Josh and Dene in the Quinault Region
About our adventure with @outofthewoods and @denemiles
We invited Josh (@outofthewoods) and Dene (@denemiles) to join us on a trip to the Lake Quinault region in February. They brought their friend Mark (@colorado.snowman) and we all loaded into the Olympic Hiking Co. van (@hikeolympic) for 4 great days of adventure!
Shortly after leaving Port Angeles, we made a quick stop at Lake Crescent and then continued on to Ruby Beach on the west coast. We spent the first night in two cabins at beautiful Kalaloch Lodge, and enjoyed a world-class meal in their on-site restaurant. We got up bright and early the next morning for a sunrise beach fire, before grabbing some breakfast from Kalaloch and continuing on to Lake Quinault.
Our next two nights were spent at the well-appointed Quinault River Inn, which was the perfect home based for our Lake Quinault explorations. We hiked most of the trails on the south side of the lake and enjoyed a beautiful mid-afternoon picnic next to the lake. We got super lucky with the a couple of absolutely beautiful sunny days in February. We enjoyed sunset next to the lake as we watched the mountains in the background light up with beautiful pink hues.
We enjoyed two great breakfasts at Lake Quinault Lodge while we were in the area, and did quite a bit of exploring waterfalls along the Lake Quinault Loop drive. One of the highlights of the trip was a spectacular hike through a moss-carpeted paradise from the Graves Creek trailhead to Pony Bridge, the first part of the trail into the Enchanted Valley. We also had a wonderful kayaking trip from Lake Quinault Lodge where we encountered lots of birds of prey including eagles and an osprey.
Check out some of the amazing photos Josh and Dene captured on the trip below:
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Tommy from Olympic Hiking Co. warming up next to the twilight fire at Ruby Beach.
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Pony Bridge along the trail into the Enchanted Valley from Lake Quinault.
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Morning beach fire in front of Kalaloch Lodge.
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Making friends with the wildlife while kayaking on Lake Quinault.
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Golden Hour skies through the sea stacks at Ruby Beach.
PHOTO BY @OUTOFTHEWOODS
Beautiful spring afternoon next to Lake Crescent.
PHOTO BY @DENEMILES
Aerial views of Olympic National Park during the winter.
PHOTO BY @DENEMILES
Stunning sunset over the mountains of Olympic National Park.
PHOTO BY @DENEMILES
Trees getting lost in the fog on the Olympic Peninsula.