Backpacking Olympic National Park: Seven Lakes Basin | High Divide Trail
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- One of the most scenic backpacking trails in the Olympic National Park wilderness. The High Divide Trail in the Seven Lakes Basin location in Washington state offers stunning alpine views from Mt Olympus through the Hoh River Valley. We spent one night on the majestic High Divide trail and hike over 19-miles, across 4,000 feet of elevation gain.
We hiked the trail counterclockwise and started from the Sol Duc Trailhead and stopped at Sol Duc Falls, Deer Lake, Bogachiel Peak (overlooks 7 Lakes Basin), Heart Lake, and stayed at the Lower Bridge Creek campsite. We recommend this hike for an overnight or day hike.
Olympic National Park covers almost 1 million acres of wilderness and 70 miles of coastline. We have so much more to explore! We ended our trip visiting Ruby Beach on the Olympic coast and a stop at Ember Goods for a pick-me-up coffee in Olympia, Washington.
Washington Trail Association trip report for 7 Lakes Basin
www.wta.org/go...
Book your backpacking permits 6 months prior to your hike. Here is the link to the Olympic Wilderness Permit Information for this trail: www.recreation...
Learn more about the original stewards of the land and the 8 tribes, the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Skokomish, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, and Mak that made Olympic National Park home: www.nps.gov/ol...
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Welcome! We’re Helen and Tim Travel, a husband and wife duo with a goal to see the world one mountain at a time. We live in the PNW and enjoy all outdoor adventures. On the weekends, you can find us in the mountains, the sea, or somewhere on a hiking trail.
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So beautiful! We were just saying we love how informative your videos are ❤️
Thank you! We love to provide the voiceover and the fun facts in our videos. Glad you like them!
Great hike! Enjoyed watching ur today's video. Thanks for taking us there.. Stay connected 😊🙋🏼♀️
Thanks so much! It was a fun adventure. Missing Summer here during the rainy and cloudy Pacific Northwest days in Oregon!
We never would have guessed there was a lot of humidity there! That’s good to know. It looks incredible, though! So many lakes-so little time!
So much humidity! It is surprising considering it’s so far up there. Between that and the rain that’s what keeps it so green, especially in the Hoh Rainforest. One spot we haven’t been to. We can’t wait to get back out there. Have y’all been before?
@@HelenandTimTravel We have never been there before but would love to go!
You both would love it! Lots of stunning hikes and coastlines. Recommend the Hurricane Ridge area, Shi Shi Beach, Lake Quinault area (cool lodge there), Mt Olympus area, and Enchanted Valley backpacking. There is a place called Sol Duc Hot Springs resort we want to check out at some point when they reopen!
I heard you mention mountain goats in the video. If you're curious, over the last 6 or so years they have been removing them from the park since they aren't native. As far as I know, there are basically none left, which is a good thing.
That’s interesting info and good to know. Appreciate you sharing with us. Thanks!
I grew up hiking and climbing in the Olympics, and I remember when you did not need a permit. You probably don't need bear spray in the Olympics, the Cascades, yes, but I count every ounce I am carrying. I have only seen one black bear (in the SE section) in all those years. Save the bear spray for Portland.
I’m sure it was such a different time then and way more peaceful pre permits. Counting every ounce you carry is valid. We don’t often carry bear spray when hiking in Washington, but we weren’t sure so better to be safe ☺️
I enjoyed this video, thank you and keep on trekking!
Glad to hear you enjoyed watching! Thanks so much. We hope to keep sharing adventures🥾🏔 and connect with like minded people like you in this RUclips community. What part of PNW are you based? We are in Portland!
I had been living in the mid-Willamette valley but recently made a move to Westport, WA. I’m really enjoying the natural beauty here but the weather is taking some getting used to!😂🤣😂 I have subscribed and have watched some of your other adventures. You’re doing a nice job of editing and you two are very likable. Be blessed!
@@boringoldguy796 We have always wanted to go to Westport. Helen is a surfer and has heard good things about the surf there. I can imagine it’s a bit more rainy up that way. Sure it’s beautiful! Worth it right?! Appreciate the nice words about editing. We are just starting out so trying to find our style and improve our story telling. Look forward to having you in our community!
