NorthBeachVacation.com
HIGLEY PEAK

Higley Peak is reached by a 9.5 mile drive up Prairie Creek
Road - a dirt road northwest of the North Shore Road along
Highway 101.  Bear to the right at two forks in the road - the
first is unmarked, the second has a sign for Higley Peak.  
Along the road you will enjoy tremendous views of verdant
green valleys and the high Olympic snow-capped peaks.  Out
of one of these valleys we heard Roosevelt Elk calling.

The trailhead is overgrown and the sign has fallen down.  At
exactly the 9.5 mile mark you reach a clearing, where the
road widens out and you have a view on both sides: a pretty
stand of moss-laden trees marching down the steep hillside
to the south and a green valley to the north.  Ahead of you the
road drops down (for about a mile).  Look for the trail
entrance at the southwest corner of the clearing against the
hillside.  The trail is in good condition after you find its
entrance.  A half mile uphill hike brings you through pretty
forest dropping away steeply down the hillside, past a huge
boulder formation, and up to the small clearing at the top.  
There is a very limited, filtered view of the lake through some
young trees.

If you drive a further 3 miles down the road to the 12.5 mile
mark, you will be rewarded with a terrific view of the eastern
end of Lake Quinault, the river flowing into it, and the
mountains of the Colonel Bob Wilderness area beyond.

We made this visit in late June and late August.  In June we
hit snow at about the 7 mile mark, trudged ahead on foot,
reached the clearing mentioned above, but we didn't know
where we were and we missed the trailhead.

Full report in my blog:
http://bobspacificbeachhouse.blogspot.com

Map (see upper left):
http://www.quinaultriverinn.com/images/hiking_map6.pdf

by Bob Kelly
bobkelly1964@yahoo.com
http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com
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