TUNNEL CREEK TRAIL

Length 7.3 mi/11.8 km
Access FS Road 2740; Dosewallips River Road 
USGS Maps Mount Townsend; Mount Jupiter 
Agency Olympic National Forest

This route traverses the Buckhorn Wilderness, climbing to 
Fifty-Fifty Pass (5050 ft/1539 m) at the head of the South 
Fork of Tunnel Creek. The hike should start on the Tunnel 
Creek side; no sane person deliberately backpacks over this 
trail from the Dosewallips River.

The trail begins at 6.6 mi/10.6 km on FS Road 2740, where 
it crosses the South Fork of Tunnel Creek (2600 ft/792 m). 
At first the path parallels Tunnel Creek, ascending through 
hemlock forest as it traverses above the stream. Camp Monk 
(0.5 mi/0.8 km), an attractive site across the creek, has 
space for one tent. A sign indicates the camp was 
established in 1959. The path then veers away from the 
creek and climbs through an imposing stand of old-growth 
western hemlock and silver fir. Although the creek is no 
longer visible, it can be heard faintly. As it approaches 
the creek again, the trail becomes fairly level and 
parallels the stream.

At Tunnel Creek Shelter (2.7 mi/4.3 km; 3800 ft/1158 m) the 
good trail ends; beyond this point the route is steep and 
rough. The trail crosses the creek, then switchbacks a 
dozen times as it climbs steeply to the Twin Lakes—first to 
Karnes Lake (4600 ft/1402 m), then to Harrison Lake 3.7 
mi/6.0 km; 4750 ft/1448 m). Mountain hemlocks border the 
lakes. The trees are large on this cool, northern slope, 
the preferred habitat of this species. Karnes Lake contains 
rainbow trout. A poor campsite is located at the south side 
of Harrison Lake.

Above Twin Lakes the trail becomes steeper and rockier as 
it climbs the shaded North Slope, then goes up a long draw 
leading to meadowland and stands of subalpine fir. Near the 
divide one is treated to the most spectacular view of Mount 
Constance to be had in the Olympics—an unobstructed look at 
the vertical east face, only 2 miles distant but a half-
mile higher. The barren cliffs are flecked with patches of 
snow.

At Fifty-Fifty Pass (4.1 mi/6.6 km; 5050 ft/1539 m), the 
hiker can see The Brothers, but the trees now obscure the 
view of Mount Constance. Mount Rainier stands high on the 
distant skyline. Often the peaks rise above a layer of 
clouds covering the Dosewallips Valley, the lowlands, and 
Puget Sound.

Beyond the divide the trail descends at a steep grade to 
the Dosewallips River, losing almost a mile of elevation in 
just over 3 miles. At first the path traverses meadows and 
groves of subalpine firs, where it goes by an unusual topo-
graphic feature—a deep-dish swale that should be a lake but 
isn't. The grassy swale probably resulted from ground 
creep. With high banks all around, it has no place for an 
outlet, but it is dry. Apparently the soil here is too 
porous for the basin to hold water.

Beargrass is abundant in the meadows; huckleberry and 
azalea bushes grow thickly clustered among the scattered, 
hoop-skirted firs. The route crosses open, rocky slopes 
having good views down the Dosewallips. On a clear day one 
can distinguish the Cascades, Hood Canal, and Puget Sound. 
Mount Jupiter and The Brothers rise directly across the 
valley. The trail meanders through upthrusted basalt, then 
enters the shaded coolness of the unbroken forest, here a 
mixture of old growth and second growth. Apparently fires 
swept up the mountainside, destroying much of the virgin 
timber, but patches escaped—stands of tall, slim Douglas-
firs, with lichen clinging to the trunks and foliage.

The path now becomes so steep that the hiker is likely to 
have blistered toes before reaching the road. As the trail 
descends, it goes into the upper level of the rhododendron 
belt, where this plant forms a dense understory. One can 
hear the Dosewallips rushing in its channel far below. The 
trail descends to Gamm Creek (6.2 mi/10.0 km; 2750 ft/838 
m), the only water source between Harrison Lake and the 
Dosewallips. The creek makes a triple falls above the trail 
as it cascades down a mossy cliff.

The trail descends a bit before traversing to the east, 
then switchbacks to avoid the canyon of another creek. 
Without further ado, it plunges straight down the 
mountainside, although making a switchback now and then. 
The steady descent is hard on legs and knees. Upon reaching 
the road and level ground, the hiker is inclined to stagger 
like a sailor for a few minutes.

The south trailhead (7.3 mi/11.8 km; 500 ft/152 m) is 
located on the Dosewallips River Road, 9.0-mi/14.5 km from 
US 101.