MOUNT WALKER TRAIL

Length 2.0 mi/3.2 km 
Access FS Road 2730 
USGS Map Mount Walker 
Agency Olympic National Forest

One can either drive up Mount Walker on FS Road 2730 or 
walk the trail to the top. Or, simpler yet, leave a car at 
the lower trailhead, drive in another vehicle to the 
summit, then hike down the trail. Non-hikers who drive up 
the road amble 50 yards to the knoll to see the view; 
people who hike the trail walk a delightful 2 miles.

The lower trailhead (750 ft/229 m) is located 0.3-mi/0.5 km 
from US 101 on the Mount Walker Road (FS Road 2730). 
Motorbikes are not allowed, and water is not available 
along the trail. The upper trailhead is located at the 
North Viewpoint.

The trail has one disadvantage—the hiker can hear traffic 
noise, particularly the sound of trucks, on the highway 
below. The trail is a broad, smooth path that starts in a 
stand of tall Douglas fir, the undergrowth consisting of 
salal, Oregon grape, red huckleberry, vine maple, and 
rhododendron. Although the latter are beautiful, better 
displays can be found elsewhere in the Olympics, for 
example, on the trails to Mount Townsend, Tubal Cain, and 
Mount Zion.

As it climbs steadily, the path alternates between 
switchbacks and traverses, part of the time following a 
ridge. The trail heads toward the north summit, with the 
south summit to the right, beyond a deep ravine. The trees 
get smaller as the trail climbs higher, and near the top 
the path crosses a sunny slope where little firs and pines 
are scattered at random, as if a giant hand had tossed the 
seed carelessly.

The trail comes out onto a windswept knoll. This is the 
North Viewpoint (2.0 mil 3.2 km; 2730 ft/832 m), which 
overlooks the mountains to the west, the Quilcene Range to 
the north, and the lowlands east of the range. A wooden 
bench has been provided, where one can sit and contemplate 
the view.

Now lined by rocks, the trail leads from the knoll to the 
road and the parking area nearby.