O'NEIL PASS TRAIL Length 7.4 mi/11.9 km Access Enchanted Valley Trail; Duckabush Trail USGS Maps Mount Hoquiam; Mount Olson; Chimney Peak; Mount Steel Agency Olympic National Park This trail begins at a junction (3200 ft/975 m) with the Enchanted Valley Trail near White Creek, 2.0mi/3.2 km below Anderson Pass. The trail goes southwest to O'Neil Pass, at the head of the Duckabush River. This gap was used in 1890 by the O'Neil Expedition's mule train when it crossed the Grand Divide. At first the trail climbs through the forest to an attractive camp at the lower end of beautiful White Creek Meadow (0.6 mi/1.0 km; 3750 ft/1143 m), which is characterized during the summer by vivid displays of wildflowers, particularly lupine. Here the hiker has a good view of Mount Anderson and Linsley Glacier. This is just below Bull Elk Basin, where the expedition killed an elk. The trail meanders over the meadow east of White Creek, and then crosses the stream. (The experienced mountaineer can leave the trail here and travel cross-country to Lake LaCrosse.) The trail then goes back into the forest and traverses below the ridge that borders LaCrosse Basin on the west. Because the slope is steep, this is an avalanche area, and after winters of heavy snowfall the route may be blocked by deep drifts until late summer. Most of the distance, however, the trail goes through scenic stands of conifers that alternate with snow slide tracks. This traverse overlooks Enchanted Valley, and when the skies are clear Lake Quinault and the Pacific Ocean glimmer in the distance. Mount Anderson and Linsley Glacier still dominate the northern skyline, but now one can look directly across Enchanted Valley to the Burke Range, topped by Chimney Peak (6911 ft/2106 m). The cliffs that form the northwest wall of the valley, crowned by snow cornices and streaked by cascades and waterfalls, stand in full view, rising almost directly from the braided channel of the Quinault. Beyond a junction with the Heart Lake Way Trail (3.8 mi/6.1 km; 4300 ft/ 1311 m), the trail comes out to a big basin (5.7 mi/9.2 km; 4700 ft/1433 m) on the northwest slope of Overlook Peak. This basin is often covered with snow. The path then rounds the peak's western spur, where it goes through dense growths of young conifers (mostly mountain hemlock), among which stand many large, dead snags. The thick undergrowth consists of heather, mountain ash, and huckleberry. The presence of the latter probably explains why O'Neil's men saw several bears on this mountain. The trail almost encircles Overlook Peak as it contours above Upper O'Neil Creek Basin. Below the trail an old path-probably a remnant of O'Neil's mule trail-leads down into this beautiful area, where a small stream flows through the meadow. The expedition had its Camp Number Fifteen here. One should watch for elk; their tracks are almost always visible in the mud and snow. This basin is often covered with snowdrifts until midsummer, but when they disappear the wildflowers bloom profusely. Large marmots mottled black and brown, whistle warnings when hikers approach. The narrow ridge to the south is covered with mountain hemlocks, and an elk path leads across it to O'Neil Creek Basin. O'Neil Pass (7.4 mi/11.9 km; 4950 ft/1509 m) is merely a tree-covered notch in the ridge between Mount Duckabush (6233 ft/1900 m) and Overlook Peak (5700 ft/ 1737 m). The view is good when clouds do not hide the peaks: to the north are Mount Anderson, Linsley Glacier, and White Mountain; the bulk of Mount Duckabush is close at hand to the south. The eastern scene includes the upper Duckabush Valley and Mount Elklick. The western scene includes the Quinault Valley and O'Neil Peak. Beyond the pass the trail becomes the Duckabush Trail. The hiker with a flexible schedule can make the trek over to O'Neil Creek Basin, one of the loveliest places in the Olympics, which may be reached by following the elk trail from Upper O'Neil Creek Basin. Lake Ben and two smaller, unnamed tarns are located in the center, surrounded by subalpine meadows where the hiker can roam at will. Good examples of quartz can be observed in the rockslides, and the outcrops reveal evidence of glacial polish. The view down O'Neil Creek is striking, and several until recently unclimbed peaks rise directly south of the basin. The view from the divide east of the lakes makes the steep scramble up worthwhile because snow-clad peaks are visible in all directions, and one can look directly down to the North Fork Skokomish. Camp Nine Stream, little more than a mile distant, lies 3000 feet below the observer.