ROYAL BASIN TRAIL

Length 7.0 mi/11.3 km 
Access Upper Dungeness Trail 
USGS Maps Mount Deception: Tyler Peak 
Agency Olympic National Park

This route follows Royal Creek to its headwaters in Royal Basin, one of 
the finest bits of high country in the Olympics. The stream was originally 
called Roy Creek, but somehow the name was changed. However, the present 
name is appropriate because Royal Basin would be a suitable place to 
entertain kings and queens. The basin, which cannot be observed in its 
entirety from one viewpoint, consists of several terraces or ice-carved 
basins, where meadows intermingle with groves of trees, forested knolls, 
and glacier-polished knobs.

The trail begins in the national forest at a junction with the Upper 
Dungeness Trail near the confluence of the Dungeness River and Royal Creek 
(2800 ft/853 m). About 200 yards up the trail an unmarked path leads uphill, 
to the right. This is the beginning of the Lower Maynard Burn Way Trail. 
The Royal Basin Trail continues straight ahead.

As it follows the course of Royal Creek, the trail climbs sharply, overlooking 
the sparkling stream, which is a succession of rapids, cascades, and waterfalls. 
Huge boulders scattered about the mountainside add an interesting note. The 
forest is mostly Douglas fir and western hemlock, and as the trail climbs out 
of the bottoms the trees become smaller because the soil is thin and stony. 
An under story of rhododendron is present in places.

Upon entering the national park (0.4 mi/0.6 km), the trail veers away from 
Royal Creek, but water is available from numerous brooks along the way. 
Although the creek is now seldom in view, one can hear its thunderous booms. 
The path then crosses several avalanche tracks, which provide views of the 
peaks ahead, including The Needles. Two beautiful camps arc located on the 
banks of Royal Creek in the intervening timbered areas.

Beyond these camps the cliffs of Graywolf Ridge overlook the valley, and the 
route becomes less steep as it traverses more or less open country. Royal 
Creek is now close at hand, and it's thundering-intensified by Royal Creek 
Falls -reverberates through the valley. The falls are located where the rock 
formation changes from slate and sandstone to more resistant basalt. The 
mountainsides are rough, covered with rockslides and scattered stands of sub 
alpine trees. Higher up, the meadows are smoother, and the trail goes by a 
couple of camps located in groves of silver fir. After traversing a marshy area, 
where water tends to stand, thus turning the path into a series of little pools, 
the route breaks out into the lower part of Royal Basin.

The trail meanders through a large meadow strewn with big boulders, then crosses 
willow-fringed Royal Creek and climbs through stands of silver fir to the north 
end of Royal Lake (6.0 mi/9.7 km; 5130 ft/1564 m), which occupies a glacier-scoured 
depression and drains to Royal Creek.

Rocky, tree-covered knolls surround the pork chop shaped lake, which contains 
Eastern brook trout. The old campsite at the south end has been closed to 
restore the natural vegetation, but one can camp among the trees nearby, 
look for designated sites. (Reservations needed May 1 - September 30.) A 
well-beaten path encircles the lake, and the views are good-Graywolf Ridge 
rises to the north, Mount Deception and Mount Fricaba stand to the south. 
The terrain surrounding the lake is a blend of open country and stands of 
silver fir and sub alpine fir.

Beyond the lake, the trail climbs over a rise, and then descends to another 
meadow, where Royal Creek makes a double cascade as it tumbles down the 
mountain. Big Rock, also known as Shelter Rock, is located at the meadow's 
edge. This huge chunk of pillow lava overhangs on the west side. The campsite 
beneath it can accommodate a number of people, and during storms hikers 
sometimes take refuge here.

An excellent display of Jeffrey s shooting star is located just above Shelter 
Rock. The trail now climbs through forest to Arrowhead Meadow, so called 
because of its shape. Bordered by steep slopes, this meadow is flat, with a 
rounded, tree-covered knoll in the center. At the meadow's upper end, the 
trail climbs among sandstone boulders to still another level. This is the 
main basin, an area of expansive, rolling meadows, with steep headwalls at 
the upper end. The meadows are sprinkled with countless boulders composed 
of sandstone and pillow lava. The views in every direction are impressive-
Mount Deception rises to the south, The Needles to the west, other rugged 
peaks to the cast.

A campsite near the stagnant Deception Glacier, on the northeast face of 
Mount Deception, marks the end of the trail (7.0 mi/11.3 km; 5700 ft/1737 m). 
Near the camp a muddy lake, milky with glacial flour, gives birth to a 
silt-choked stream. This is the beginning of Royal Creek. No inlet is visible; 
apparently the water seeps through the moraine, where great chunks of pillow 
lava lie piled in jumbles. The adjacent meadows are colorful with lupine and 
gentian in late summer.

One can walk up the rounded hogback west of the lake to a big rock that 
makes an excellent post to observe the jagged pinnacles that rise above 
the scree. The upper valley of Royal Creek, below the lake, has a definite 
U shape, indicating the glacier once extended down the valley a considerable 
distance. Deer roam the meadows, and elk are sometimes observed. Marmots are 
everywhere, and mountain goats clamber on the nearby cliffs. The neophyte 
should not venture beyond this point, but the experienced mountaineer can 
climb up and over or around Mount Deception to Deception Basin, which lies 
between Mount Deception and Mount Mystery. However, the basin can be reached 
more easily via the Dosewallips Trail.

The pinnacles of The Needles, west of Royal Basin, are composed chiefly of 
upended beds of pillow lava and provide some of the best rock climbing in 
the Olympics. The rock breaks easily, however, and is generally inferior 
to the granite found in the Cascades.