Staircase Rapids Loop: Olympic National Park

This hike is one of our top five favorites in Washington, it is absolutely gorgeous and a must do! Here’s some tips to know before you go and what pass you’ll need.

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Staircase Rapids Loop
Inside Olympic National Park
2.1 Miles Round trip
Easy
This trail is great for any age! Easy with beautiful sights and just a little over two miles. You must have a National Park pass or purchase a day pass to enter. You can purchase one ahead of time online or pay when you enter the park. If you are military, you can get the America the Beautiful annual National Park pass for free when you enter! Olympic National Park is not dog friendly.
To view passes, click HERE.

I NEVER go on a hike without using the All Trails App. This is the best way to find trails, get directions to them, and keep track of where you are on the trail while you’re hiking. Plus, there is no cell service out here in this area. View and read about the app HERE.

There is a small parking lot where you drive in but a larger overflow parking lot. Bathrooms are available here at the trailhead. I suggest arriving early since this is a popular trail.

We actually did the trail backwards without realizing it (it doesn’t matter which way you go though). The trailhead start is by the overflow parking lot, we started on the bridge by the first lot.

Shop my outfit by clicking the small photos above.
In the summertime the spot below the bridge would be a fantastic spot to splash around and play in the water!

You walk along the Skokomish River pretty much the entire hike. It is the most gorgeous blue water! Watch for side trails that go off the main trail and lead down to the water.

Your half way point is the suspensions bridge where you cross over the river.

You’ll pass and cross over a smaller creek during the hike too.

The last overview is a gorgeous high viewpoint, you’ll take the smaller path over a fallen tree to it. This drop is at least twenty feet high so be careful not to get close to the edge. The view is stunning and you can see the bridge where you started at.

These signs are at the trail head (remember I told ya’ll we accidentally went backwards) by the overflow parking lot.

You’ll pass Lake Cushman on the way to this trail. It is not part of Olympic National Park so it is dog friendly and absolutely gorgeous! The Skokomish River you hiked along on the trail feeds into Lake Cushman. There are plenty of day use areas and pull offs to stop and explore.

If you drive the way we did (from JBLM area) you’ll pass a little town called Hoodsport on the way. It is a really cute town with some small shops, restaurants, and great for a pick me up to stop.

We grabbed ice cream at Hoodsport Coffee Company. They have a ton of flavors. I grabbed banana pudding, Travis got toffee caramel, and Aurora grabbed mint chocolate chip.
View their website HERE.

We grabbed lunch at this hole on the wall on the corner of town. I don’t know the name of it but it has the giant pink banners that say “Burgers, Teriyaki, Ice Cream”. I grabbed popcorn shrimp and they grabbed burgers, it was delicious! They will also let you substitute soda for a milkshake. The Huckleberry milkshake was to die for. Reasonably priced too.

Laurie’s Gifts is a cute general store that has an extensive selection of alcohol, gift items, drinks, taffy, and more. We grabbed some stickers and couldn’t resist the taffy.