Rain and wind! The surf at Westhaven SP by the south jetty offers some pretty decent waves and, as a bonus, is an excellent agate hunting beach. If you make it up this way definitely let me know, I’d love to buy you a coffee or smoothie and have a chat 😊
Thanks for the tips!! We will definitely let you know when we head that way. We love coffee and good convos! ☕️
So insane
We really love the Olympics and have so many other places in the area we want to explore! 🥾
Very beautiful video. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! We appreciate the kind words ☺️
The Olympics are beautiful! Thanks for the tips and I hadn't heard of the High Divide before!
You’re welcome! The permits for High Divide are super hard to come by in the summer. We have info on permitting in the video description. Let us know if you end up heading that way. You’re going to love it!
thank's for taking me along, physically not able to do this now, with re-hab possibly in time I will be able
Sending lots of healing vibes to you, Peter. Hope you can get out there soon. Tim is a physical therapist and has a channel @PTTimeWithTim if you’re ever looking for strengthening exercises ☺️
the views is awesome.
It’s such a beautiful hike! Highly recommend it if your visiting the Olympic peninsula 👍🏽
Go to Olympic National Park often, but I've never done this trail. Beautiful trail and great video. Can't wait for your next video. Love you ended at Ruby Beach. A great beach with lots to see!
That’s awesome to hear! Olympic National Park is such a underrated park. Ruby beach is beautiful! We hope to check out more beaches the next time we head out that way. Shi Shi is high on our list. Thanks so much for watching! Excited for you to tune into the next video.
Awesome!!!!
Thanks so much, Phil! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Looks like a great adventure! Can't wait to go, it would make for a really fun run!
It really was a fun adventure. Maybe next time we make it back out, we can catch a clear window 😎☀️It would make for a great trail run! We would definitely power walk all the steps 🤣😅
Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! It’s a beautiful spot in Olympic National Park that’s off the beaten path 🏔🥾
We are so happy to have you here! Thanks for stopping by and checking out our Olympics NP adventure. We are working to get our website up to share resources on hiking, Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE), and gear tips. Visit www.helenandtimtravel.com to sign up for our mailing list.
Washing off sunscreen into the local ecosystem… a sun hoodie also work as sunscreen
Thanks for watching Bryce and checking us out. We both wear a hoodie that helps protect from the sun and love them. You make a great point and honestly that didn’t cross our mind while we were sweaty and tired. We will do better and make sure we our conscious of that going forward. We love the environment and want to protect it! 🌏
Looks amazing, and you give so many helpful tips!
It was a lovely trip and much needed. We would love to backpack the coastline sometime.
I got a horrible cold the week ish prior so this was a good pick me up. Glad you found this tips useful. Happy trails! -Helen
Great work and inspiring as usual.
Thanks so much, Cash! Appreciate you watching and leaving us a kind note. More to come!
Fun video! The views are awesome 😍 Definitely adding this hike to my list
Thank you! This hike definitely makes the top 10 of our favorite hiking spots in the PNW. Permits info linked in our RUclips notes if you’re wanting more info, but no permit required if you’re day hiking, just backcountry camping 🥾
great vid guys, one of my favorite trails
Thanks for stopping by! It’s one of our favorite trails too! We will have to check out your gear review videos. Are you PNW based?
@@HelenandTimTravel yep I’m based in Port Angeles so have the Olympics as my backyard. What about y’all?
@@BackcountryRenegade awesome! We were in that area for the first time last summer for this video. Lots more to see. We are based in Portland, Oregon. May be fun to meet up for a hike sometime
I did this as a day hike. 19 miles. Saw 10 bears.
Wow! That’s awesome! 10 bears is an awesome experience. We didn’t see one!
@@HelenandTimTravel it was in the fall. The bears were on the move.
Very cool! Also, very impressive you did this as a day hike. Sometimes we like to do longer day hikes so we don’t have to carry heavy packs
There a VERY VERY few people in their 50's who could hike 19 miles with a 4000 ft elevation gain in one day. That is a hell of a feat even for people in their 20's who hike a lot. You could defiantly be a professional trial runner. I lived in Yosemite National Park for years, my brother was a hiking guide there for 7 years. I have know only a few people who could have done what you did.
@@vids595 Ha ha I was exhausted at the end. I was trail running at that time. However, I don't think there are "few" people. The PCT hikers get some good elevation going and they hike 20-35 miles a day. I followed The Field trip, a lady and her boys on the PCT they hit 40 miles a day at times. So I don't think my 19 miles was too special. Just a really great experience.
