field notes
Five favorite day hikes that are perfect in the fall
Words by Nancy Blakey
A backpacker wets her trekking pole handles to stay cool during a hike along the Hoh River in Olympic National Park.
(Photo: Adobe Stock/Forest2Sea)
Autumn is the best time to hit the trails—the crowds have thinned, the weather is holding, and there are blue berries ripening on the hills. Chanterelles also appear in many of our region’s forests after the first significant rain. They are an easy mushroom to identify, but always check your bounty with those familiar with mushroom foraging.
Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve
Bainbridge Island
Distance: over 4 miles of trails
Difficulty level: easy to moderate
Why go: It has it all—from a short ramble through the woods to an all-day walk through a lush forest down to a public beach on Rich Passage. Pick one of the many lovely trail options through mature woods, and be sure to turn off your electronic devices, as an easement clause asks all visitors to silence their cellphones and preserve the enchanting quiet here. If you’d like to increase the miles, there are many side paths and loops, most well-marked, to add to the day. Gazzam Lake in the fall, with its still waters, is an inviting stopover for many species of waterfowl. And keep an eye out for chanterelles! Horses are allowed on the trails, so be sure to yield to equestrians.
Dogs are permitted on leashes.
Directions and trail reports: wta.org
Maps: biparks.org
Rocky Brook Falls
Dosewallips River Valley
Distance: 1/4 mile
Difficulty level: easy
Why go: It is one of the most beautiful and accessible waterfalls on the Olympic Peninsula. This is more a short walk than a hike to a large and dazzling waterfall. It’s also a fine place to picnic. The classic horsetail falls spill from a hanging valley into a pool where on hot summer days you’ll find swimmers, but in the fall you’re likely to have it to yourself. There are plenty of trails in the area if you want more of a hike, including the lovely Maple Valley Loop in Dosewallips State Park.
Discover Pass required.
Silver Lakes
Buckhorn Wilderness
Distance: 11 miles round trip
Difficulty level: strenuous
Why go: It’s a beautiful detour off the crowded Mount Townsend trail with mountains, meadows and an alpine lake. Silver Lakes is a quintessential Northwest hike well worth the sweat to get there, and the reward is a gorgeous lake tucked into a remote cirque. After the first two wooded miles, the landscape bursts open with views of the Cascades. At mile three you will take a left off the Mount Townsend Trail and continue to climb (and climb), then descend into the cirque with a number of large flat rocks along the lake shore to rest and eat your well-deserved lunch.
Upper Dungeness River
Olympic Peninsula
Distance: 6.8 miles round trip
Difficulty level: easy to moderate
Why go: When it’s raining everywhere else, this terrific hike is smack in the middle of the rain shadow of the Olympics. This picturesque trail along the Dungeness River is the go-to hike when the weather is iffy, and Camp Handy, with its shelter if it begins to rain, is your picnic point while the trail continues on to Home Lake. Stop at the fabulous restaurant Nourish with its outdoor seating in Sequim for dinner, open Thursday through Sunday.
Northwest Forest Pass required.
Hoh River Trail to Mount Tom
Creek Camp
Hoh Rainforest
Distance: 6 miles round trip
Difficulty level: easy
Why go: There are few hikes as transcendent as this one through the Hoh Rainforest. Although not a short drive from most places on the peninsula, it makes a fantastic first backpacking trip if you choose to camp out at Mount Tom Creek Camp (or stay at Kalaloch Lodge if camping is not your thing). In addition, you can visit the One Square Inch of Silence. The trail covers the first three miles of the 17.5 mile Hoh River Trail, gently winding through rainforest along the Hoh River with the cinematic score of river music accompanying you. The One Square Inch of Silence, possibly one of the quietest places in the United States, is just off the trail from the Mount Tom Creek campground. If you camp, the silence breaks in the month of September when you might hear the high bugling of elk in the evening; it’s their mating season as they compete for females. This is a truly magical hike.
America the Beautiful Pass or Standard Entrance Pass required.
Welcome to Field Notes, Nancy Blakey’s column on outdoor adventures and the natural wonders of the Olympic Peninsula, Hood Canal and Kitsap County. Blakey is the author of the local guide books By the Shore, and The Mountains Are Calling.
Protein trail snacks
INGREDIENTS
Yields 22 1 oz. balls
1 c. peanut butter
1⁄2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
2⁄3 c. shredded unsalted raw almonds
1⁄3 c. raisins
5 prunes (chopped)
1⁄3 c. honey
2 tbsp.local bee pollen
1⁄4 c. chia seeds
1⁄2 c. unsalted sunflower seeds
3⁄4 c. rolled oats
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
STEPS
- Mix ingredients and form into balls by rolling between palms.
- Freeze overnight for a perfect trail snack.
Recipe & photo by
Hayley Trageser
Fruitful Designs Services