Parking
Use Wynoochee Pass Trailhead on the 400 spur off Forest Road 2270, north of Wynoochee Lake. High-clearance vehicle recommended. No fee, restroom or potable water.
Overview
About Wynoochee Pass Trail
Why go
- Two small ponds mark an unusual pass-side turnaround.
- Creek crossings and small falls add variety to the forest climb.
Heads up
- A short handhold rock step sits beside a creek.
- The pass has little in the way of broad views.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation2,552–3,648 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 Wynoochee 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- The Wolves Olympic Lost
- Graves Creek: Pony Bridge or Enchanted Valley
- Graves Creek Campground and the River Meadow
- The Bat’s Feeding Buzz
- 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 Wynoochee Pass Trail
The pass-only hikeWynoochee Pass Trail is a 5.
Wynoochee Pass Trail is a 5.2-mile out-and-back from Wynoochee Pass Trailhead to two small ponds at the pass. The climb follows forested tread, crosses several streams and includes a short rock step that calls for handholds. Its payoff is reaching the drainage divide, not a wide-open panorama. Allow about four to five hours. This route turns around at the pass; Sundown Lake is a separate, much longer extension.
Forested climbMost of the route rises beneath large trees.
Most of the route rises beneath large trees. Steeper, rooty pitches alternate with flatter grassy sections, some of them wet. Small creek falls appear along the forest approach, but the walk is primarily a sustained climb through woods rather than a sequence of overlooks.
Crossings and rock stepSeveral streams cross the trail.
Several streams cross the trail. One crossing includes a roughly seven-foot rock wall with foot and toe holds. It is brief, but using your hands makes this a more involved hike than the mileage alone suggests.
At Wynoochee PassTwo shallow ponds mark the pass and the headwaters of Graves Creek.
Two shallow ponds mark the pass and the headwaters of Graves Creek. They make a modest turnaround point; broad mountain views are not the main attraction here. The route mapped for this entry returns by the same trail and does not include the descent toward Sundown Lake.
Trailhead and petsReach the trailhead on the 400 spur of Forest Road 2270, north of Wynoochee Lake.
Reach the trailhead on the 400 spur of Forest Road 2270, north of Wynoochee Lake. The Forest Service recommends a high-clearance vehicle for the spur. There is no fee, restroom or potable water at the trailhead. Pets are prohibited on Olympic National Park trails unless a trail is specifically listed as pet-friendly, and Wynoochee Pass Trail is not on that list.
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.
