As the trail traverses the ridge backing Promise and Seattle creeks tarns, distant ridges and valleys come into view.
Climbing the trail to the ridge above Lake Beauty revealed a beautiful sunset dropping over the mountains and into the distant Pacific.
After the trail rounds the south flank of Mount Seattle the it begins to descend rapidly to the North Fork Quinault River.
Hiking up to the ridge revealed excellent views of Hee Haw creek with Mount Olympus and neighboring peaks in the background.
Beautiful weather only adds to the wonderful scenary.
After the long descent off the Skyline Ridge Trail, one still finds themselves over 16 miles from the North Fork Quinault trailhead. With the remaining trail miles being along the river, this section is a virtu More
As the trail gains the ridge near Promise creek basin an old burn reveals distant views of the valley, ridges and forest traveled through to get to this point, nearly 20 miles from the trailhead.
Past fires scar the landscape as the trail travels east of Kimta Peak.
Clear days and no crowds, the fall can be a great time to hike the Skyline Ridge Trail. The Mountain Huckleberry turning red is just a bonus pop of color in the green landscape.
Boggy in spots, a boardwalk offers a dry path to travel on.
Panoramas abound on a clear day from the Skyline Ridge. Near Kimta Peak on can look southwest into the remote Queets valley and its tributaries.
Turning red in the fall, Mountain Huckleberry brightens up the way along the trail.
On a clear day the views from the Skyline Ridge go for miles. Here we look into Three Prunes basin with the way back through the North Fork Quinault in the distance.
Setting a record in 2005, this Alaska-cedar is along the trail near Three Lakes.
Once the trail crosses the divide between the Kimta creek basin and the Promise creek basin the landscape changes dramatically. As a rocky landscape with stunted trees reveals itself so does a panorama of the park.
The way trail towards Tshletshy Creek would be challenging to find if not for this sign near Three Lakes.
Lake Beauty is the largest of the lakes and small tarns dotting the area. Its beautiful emerald color is in drastic contrast to the blue skies seen during our hike.
Happy hikers enjoying the views, sun and scenery near Kimta Peak as they pose for a picture. The remote Queets valley can be seen in the background.
Elip Creek Trail offers an alternative route to accessing the Skyline Ridge Trail from the North Fork Quinault Trail.