High Divide/Seven Lakes Basin July 2021 Trip Report

Trip Report: July 17, 2020

From my watch...

Mileage: 18.39 miles

Elevation Gain: 4,080 feet

Despite the "partly sunny" forecast, I set off into the drizzly green forest just before 8:30AM.

The trail wasn't very busy, especially for my "late" start, but there were a few other groups of hikers. Most stopped at the Sol Duc Falls.

I was prepared for a popular trail, but I spent hours alone in the beginning and end of my hike. I was glad for my bear spray, especially since the guide book author said they once saw 14 bears in one loop hike.

The thick morning mist was eerie. Standing alone in the perfectly still, quiet forest, unable to even see across the valley due to the heavy fog, I understood why myths like Bigfoot were so popular on the Olympic Peninsula.

My jaw dropped when I arrived at Deer Lake. The lake isn't particularly glamorous, but the peaceful body of water appears suddenly out of the woods. It's serene, lively, and... there is a toilet here!

The fog was so thick that I often couldn't see the other side of the boulder-strewn switchbacks. If there was another group of hikers approaching, I would hear them long before they emerged from the mist.

Trails were in near perfect condition! There was no mud and ice axes/microspikes/etc. were not needed. There were a couple patches of snow but the crossings were easy and often avoidable all together. The most difficult section was around the corner from the photo above. It seemed deceptively easier to walk across the snow, but I could tell the risk of punching through the late season patch was high. Underneath was a boulder field on a slight slope, often with deep holes. If you fell, you could have slid a bit or punched through and sustained a leg injury. I opted to scramble across some boulders instead to avoid the sketchy snow.

Right before the junction to Lunch Lake, I think I might have heard a bear in the woods nearby (or at the very least a large animal, which sent a bunch of rocks down a boulder field), but I just kept moving.

I was finally along the High Divide! This was the most beautiful section of trail, and the views were non-stop.

If you don't take the super short detour to Lunch Lake, you can miss one of the best views of the day! You don't even have to hike all the way down into the basin to see the beautiful lakes.

Back along the High Divide, the views were harder to come by. The fog would roll by, but at most I had little "windows" down into the basin.

I filled water at Heart Lake and talked to some other hikers, all in high spirits. There were reports of a bear (or two?) here the night before. We laughed as the fog rolled into the valley we were in, and stole even the view of the lake we were on. No mountain views today!

Heart Lake is the final landmark of the basin section, and then it was back out along the Sol Duc River Trail. This section was extremely quiet and I would go long stretches without seeing anyone else– on a summer Saturday!

I finished my hike around 5PM, just as my feet were starting to get tired. I saw the most people along the High Divide (and coming out near Sol Duc Falls) but there were hours where I was alone on a Saturday.

I saw lots of bear poop on trail (and may have heard one), but no bears... until the next day when I went to Hurricane Ridge for sunrise! Beautiful trail, I'd definitely do it again one day.