halfway down it.

At the bottom, turn right and head up valley. Hooray, you get to make up some of that elevation loss as you head towards Cameron Basin! Another great campsite (permits required), Cameron Basin requires quite a bit of effort to get to -- you've got a brushy bushwhack ahead of you, but at least it's not for long. It's 2.3 miles to Cameron Basin, most of it along Cameron Creek, but once you turn and cross through an open, stream-filled meadow it's a lovely jaunt through more stunning scenery.

In the basin, look for your campsite and then head up to Cameron Pass. It is possible to hike through Cameron Pass and onto further destinations from here. Scout them from your vantage point in the pass, then head back to camp. You're heading out via Cameron Creek.

After the basin, retrace your steps to the junction with the steep Grand Pass trail you came down. Instead of heading back up (I would never do that to you) head straight on and hike alongside Cameron Creek. This section of the loop weaves in and out of forest and meadows. The trail is fairly overgrown but never too hard to follow. There are two campsites along this section as well. Permits are still required, but they're not quite as hard to secure as those for Grand Valley. You'll see why.

6.3 miles from the Grand Pass junction, finally arrive at Three Forks campground. This huge campground has a privy and a large open space as well as water access. It's a great spot, well worth lunch or even overnighting. Either way, definitely fill up on water here; the last section of this hike is a 4 mile uphill slog with no water source, and Deer Park (your end point) is also thin on water.

Luckily though, the Three Forks trail is pretty well-graded, despite being insistently uphill. There isn't much in the way of views for most of this section, but the salal and open forest are pretty enough, and provide shade if you're hiking in the heat of the day.

The last half mile of the Three Forks trail opens up and you do get nice views of where you've been on this trek. Arrive at a junction with the Deer Ridge Trail, turn left, and hike (Or stumble...depends on how many miles you crammed into your last day) the last 0.3 miles to the Deer Park trailhead!