Towering over Lake Crescent, Mount Storm King is often rated the best day hike in the park. The view from the top is impressive, with 360 views atop a narrow rock outcropping. The hike is also difficult, known for steep inclines and harrowing sections.
For those who make the hike, it’s an impressive accomplishment, and I met no person who was disappointed with completing it. But it’s not for everyone. We made this guide to help you plan and determine if it’s the right hike for you.
About the Hike
Distance: 4.1 miles | Type: Out & Back | Avg. Time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Strenuous | Dog Friendly: No
Mount Storm King is often listed as the top (or one of the top) hikes in Olympic National Park. And for good reason. The hike is challenging, and the payoff is worthwhile. The hike takes you up a very steep incline towards the peak of Mount Storm King.
The mountain is impressive, even known in Klallum tribe lore where the angered Mount broke a boulder from its peak (to give it its distinct shape), throwing the fighting warriors cutting Tsulh-mut (Lake Crescent) into the current lake crescent and Lake Sutherland.
The hike winds its way up the mountain towards the peak. However, about 1.8 miles into the hike, the trail enters an “unmaintained” portion. The park service does not maintain the trail beyond it.
This is where things get interesting and where the warnings on the hike come from. The last 0.25 miles of the ascent are where things get tricky. You’ll soon encounter a set of ropes of questionable stability. You use them at your own risk. Following that is a very short but steep scramble along a narrow edge to the final summit.
It’s nerve-wracking at times, but those who continue are awarded the best views in the park. The view from the summit is stunning and my favorite of the vistas along any of my hikes. And, of course, the sense of accomplishment is grand.
But don’t rest on your laurels; the first 0.25-mile descent is the most difficult of the hike. You are returning down along the same scramble and then down the same ropes you ascended. Be sure not to fully congratulate the accomplishment until you are back on level ground.
Note: We recommend bringing gloves for the rope portion of the trail. If you don’t have any, folks have left extras to borrow. While on the ascent, they may seem unnecessary, but they are hugely valuable on the descent.
Mount Storm King Trailhead & Parking
The parking area is located near the Mount Storm King Ranger Station. This is the main parking area for the trailhead. The parking can be pretty full, although don’t assume that it means that your hike is crowded. The parking lot is shared with folks hiking to Marymere Falls, which is far more popular.
The trailhead starts near the Ranger Station and continues to the lake before turning through a tunnel. If parking is full, some folks park near the Lake Crescent Lodge, which will add to the total hike length.
Best Time to Do the Hike
Summer is the best time to hike. The weather is essential for the hike. You want a relatively clear day, or the views you are climbing for won’t be visible.
I wouldn’t do the hike if it’s raining or has recently rained. There are some particularly tough spots that require very good traction, which seems more dangerous than necessary for a hike.
High winds and other weather conditions will make the trail exceedingly challenging or dangerous. I recommend saving this hike for a day when conditions are good. Spring or Fall can be great times for the hike if the weather permits.
The Mount Storm King Hike
The hike begins at the start of the parking area for Storm King Ranger Station. The trail follows the Marymere Falls Trail towards Lake Crescent.
You can get a pretty lovely view of the lake from near the trail.
The trail turns right and heads through a small tunnel to cross under the Olympic Highway.
The trail here is pretty flat. You’ll be on this flat area for about 0.2 miles before a fork.
The Mount Storm King Trail is to your left, while the Marymere Falls Trail continues to the right.
The trail ascends pretty rapidly here. It’s not a long hike, but its quite steep in places. You’ll continue up a series of switchbacks as you continue up towards the peak.
The trail continues for a while like this. It’s pretty much the same rocky, root filled trail with occasional flat areas. When you get to about 1.6 miles in total on the hike you’ll be treated with a quite lovely overlook of Lake Crescent. It’s good but there’s a better one at the end.
In about another 0.2 miles you’ll reach the sign that indicates that its the End of Maintained Trail. Beyond here is where the trail gets interesting. You’ll have some to be more mindful of the hike now.
I imagined right there the ropes would be present. But you still have a short distance. It’s a narrow area but not actually that scary.
Following this you’ll see the first set of ropes. Right before the ropes folks have left gloves. If you don’t have your own you may want to borrow some. The way up without ropes is probably fine, but I found the way down they were very handy. They saved my hands from rope burn.
Here’s my friend ascending the first set of ropes. The first set of ropes you can probably scramble up without using the rope. However, having it there was quite useful. They don’t always feel the most stable. Later ropes are pretty necessary I found. Especially for the descent. I didn’t get many photos of the rope part as it was pretty tricky taking a photo and not slipping in places.
There are several ropes you’ll have to traverse. The trickiest part is getting around folks going in the opposite direction. Good communication and taking turns is helpful here. It never felt so crowded and generally people were willing to share.
The ropes surprisingly were not the scariest part of the hike. Directly following the ropes is the last bit of hike you need to accomplish. It’s the hike up to the summit rock outcropping. There are no ropes here and it requires scrambling and traversing on a very rocky and narrow area. Just take it slow.
However, once you do finish that part you are awarded with just absolutely stunning views. This was definitely the payoff I was hoping for. The views from here were incredible and while the area is small it fit a fair number of folks up here. Thankfully people came and went frequently so it was never too crowded.
Once you finish here. Make your way back down. If you have gloves its worth using for the way down. If you borrowed some, return to the pile after you descend.
Tips & FAQs
- Bring Gloves or plan to borrow those left behind. While gloves may be okay on the ascent, they were really useful descending the ropes.
- Bring 2+ liters of water. Bring how much you need based on your hiking needs, but I think 2 liters should be the minimum. There is no water on the hike.
- Wear good footwear. You’ll need it for a lot of areas of the hike that are rocky, uneven, or require good traction.
- Leave no Trace. Leave places better than you found them. Pack in / Pack out. I hope there’s a day we don’t need to remind folks of this.
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