Mount Storm King Trail
Port Angeles, WA
The Mount Storm King Trail climbs approximately 2,000 feet in 2 miles through old-growth forest to a viewpoint overlooking Lake Crescent and the surrounding Olympic peaks. The upper portion of the trail is steep and involves using rope assists on exposed sections. Views from the top reveal the full expanse of the turquoise lake below.
Photography Guide
- Best Time
- morning
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Shot Types
- widelandscape
- Best Seasons
- summerfall
Author's Comments
The trail does not ease you into anything. You start climbing almost immediately and you keep climbing, two miles of steady elevation through old growth that smells of cedar and wet stone, and then the trail does something almost rude. It goes vertical. The ropes appear on the upper pitches, knotted and weathered, and you pull yourself up exposed rock with the lake dropping away behind you in increments that get harder to look at the higher you go. I went up in early September, starting before sunrise, and I had the summit to myself for almost an hour. Lake Crescent from that height is a color I am still not sure how to describe - somewhere between glacial blue and a mineral green, depending on the angle of the sun and the depth of the water below you. The Olympic peaks ring the far side. The lake holds the light differently than any water I have photographed in the Pacific Northwest, and from the top of Storm King you see the whole shape of it, not the postcard view from the road. A wide lens is the right choice here, but I will tell you the honest thing - the photograph is not really the point. The photograph cannot hold the exposure, the height, the way your hands are still shaking from the ropes when you finally sit down on the summit rock and let the morning catch up to you. Go for the climb. Bring the camera. Understand that what you carry down will mostly live in your head.
Gallery
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Nearby Places
Port Angeles, WA
Marymere Falls
Marymere Falls is a 90-foot waterfall accessed via a 1.8-mile round-trip trail from the Storm King Ranger Station near Lake Crescent. The falls drop over a moss-covered cliff into a narrow gorge surrounded by old-growth Douglas fir and western hemlock. Water flow is highest in spring and after heavy rains.
Port Angeles, WA
Lake Crescent
Lake Crescent is a deep glacially carved lake known for its striking blue-green clarity, which results from a lack of nitrogen that limits algae growth. The lake is surrounded by steep forested mountains and stretches over 8 miles in length. Historic Lake Crescent Lodge on the south shore has operated since 1916.
Port Angeles, WA
Sol Duc Falls
Sol Duc Falls is a multi-tiered waterfall where the Sol Duc River splits into three or four channels dropping roughly 25 feet into a narrow basalt canyon. The falls are reached via a 0.8-mile trail through old-growth forest from the Sol Duc trailhead. A photogenic footbridge crosses directly above the falls, providing an elevated vantage point.