Since 1980 I have backpacked High Divide hike over a dozen times. It’s much better in a 3 or 4 day trip. You missed Cat Basin and Appleton Pass. Camp in the high county and just walk through the woods.
We would love to go back and do those other two sections. We only had a night there and would love to do a multi day. That’s so awesome you have been through that area a dozen times. A 3 or 4 day trip, you could really soak it in. Thanks for sharing your experience
Couldn't agree more Randy.I would only use the trail along the river and Sol Duc Park if the weather was bad,and was hiking out.
Definitely consideration for the future ☺️
Loved your video!! I’m hoping I can do this one day with my grown kids! I’m a beginning backpacker, so I feel like I need to get a few more trips in before I tackle something this long. 😅
Thank you for watching ☺️! Sure you would do great! We definitely recommend 2 nights if you can get the permits for it. It would be more enjoyable and give you more time to enjoy the views. What trips do you have on your list?
@@HelenandTimTravelMy son says he wants to take me backpacking to Enchanted Valley in the Olympic National Park. I would also like to explore the North Cascades.
That’s a great trail to go on, especially for beginners. It’s long, but not as much elevation…well spread out. We saw lots of wildlife and the valley is stunning. There are many parts of the north cascades that we have yet to explore! ☺️
Sorry the clouds got in the way of some better views, but it made for some pretty cool shots at least! Gotta set up a GoPro at night to see the animals pass through! (though imagine it'd be a beast to edit)
Tis a shame you didn't go to the Twilight Museum. I fully expect a Halloween themed video next year where you dress up as Edward and Bella and climb one of those giant trees!
That would be so awesome to have camera with night vision capabilities to capture video of the animals.
We are a bit bummed about the views, but we were thankful that the clouds dispersed enough to let us see the mountaintops. Have you been to the Olympics before? We have so much to explore! Olympics is almost 1 million acres!
@@HelenandTimTravel I have not made it out to the west coast in general as of yet, but I will put it on my list. A million acres is pretty huge! I wonder how much of that is accessible to the general public.
If you do, please let us know! We would love to meet you and have so many recommendations for you. Saw this on the NPS website. Looks like Olympic NP has 16 developed campgrounds
64 trailheads, 611 miles of trail, and 168 miles of road.
I did this hike last year and also noticed that exact same butt tree! I also took a photo of it! Also, what tripod thing do you have for your goPro. It fits nicely on your chest strap of your bag.
We loved the butt tree! Haha! We have the GoPro 3-Way Grip/Tripod and we love it! You can find more info and other gear on our gear page: helenandtimtravel.com/hiking-gear-list/
I REALLY wanted to do this trip last time I was in Washington but couldn’t secure permit. Great video!
Thank you! The permits were very hard to secure. We were both on the computer trying and within seconds the high divide campsites were all gone. They are now open on a 6 month rolling basis for the summer. Are you going to try and go for it again this summer?
@@HelenandTimTravel yea that trip was last minute so I had to take what I could get. If I ever get the chance to plan a trip there way ahead of time then I’ll def look into reserving sites in that area
@@mikewanders we tried to do a last minute there the first summer we moved here but quickly realized that permits were needed with it being so popular. It took us a couple tries before we could secure them. Having multiple people get on the morning of permit release makes it much easier to obtain one. It’s crazy when the permits opened up, they were gone within 10 mins 😅 Good luck! I’m sure you’ll get out there soon
@@HelenandTimTravel man that’s difficult. Heard the alpine lakes wilderness is also an incredibly hard permit to secure.
@@mikewanders have you heard of the goat rocks wilderness? It’s a really nice spot for backpacking in Washington. No permits needed. Well self issue at the trailhead :)
I hate crossing the bridge into Portland 😂
🤣haha it’s the worst most of the time! One time at 6 am we had to wait because a boat was passing through and the bridge came up. Only interstate in the states that has this.
Super amazing so beautiful 💞 am here for you and pls see you too 😊
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and checking our videos out. ☺️ happy trails!
BO-GAWK-EYAWL
Not sure what this means 😅
I’m trying to phonetically say the word that you can’t get right. As in Bogachiel Peak.
@@daniel2467 Friday brain! Thank you for sending this. It was our favorite part of our hike!