Parking
Whiskey Bend Trailhead is at the end of Whiskey Bend Road.
Overview
About Humes Ranch and Geyser Valley Loop
Why go
- One loop links old-growth forest, river flats, meadows and a historic homestead.
- The Humes Ranch meadow makes a good natural pause before the return.
Heads up
- The park publishes conflicting full-loop distances: 4.3 and 6 miles.
In the early 1900s, Dok Ludden watched wind push clouds up the Elwha into vertical shapes he called geysers, and the valley took its name from them. It’s a small story that fits the place: river, wind and cloud all meeting in the open valley.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy it’s called Geyser ValleyMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation744–1,336 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Humes Ranch and Geyser Valley Loop, 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Hurricane Hill: Summit or Picnic
- Hurricane Ridge
- The Griff Fire’s Steep Slopes
- Madison Falls: A Short Walk in the Elwha
- 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 Humes Ranch and Geyser Valley Loop
What you’ll walkHumes Ranch and Geyser Valley Loop is a moderate circuit from Whiskey Bend into the Elwha’s…
Humes Ranch and Geyser Valley Loop is a moderate circuit from Whiskey Bend into the Elwha’s lowland river valley. Forest trail connects Rica Canyon, open Geyser Valley, Krause Bottom and the Humes Ranch meadow before the route returns to the trailhead. Allow about four hours. The park lists both 4.3 and 6 miles for this valley loop; this entry follows the longer, full circuit from Whiskey Bend and uses the 6-mile figure.
The valley and the homesteadThe route moves between shaded forest and broad river flats, with the historic cabin and meadow…
The route moves between shaded forest and broad river flats, with the historic cabin and meadow at Humes Ranch as a natural place to pause. The homestead was built in 1905 and later occupied by wildlife photographer Herb Crisler. There are no river crossings on the loop.
A shorter walkThe direct walk from Whiskey Bend to Humes Ranch is about 2.5 miles each way.
The direct walk from Whiskey Bend to Humes Ranch is about 2.5 miles each way. Turning around there makes about 5-mile out-and-back and skips part of the valley circuit.
Before you goThe park rates the route moderate and describes the tread as well maintained.
The park rates the route moderate and describes the tread as well maintained. Pets aren’t allowed on this park trail. Treat water taken from the river or side streams. The Humes Ranch and Krause Bottom camps have no toilets; overnight stays require a wilderness permit year-round and an approved bear canister for food.
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.
