After a long and excruciating hike up Storm King, we needed a good shake-out hike, so we visited Sol Duc Falls Olympic National Park.
Now, to understand Olympic National Park, draw a circle on a piece of paper, and then add random lines towards the center, but not all the way to the center. This is how the park is set up.
Highway 101 circles the entire park, and then there are fingers leading into the park, all around the circle. These fingers are all out and backs, anywhere between 2-18 miles in, dead-ending at trailheads.
So, nothing connects, and each experience in the national park is really a different finger. Sol Duc is a finger well-known for the backpacking in the area along with the hot springs.
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The Sol Duc Finger of Olympic National Park Offers
- Salmon Cascades
- Sol Duc Hot Springs
- Three Finger Waterfall
- Overnight Backpacking in Seven Lakes Basin Area
The Salmon Cascades
Thanks to @theincredibus family, we made a stop at the Salmon Cascades. And just as you would expect it to be, it is a cascade of salmon! It’s a point on the river where salmon jump up a naturally tiered waterfall, to swim up the Sol Duc River completing their life cycles.
Sitting and watching the Salmon Cascade for only a handful of minutes, you’ll see loads of massive fish making the brave leap up the waterfall to continue upstream. We sat for over an hour just in awe of the fish jumping upriver.
It’s one of those reminders the Lord gives, showcasing that when things seem hard (i.e. a fish jumping up an 11-foot waterfall), it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And when you fail, as the fish repeatedly did, crashing into the rocks instead of the pools of water, don’t give up! Keep trying. The reward is worth it!
Had we not been running out of daylight, we probably would have stayed and just watched the fish for even longer. There were literally hundreds of them making their journeys upstream!
The Sol Duc Hot Springs
Seeing how the hot springs were right on the way to the waterfalls, we popped in to see if they were reasonably priced for a nice dip. Honestly, we usually pass on commercialized hot springs, but we haven’t had a real shower in nearly two weeks, and a commercialized hot spring, typically comes with a hot shower too.. so, our interest peaked!
However, before we even saw the listed prices, it was a resounding no go for us. There were SO MANY PEOPLE in the hot springs, butting right up to each other. Nothing about it seemed enjoyable at all, and it certainly wouldn’t be worth whatever price tag was there.
For those interested, it was $18 for a 1.5-hour soaking session — with about a hundred or more other people in three pools!
Hiking Sol Duc Falls Olympic National Park
Remember, the entire reason for going up this finger of the national park was to go on a shake-out hike after hiking Storm King. Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park is a short 1.8-mile roundtrip hike with 200 feet of elevation gain was calling our names.
We hit the trailhead in style, planning to go for a quick out and back. And shoot, the trail was beautiful. We were a bit worried about the lighting, as we had a huge fiasco with Georgie that morning, leading to her being gone for over 2 hours. But boy, oh boy, that two+ hour delay was a blessing in disguise.
The way the sun was shining through the forest was pure magic. All along the way there, we kept stopping for photos and just standing in awe, maybe to give our legs some rest, at how beautiful the forest was.
The trees were lit up perfectly. The ferns were beautifully illuminated by rays of light squeezing through the branches above. The trail was a bit crowded, however, spacious enough to not be overwhelmed by people. It was magic.
We came across a bridge, the first picture below, and were just blown away by the beauty of even just that area. Thinking we didn’t even need to hike anymore because this was worth the hike itself. Spoiler alert, we did. And it only got better.
Sol Duc Falls + An Unexpected Canyon
Getting to the end of the trail, we could hear the crashing waterfall as we approached. What we didn’t know was turning a complete 180 around on the bridge at the waterfall was one of the prettiest canyons I’ve ever seen.
Don’t get us wrong. The waterfall was great. The way the Sol Duc River splits into three fingers is so cool. But in my opinion, the fern canyon stole the show.
Again, maybe it was just the lighting that was so perfectly illuminating the plants, but whatever it was it was gorgeous.
Sharing Creation + Experiences Along The Way
Sometimes a picture just doesn’t capture the moment. And while we also film a lot of what we see, hello, ArboursAbroad YouTube Channel, we hope one day we share a place that inspires you to get out and go see it too — which is why we include the rest of this post, like places to camp, what to see nearby, and what to pack for a trip to this part of the world.
However, we want to say, and we hope you feel it in our writing, that we never want to go to a place just for a shot, and we don’t want you to either. Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park was the perfect example of this.
We went thinking that the waterfalls were going to be the prettiest thing we saw on the entire hike. But low and behold, it was actually the fern canyon, opposite of the falls. And had we just been going to the falls to get the shot of what we’ve seen, we would have never turned around and paid any attention to the other side.
Is it just us, or do you find the fern canyon beautiful too?
Where to Stay Near Sol Duc Falls Olympic National Park
Backcountry Camping
With a backcountry camping permit, you can actually stay right at the falls. There are a handful of places to pitch a tent right near the water. The Sol Duc Falls trail is also a small portion of the much longer trails to different lakes in the area. If you’re into backcountry camping, head here to learn more about the Seven Lakes Basin backcountry permits.
Sol Duc Campground
Just below the trailhead is Sol Duc Campground. There are 82 campsites and one big group site. They can be reserved in advance here. The campground offers fire rings, bathrooms, potable water, picnic tables, bear boxes, and an RV dump station.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and RV Park
At Sol Duc Hot Springs, there are cabins and an RV Park for those with their own rigs. This resort is closed during the winter, so do keep that in mind if visiting during that time of the year. To check current prices and reserve your stay, head to their website here.
Dispersed Camping Near Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park
To know us is to know we don’t pay for camping. We always find free campsites, whether at an actual free campground or on public lands. We’ve done a post all about how to find camping for free in the United States. Read that post here.
We don’t believe in keeping all our campsites secret, so we created a post of every place we camped for free while visiting Olympic National Park and the surrounding area.
What to Visit Near Sol Duc Falls Olympic National Park
Lake Crescent
It’s hard to miss. Lake Crescent is a beautiful, super clean lake with easy access along the highway. You can spend a day at the day-use areas, like East Beach, or hike to Devil’s Punchbowl .. a super popular spot to swim!
Hike Storm King + Marymere Falls
Marymere Falls is an easy mostly flat hike through the forest to a 90-foot waterfall. Park at Storm King Ranger Station, and then visit the ranger station, where you’ll see the start of the trail to the waterfall.
For those looking for a super intense hike with 2,000+ feet of elevation gain and a roped section of climbing with cliffs on both sides, check out Storm King. We really enjoyed the hike — it was extremely brutal with the straight-up switchbacks all the way there, and straight downhill all the way back, but the views are amazing.
NOT RECOMMENDED for those afraid of heights and/or not confident in hiking rocky terrain via rope support.
Read about our hike to Storm King here.
Check out Marymere Falls + two other falls in Olympic National Park here.
What to Pack For The Sol Duc Area of Olympic National Park
Our Complete Car Camping Essentials
Visiting Olympic National Park? Don’t Miss These Posts!
Dispersed Camping in the Olympic National Forest
A Life Changing Experience at Rialto Beach
Waterfall Hikes in Olympic National Park
Quinault Rainforest Nature Trail | connecting to nature in the rainforest
Olympic Hot Springs Complete Guide
Hoh Rainforest | is it really worth it + the guide you need to read
Traveling Soon? Check Out These Posts on Travel
How To Start Saving For Travel Today
Our Complete Car Camping Checklist
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