Staircase Ranger Station

The Staircase Ranger Station is a National Park Service information and exhibits building in Olympic's southeast Staircase developed area, near the North Fork Skokomish River and campground. It's a useful first stop for maps, wilderness permits and bear canisters. The station generally opens in summer when staffing allows, so treat ranger help as a bonus rather than a guaranteed service.

The nearby Staircase Rapids Loop is a separate, easy walk of about 2 miles with roughly 200 feet of gain. It passes through old-growth forest to a suspension bridge over the North Fork Skokomish, with a spur to a huge fallen cedar. It's a good way to make the drive out to Staircase feel like a proper visit.

An accessible restroom and picnic area are nearby, and the station has a wheelchair available for checkout when staff are present. Access follows unpaved Forest Service Road 24 along Lake Cushman; weather can affect the drive, so check road conditions before you set out.

In 1890, Lieutenant Joseph P. O'Neil led an expedition across the southern Olympic Mountains. His party surveyed watersheds and peaks along nine rivers and cut a five-foot-wide trail for 93 miles. Part of today's North Fork route follows that historic corridor.

In the eastern Olympics, large natural fires are estimated to recur every 300 to 400 years. Thick bark helps mature Douglas-firs survive, while fire clears the forest floor and opens mineral soil and sunlight for seedlings. It's a slower story of the Staircase landscape than the river and bridge, but one that helps explain how this forest renews itself.