Parking
At Blue Mountain Trail Head at the end of Deer Park Road, by the Deer Park campground area. From US 101 the approach is about 18 miles; the final nine miles are narrow, steep gravel.
Overview
About Rain Shadow Loop
Why go
- Wide summit views after a short climb
Heads up
- The approach includes nine miles of narrow gravel road
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation5,820–5,965 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 Rain Shadow 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
Blue Mountain: The Rain Shadow Loop0:00 / 0:23
“You're approaching the Rain Shadow Loop on Blue Mountain, a half-mile walk to a broad view over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Dungeness Spit.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How Ice Splits Rock
- Deer Park: Camping Above the Lowlands
- How a Sea Star Eats a Mussel
- The Dots Beneath a Fern
- 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 Rain Shadow Loop
A short summit loopRain Shadow Loop is a half-mile circuit from the end of Deer Park Road to Blue Mountain’s open…
Rain Shadow Loop is a half-mile circuit from the end of Deer Park Road to Blue Mountain’s open summit, with about 170 feet of climbing. The route starts uphill, then levels out near the top. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the walk, plus time to look around; this is a quick viewpoint hike rather than a long outing.
The drive is part of the dayThe trailhead is at the end of Deer Park Road, about 18 miles from US 101.
The trailhead is at the end of Deer Park Road, about 18 miles from US 101. The last nine miles are narrow, steep gravel with turnouts, and the road is not suitable for RVs or trailers. It closes from late fall until snow melts in late spring, so check current road information before driving up.
Look out from Blue MountainThe summit opens to broad views over the lowlands and surrounding mountains.
The summit opens to broad views over the lowlands and surrounding mountains. On a clear day, look for the Cascades, Vancouver Island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Gray Wolf Ridge. The rocky summit ridge makes a strong foreground for a photo with the water and distant peaks behind it.
What the rain shadow meansPacific storms lose much of their moisture as they rise over the Olympic Mountains, leaving the…
Pacific storms lose much of their moisture as they rise over the Olympic Mountains, leaving the eastern side drier. The park compares about 140 inches of annual precipitation in the Hoh Rain Forest with around 16 inches in Sequim, just north of Deer Park. The difference is the rain shadow this loop is named for.
Summit flowers and wildlifeDuring the last ice age, high Olympic peaks escaped extensive glaciation and became refuges for…
During the last ice age, high Olympic peaks escaped extensive glaciation and became refuges for isolated plants and animals. Endemic Olympic bellflower grows on Blue Mountain’s summit; its bloom timing is not specified.
Before you goPets and bicycles are not allowed on Deer Park trails.
Pets and bicycles are not allowed on Deer Park trails. Nearby Deer Park Campground has picnic tables, fire rings and accessible pit toilets, but no potable water; those facilities are at the campground, not along the loop. No food service was found at the trailhead or on the route.
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.
