Parking
There is no vehicle parking at Hayes River. The west-side approach begins at Whiskey Bend Trailhead on the Elwha River Trail; reach Hayes River on foot. The mapped segment ends at Hayden Pass, so plan your onward route or return separately.
Overview
About Hayden Pass Trail
Why go
- A real high-pass crossing from the Elwha side into Olympic’s mountain country.
- The climb ends at a 5,847-foot saddle with mountain views.
Heads up
- Hayes River is a backcountry start reached on foot, not a drive-up trailhead.
- The exposed west slope has erosion, fire blowdowns and snow-sensitive route-finding.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation1,886–5,830 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- ClosureOlympic Hot Springs and Whiskey Bend roads closed to vehiclesMentions Whiskey Bend, referenced in this guideOlympic Hot Springs Road is closed to vehicles at the Madison Falls parking area because of a washout; Whiskey Bend Road is closed to vehicles because of the Olympic Hot Springs Road washout.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Hayden Pass 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- 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 Hayden Pass Trail
What this trail isHayden Pass Trail is an 8.
Hayden Pass Trail is an 8.3-mile one-way route from Hayes River to Hayden Pass, climbing 4,047 feet from the Elwha River Trail to a 5,847-foot pass. It rises from montane forest toward subalpine meadow, with mountain views at the pass. This is a hard backcountry leg, not a drive-up day hike or a round trip. Allow about eight hours for the segment itself; reaching Hayes River and continuing beyond the pass add their own miles.
The climb from Hayes RiverHayes River is a campsite and junction on the Elwha River Trail; the Hayden Pass route begins…
Hayes River is a campsite and junction on the Elwha River Trail; the Hayden Pass route begins there. The tread is lower-maintenance, though generally decent underfoot. The route climbs overall through montane forest toward higher meadows. A few ponds and streams are found on the upper section; treat water before drinking.
West of the passThe west side has a long stretch with no canopy.
The west side has a long stretch with no canopy. Erosion and remaining blowdowns in the 2016 Hayes Fire area slow travel, and the open slopes offer little shade. At the 5,847-foot pass, the trail reaches a high saddle with mountain views; this is the point to stop and take in the divide before choosing how to continue.
Plan the full tripThe mapped line covers only Hayes River to Hayden Pass.
The mapped line covers only Hayes River to Hayden Pass. It does not include the long Elwha approach or the route down the other side, so do not read 8.3 miles as a round trip. Reach the west start on foot along the Elwha River Trail from Whiskey Bend; the pass connects onward to the separate Main Fork Dosewallips River Trail. Overnight backpacking requires a wilderness permit year-round, and bear canisters are required. Dogs are not allowed on Olympic's wilderness trails; trained service animals are the exception.
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.
