Enchanted Valley via East Fork Quinault River
1 week ago
Fall color is stunning, valley teeming with yellows and reds
3 this month · 41 reports
North Fork Quinault River and Halfway House
Olympic Peninsula
updated 2 weeks ago
The North Fork Quinault River trail is generally in good condition, with recent trail work noted by multiple reports. However, several obstacles are consistently mentioned. The road to the trailhead is suitable for all vehicles, though one report from August 27 described it as rough but passable.
Obstacles on the trail include numerous downed trees, especially between Elip Creek and Sixteen Mile Camp, and some overgrown sections. Bridges are also an issue; the bridge at Spaulding Creek is closed, requiring a ford or a felled tree crossing, and both bridges between Elip and Sixteen Mile are reported as damaged but passable with caution. Water crossings are generally reported as easy due to low water levels, though this can change. Bugs, particularly mosquitos, were noted as an annoyance in some reports, especially around Halfway House on July 4, though other reports from August 27, August 12, and July 20 found them not too bad.
Generated from 18 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about North Fork Quinault River and Halfway House
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 2 weeks ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
Downed trees are frequently mentioned, particularly between Elip Creek and Sixteen Mile Camp, with one large blowdown noted after the bridges on July 9. The Elip connector trail is described as enthusiastically overgrown as of August 12, and the trail is generally overgrown in places according to reports from July 20 and July 7.
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Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
Recent2 weeks ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
Thanks to all the NP trail crews that have done work through out the Quinault area. We saw and heard about clearing on North Fork Quinault, Elip Creek Trail and soon to be done work on Martins Lake a...
Recent4 weeks ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
We successfully completed the Skyline Trail in 3 nights/4 days! I did not find this trail particularly challenging or scary, although it is definitely “primitive.” But my background is in cross-countr...
Older1 month ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
Clockwise loop: Irely Lake, Three Lakes, Skyline to Elip Connector, Elip Creek to Wolf Bar, North Fork Trailhead.Not much to add from what others have said. Enormous gratitude for all the recent (and ...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
CCW Loop of North Fork Quinault, Skyline and Big Creek Trails5 days, July 20–24, 2026 | ~49.6 miles totalDay 1 (7.2 mi, +714'):Irely Lake TH → Elip Creek Camp. Started with a road walk to the North Fo...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
Sad, unsuccessful attempt at the Skyline Trail.The section of trail that had been closed after the 2023 fire finally reopened at the end of last hiking season, but we never got a chance to hike it bef...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula
North Fork Trailhead to Sixteen MileBefore even getting to the trail, we ran into a small issue when we navigated to the nearby Forest Service ranger station, rather than the National Park ranger stat...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
This report should be taken in the context that I'm older than the average hiker and that this was the last hike on my quest to finish every major trail in the ONP.Day 0: Met Phil, a college friend I ...
Older2 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
Beautiful trail. The forest is unlike most of the Olympics. We stopped at half-way house for lunch. Swarms of mosquitos made it difficult to relax. Recommend returning to creek crossing five minutes b...
Older3 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
We left the north fork quinault river trailhead along 3pm on Sunday, June 21st and hiked the 6.5 miles into Elip Creek Camp pretty easily. The trail is in fairly good condition to this point - no blo...
Older5 months ago
Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast
We only did a short bit of the trail, as it was more of a scouting day for us, but wanted to let people know that the North Shore road is now open, and mostly regraded/ and re-gravelled! A few pothole...