Black and White Lakes Primitive Trail (14 mi, Challenging) – Olympic National Park

Overview

About Black and White Lakes Primitive Trail

Why go

Open lake basin with two ponds and broad mountain views.

Heads up

Long full-day route with a steep upper climb.
The alternate loop return is rough, brushy and waterless.

Map & elevation

The route

Loading the Olympic map

Full map

Elevation945–4,347 ft

TrailheadStaircase Trailhead47.51570, -123.32780

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Staircase Trailhead parking is across from Staircase Campground; the route starts on the North Fork Skokomish Trail.

Best time to go

The high route is generally a summer-to-early-fall hike, but snow can linger and change the character of the upper tread. Water is available along parts of the approach and at the lakes; treat it before drinking. The separate Black and White Way return described for the loop is steep, brushy and has no water, so fill up at the lakes before taking that descent. Pets are prohibited in Olympic wilderness. Overnight trips require a wilderness permit and bear canister, and campfires are prohibited above 3,500 feet. Check current park conditions before setting out.

Safety

Strenuous backcountry route with a steep upper climb. The separate Black and White Way return is unmarked, brushy and has no water; fill at the lakes before using it. Pets are prohibited in Olympic wilderness. Overnight trips require a wilderness permit and bear canister; fires are prohibited above 3,500 feet. Check current NPS conditions and snow coverage.

6 active Olympic alerts

CautionUS 101 Hoh River Bridge reduced to one laneUS 101 at the Hoh River Bridge is restricted to one lane of alternating traffic; obey the signals and 25 mph speed limit.Official details
ClosureStaircase wilderness trails and campsites remain closedWilderness trails and campsites around Staircase remain closed during recovery from the Bear Gulch Fire; the developed Staircase area, including the Rapids Loop, campground, and ranger station, is…Official details

See all 6 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Olympic Tour Guide

Your drive to Black and White Lakes Primitive Trail, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Olympic audio tour

Recorded for this trailhead

Staircase: Rapids and the Fallen Cedar

0:00 / 0:31

“Up ahead is Staircase, where I’d choose the Rapids Loop for a short outing beside the North Fork Skokomish River.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.

Hiking Black and White Lakes Primitive Trail

The route and effortThis is a strenuous out-and-back from Staircase Trailhead to the open basin of Black and White…

This is a strenuous out-and-back from Staircase Trailhead to the open basin of Black and White Lakes. The direct mapped route follows the North Fork Skokomish corridor into the named primitive lakes trail, then returns the same way. It measures about 7 miles one way, or 14 miles round trip, with roughly 3,800–4,000 feet of climbing; plan on a full day, around 10–12 hours. Some published descriptions use a longer approach through Flapjack Lakes and a rough, separate way-trail descent, listing 15–16.8 miles. Those are different route options: this map shows the direct North Fork alignment as an out-and-back. Check a current park map before choosing a variant.

The climbThe lower approach follows the North Fork through a forested river valley, with a gentler grade…

The lower approach follows the North Fork through a forested river valley, with a gentler grade and creeks along the way. The route steepens sharply as it leaves the valley for the lake basin. Expect a demanding upper climb and a rougher, more primitive tread than the broad lower trail. Snow can cover the high route and obscure its path beyond the usual summer season, so confirm conditions and carry a map you can use offline.

The lake basinThe destination is a small open basin with one larger lake and two smaller ponds.

The destination is a small open basin with one larger lake and two smaller ponds. It feels different from the shaded river approach: the surrounding slopes open up, and clear weather can reveal Wonder Mountain, the Three Sisters, Six Ridge and Mount Steel. The shoreline and the open slope opposite make the basin’s scale easier to read than the forested climb below. Give yourself time here before turning around; the climb back down to the valley is long too.

Mining remainsThe basin’s quiet appearance hides a short-lived mining chapter.

The basin’s quiet appearance hides a short-lived mining chapter. Copper claims were recorded here in 1907, and a proposed flume to carry ore down to the North Fork was never built. Later prospectors dug a roughly 200-foot tunnel in the 1940s; activity had largely stopped by the 1960s. A collapsed cabin foundation, tailings and old cuts remain around the basin. The origin of the lakes’ name is uncertain, with several competing explanations rather than a settled account.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Olympic

All Olympic wildlife maps

710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map

30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map

23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Black and White Lakes Primitive Trail