Parking
Madison Falls parking area is roughly a mile north of the mapped route; parking and turnaround space are limited. The direct trailhead and connection are not confirmed.
Overview
About Elwha Forest Loop Trail
Why go
- Short, easy segment with a modest listed climb.
Heads up
- The name suggests a loop, but the mapped line is point to point.
- Its trailhead and access connection are not confirmed.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation322–416 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Elwha Forest Loop 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 tourRecorded for this area
Madison Falls: A Short Walk in the Elwha0:00 / 0:33
“You're approaching Madison Falls, a good choice for a waterfall stop without a long hike. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes for the short walk and a pause beside the sixty-foot cascade.”
Plays on the road 1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How a Salmon Handles Salt
- The Sapsucker’s Sap Wells
- Hurricane Hill: Summit or Picnic
- Hurricane Ridge
- 204 audio storiesacross Olympic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Olympic Marmot, Humpback Whale, Grey Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 148 trails, 94 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Elwha Forest Loop Trail
A short point-to-point forest walkElwha Forest Loop Trail is a 0.
Elwha Forest Loop Trail is a 0.4-mile point-to-point walk on a natural-surface path in the former Elwha campground area. It is listed as easy, with about 90 feet of ascent and descent, so the named segment is a brief walk rather than a destination hike.
Read the map as one wayThe name says “Loop,” but the mapped line does not close, and the trail listing also calls it…
The name says “Loop,” but the mapped line does not close, and the trail listing also calls it point to point. Count 0.4 miles as one way along the named path. Any return trip adds distance, and the mapped figure excludes a walk in from parking.
Plan the accessMadison Falls is the nearest documented visitor parking for this area, roughly a mile north of…
Madison Falls is the nearest documented visitor parking for this area, roughly a mile north of the mapped route; parking and turnaround space there are limited. The exact junction and a signed trailhead for this short segment are not confirmed. One undated account describes overgrown tread, so the route-finding and surface condition may vary; confirm access before walking in. There are no visitor facilities beyond the Madison Falls gate.
Leave the dog behindOlympic permits pets only on specifically listed trails, and Elwha Forest Loop is not one of…
Olympic permits pets only on specifically listed trails, and Elwha Forest Loop is not one of them. Madison Falls Nature Trail is a separate listed exception, so do not confuse the two routes.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Olympic
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 mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
