SOLEDUCK TRAIL Length 8.5 mi/13.7 km Access Soleduck River Road USGS Map Bogachiel Peak Agency Olympic National Park The Soleduck Trail parallels the river to Bridge Creek, and then follows that stream to Soleduck Park and the High Divide, where the path joins the High Divide-Bailey Range Trail. This route has two trailheads. The principal one is located at the end of the Soleduck River Road (2000 ft/610 m) and the alternate one, at the eastern edge of the Soleduck Campground (1700 ft/518 m). The alternate path more or less parallels the river, traversing glades and stands of old-growth Douglas fir until it joins the main trail (1.0 mi/1.6 km from the campground; 200 yards from the main trailhead at road's end.) The broad, smooth trail meanders through Douglas-fir forest to a junction with the Canyon Creek Trail at Soleduck Falls (0.7 mi/1.1 km; 2000 ft/610 m). At this point the river plunges over a sandstone barrier, then flows through a deep, narrow canyon. The rock beds stand vertical, and the river parallels the bedding. Above the falls the route climbs gradually. The forest chiefly comprises stands of tall Douglas fir and western hemlock, but as the trail penetrates deeper into the mountains, hemlock becomes predominant and silver fir replaces Douglas fir. Because the forest is more or less even-aged, the trees are relatively uniform in size-a somewhat unusual phenomenon in the Olympics. Luxuriant glades and fern glens are found in the wetter places. After crossing two creeks, the trail becomes rocky as it climbs steadily, and the river rushes noisily by as it tumbles down in a series of cascades. The route intersects the Appleton Pass Trail (5.0 mi/8.1 km; 3100 ft/ 945 m) in a stand of Douglas fir and hemlock so dense that almost nothing grows upon the forest floor. The trail then climbs to Upper Soleduck Camp (5.3 mi/8.5 km; 3150 ft/ 960 m). A path that leads down to the river's edge should not mislead at this point one. A trail shelter formerly stood upon the opposite bank, but both the shelter and the bridge have long since disappeared. The trail does not cross the Soleduck here but veers left and goes uphill, climbing above the river as it traverses through forests of Alaska cedar and silver fir. The trail then crosses the Soleduck, and it is a matter of wading because winter floods destroyed the high log that formerly served as a bridge below the confluence of the river and Bridge Creek (5.5 mi/ 8.9 km; 3300 ft/1006 m). At this point the path leaves the river, turns south and follows Bridge Creek, then crosses the stream (6.5 mi/10.5 km; 3800 ft/1158 m). The route now leaves the dense forest and enters subalpine country. After climbing a bit, the trail enters the high, open country of Soleduck Park, where rolling meadow land sweeps above a silver forest to the High Divide. Bridge Creek Camp (7.7 mi/ 12.4 km; 4500 ft/1372 m) was formerly the site of Heart Lake Shelter. With each upward step the hiker's view of the Soleduck Valley becomes more impressive. Heart Lake (8.1 mi/13.0 km; 4750 ft/1448 m), a little tarn shaped like a valentine, lies on a bench in the upper part of Soleduck Park, where it mirrors the meadows and subalpine trees. The greenish lake is the source of Bridge Creek. Above the lake the trail ascends to the High Divide and a junction with the High Divide-Bailey Range Trail (8.5 mi/13.7 km; 5050 ft/1539 m). Soleduck Park lies on the northern slope of the High Divide between Seven Lakes Basin and Cat Creek Basin. The southern or Hoh River side of the divide is timbered to the ridge top, but the shaded northern slopes that make up Soleduck Park are open country because snowdrifts last until late summer and thus keep the timberline about a thousand feet lower. One of the finest examples of subalpine country in the Olympics, this area makes an excellent base camp for trips to the nearby Bailey Range. During the winter Soleduck Park is covered by deep snow. On clear days, when haze is not pronounced, the distant Pacific is visible as a bluish band above scattered trees that fade away on the slopes to the northwest. Cat Creek Ridge looms over Soleduck Park on the east; Mount Olympus and the Bailey Range rise to the south and cast, with the Hoh Valley lying between Olympus and the High Divide. Many years ago, advocates of winter sports proposed the development of a ski resort in Soleduck Park, complete with lodge and mechanical lifts, as well as extension of the road up the valley. Such development would have destroyed the superlative wilderness character of this part of the Olympics. However, the death knell was given the project by a combination of factors-bad winter weather, poor snow for skiing, and lack of population within reasonable distance. Moreover, it would have been incompatible with the preservation of an unimpaired landscape in a national park.