Olympic National Park, WA
A remote ridge crossing with a hazardous Bogachiel ford.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
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
A Squirrel’s Night Glide“Flying squirrels live in these forests, but their nighttime habits make them easy to miss. They travel between trees by gliding, with a loose sheet of skin stretching from each wrist to its ankle.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
South Snider-Jackson is a 10-mile, point-to-point wilderness route linking Upper Hoh Road with the Bogachiel River South Bank Trail junction. Allow about eight hours for the crossing and plan how you will reach both ends; it is not a loop. Published park descriptions differ: one gives 10 miles between those endpoints, another gives 11.8 miles from just west of the entrance station, and the mapped line here measures 8.8 miles. Confirm the access and endpoint for your trip and budget for the longer distance.
The path rises from about 560 feet to 3,200 feet, with roughly 2,700 feet of climbing before it drops toward the Bogachiel. It crosses forested ridge terrain and is a serious backcountry traverse, not a short overlook walk. The available trail descriptions do not document footing by section or identify a reliable viewpoint, so expect a long climb and descent without a promised scenic stop.
The route requires a Bogachiel River ford that can run deep and become hazardous, especially after heavy rain or snowmelt. Tumwata Creek at the north end is listed as the only water source. Plan water carefully. Pets are not allowed on trails in the Hoh area; overnight wilderness trips require a permit and bear canister.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
EasySouth Fork Hoh River Trail9.2 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayA long rainforest walk to the South Fork’s riverside end
EasyMini Rain Forest Trail0.2 mi · 9 min · 5 mi awayA quick loop past a bubbling creek, mosses, ferns and bridges.
EasyHall of Mosses Trail0.8 mi · 54 min · 5.1 mi awayA moss-draped maple arch and a creek bridge in a short loop.
EasySpruce Nature Trail1.3 mi · 45 min · 5.1 mi awayA short Hoh loop for nurse logs and river views.
ChallengingHoh River Trail34.8 mi · 20 hr · 5.1 mi awayRainforest for miles, then a steep climb to Glacier Meadows.
ChallengingHoh Lake Trail29.4 mi · 15 hr · 5.1 mi awayA rainforest approach leads to a steep, exposed climb and subalpine lake.
ModerateNorth Snider-Jackson Primitive Trail6.3 mi · 4.5 hr · 10.4 mi awayA rough ridge crossing into the Bogachiel drainage.
ChallengingBogachiel River Trail48.8 mi · 1.3 days · 12.4 mi awayA rainforest approach turns into a remote, rough river trek.
Entrance station · 0.1 mi awayHoh Entrance StationHandle passes, permits, and questions before the rainforest trails.
Sight · 4.8 mi awayHoh Rain Forest Entrance SignA quick photo of the Hoh's roadside arrival sign.
Campground · 4.9 mi awayHoh Rain Forest CampgroundMossy old-growth camping, with a few riverside sites.
Visitor center · 5 mi awayHoh Rain Forest Visitor CenterStart here for ranger help and two mossy forest loops.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
