Striped Peak Trail

The Striped Peak Trail does not actually go to Striped Peak. It gets close but the trail is mainly for hiking the forests below the peak, accessing a secret beach, then climbing to a high viewpoint well east of the Striped Peak summit. Hiking the main trail should be a worthy objective for every visitor, with the destination of the secret cove as the goal. This gives you about a mile hike with the best of the old-growth forest along the way.

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Access:

From Port Angeles take US Highway 101 toward Forks about 4.6 miles, then turn right on to Highway 112, (toward Joyce). Proceed 7.2 miles turning right on Camp Hayden Road. Proceed 3.4 miles to the Salt Creek Recreation Area. Drive past the entrance and take an immediate right to the small parking lot. There is a large kiosk board at the trailhead. Near the sign are two old road/paths. One is the official trail going left. To the right is a gated road (the optional return route or the main route if you are looking to reach Striped Peak quickly.)

Olympic Mountains

Distance: 0.25 to 5 miles
Summit Elevation: 1,166 feet
Elevation Gain: 150 feet to 1,100 feet
Access: Paved or Gravel Roads

Route:

From the parking area, follow the wide trail a short distance to another sign explaining the trail is maintained by the Boy Scouts. Now the trail narrows and heads along the bluffs over the water. It does several ups and downs, views are few but you can hear the water crashing against the rocks. Soon the cove comes into view. The trail climbs over a steep ravine before splitting. The downhill trail drops to the Secret Cove. It is improved and much nicer than any reports I have read online. For the loop hike and viewpoint, continue hiking as the trail goes another gentle mile. Then it climbs for a half mile. The forest goes from old-growth, to second growth, then turns into third growth as it climbs the switchbacks up the hillside. When the trail pops out on top, there is a big parking area and view over the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The lookout area has evidence that it was once a popular picnic and viewpoint. Now it is mostly overgrown and more of a run down shooting area.

Loop Route:

To continue as a loop trip, follow the road as it drops downhill. After a small switchback, you will reach an intersection. Take a right, going northwest. Walk this easy road about a half mile to an intersection. Now go left. In a short distance is another intersection (see the map). This is a loop that goes around Striped Peak. The quickest route to Salt Creek Campsites is to go left around the south side of Striped Peak. On the west side, before the road starts really climbing, there is an abandoned road dropping down to the west. This is now a trail. About halfway down, the trail turns back into a road, the gated road at the trailhead sign in the Salt Creek Campground.

True Summit:

There are at least two horse/motorcycle trails up the peak from the north and east sides of the road that loops around the summit area. Although close, the last few feet is a really bad brush bash that is difficult to tell what point is highest. I was attacked by a wasp nest here so be careful! I also ran into a bear on the way down! The summit has 991 feet of prominence.

Salt Creek