Parking
Start from the Staircase Ranger Station parking area, then follow the North Fork Skokomish Trail about 12.5 miles to First Divide. The far end joins the Duckabush River Trail; neither endpoint has road parking.
Overview
About Home Sweet Home Trail
Why go
- Crosses a meadow with a view toward Duckabush Mountain.
Heads up
- Remote approach; retracing adds a nearly 2,000-foot climb.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation2,782–4,675 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- ClosureStaircase wilderness trails and campsites remain closedMentions this trailWilderness 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
- 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 Home Sweet Home 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 Home Sweet Home Trail
What it connectsHome Sweet Home Trail is a 2.
Home Sweet Home Trail is a 2.6-mile one-way wilderness connector from First Divide to the Duckabush River Trail, passing the Home Sweet Home meadow. Other route descriptions put it closer to 2.9 miles, so plan for about 2.6–2.9 miles. It drops nearly 2,000 feet; allow about 2½ hours for this leg. This is a backcountry connection, not a short hike from a parking lot.
Follow the descentStart at First Divide and head downhill through the meadow toward the Duckabush junction.
Start at First Divide and head downhill through the meadow toward the Duckabush junction. The open grass looks toward Duckabush Mountain; small white flowers have been reported soon after snowmelt. Retracing the route makes this roughly a 5.2–5.8-mile out-and-back, with nearly 2,000 feet to climb back.
Plan for the backcountryFirst Divide is reached by a roughly 12.
First Divide is reached by a roughly 12.5-mile approach from Staircase on the North Fork Skokomish Trail, and the other end is reached through the Duckabush River Trail. Build this connector into a longer itinerary. Snow and difficult route-finding can persist from fall through early summer. Overnight trips need a wilderness permit and bear canister; dogs are not allowed on park trails.
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.
