Hiking Mt. Ellinor: Attitude is Everything

Mountain summits are my favorite kind of hikes. To me, they are the hikes that are the most rewarding. I love the sense of accomplishment I get while sitting on a summit taking in the 360 degree views. As difficult as it may be in the moment, I also love the challenge that comes with getting to the top. And my recent hike to the summit of Mt. Ellinor was just that: a challenge with a great payoff.

Western Washington was blessed with a warm, sunny, clear forecast for the first weekend of November, and I wanted to take advantage of that. Lately, I have been doing hikes better suited to rainy days, picking lakes and waterfalls as my destinations. With the perfect weather, I wanted a hike that would give me great, expansive views. I also wanted to do a hike that I likely wouldn’t be comfortable attempting during the winter due to avalanche hazards. After doing a little research, I decided to head over to the Olympic Peninsula and hike Mt. Ellinor, which sits in the southeast region of Olympic National Forest.

Trail through the first part of the forest is mostly free from roots and rocks

There are actually two trailheads for Mt. Ellinor, an upper and a lower trailhead. By starting at the upper trailhead, you cut off about 2 miles of the hike (one way) and jump into the steep portion right away. I wanted a longer hike, so opted to start at the lower trailhead. The first 2 miles through the forest started off with moderate elevation gain. Even though you are in the forest, it is not as dense as other forest hikes and plenty of sunlight was able to stream through the trees. 

After meeting up with the upper trailhead junction, there are more rocks and roots on the path, which requires you to pay a little more attention to where you put your feet. The trail also gets much steeper at this point. I had hiked the first 2 miles of trail fairly quickly, but was forced to slow down at this point, mostly due to the incline of the trail. Around 2.5 miles, the trees start to thin and you reach a boulder field. Unlike most boulder fields, you don’t have to do any scrambling. Trail volunteers have forged a path through the boulder field by using rocks and logs that allows you to navigate the field without having to use your hands.

Though not obvious, there is a path through the boulder field

The last stretch to the summit is essentially a staircase that climbs 500 vertical feet in about half a mile. Similar to the boulder field, trail volunteers have created steps using cedar planks to guide hikers to the summit. This part of the hike was the most challenging portion for me. The grade was so steep that I had to stop and rest every 30 feet or so. Every time I turned a corner, I expected to see the summit, but was instead greeted by more cedar planks.

Cedar staircase on mountain side

I was also really hot. Even though it was sunny, I was hiking in leggings and a long sleeved top, assuming that it would be somewhat chilly since it was the first weekend in November. I was wrong. It was a warm day and after entering the boulder field, the trail was pretty exposed.  I found myself wishing I had worn shorts and a tank top! 

Legs burning and with sweat dripping from my forehead, I carried on, fueled by the incredible views that were starting to emerge. As I stopped to catch my breath, I marveled at the landscape. Mt. Rainer, in all her glory, dominated the view to the east. I knew the view would be even better from the summit, so I pushed on, putting one boot in front of the other.

Mt. Rainier (left), Mt. Adams (center, in the distance), and Mt. St. Helens (right) above Puget Sound

Finally, I rounded the last corner, and climbed the last cedar planks to reach the summit of Mt. Ellinor. The view was even better than I could have imagined. Below me, Lake Cushman sparkled in the sunlight. Further east, I could see the Hood Canal and Kitsap Peninsula. Mt. Rainier towered above the Puget Sound and was joined by Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens to the southeast. And it didn’t stop there.

Looking north from the summit: Glacier Peak (snow capped mountain on right), Mt. Washington (center), and Mt. Baker (snow capped mountain in distance just left of Mt. Washington)

Looking to the north, I could see Glacier Peak and the rest of the Cascades. Mt. Baker was visible in the distance just to the left of neighboring peak, Mt. Washington. To the west, Mt. Olympus sat gracefully amongst the other Olympic peaks. It was amazing to see so many of Washington’s famous mountains all at once. The summit was warm and only slightly breezy, so I took a long break to eat and marvel at my surroundings. I know that I could have spent hours on the summit, never growing bored of the view.

The Olympics, Mt. Olympus is the snow capped mountain in the center

Time passed quickly on the summit and before long, I had to start my descent. While it was much easier on my heart and lungs, descending the steep cedar staircase was hard on my knees and quads. I was especially thankful for my trekking poles during this part of my hike. Because I didn’t have to stop and catch my breath, I quickly descended to the boulder field. 

Once I was back into the forest, I was able to pick up my pace on the switchbacks leading down to the upper trailhead junction. After that point, the trail was mostly free from rocks and roots, so I half-ran back to the lower trailhead. It had taken me 2 hours to reach the summit and I wanted to challenge myself to get back to my car in an hour and a half. I emerged from the forest to the trailhead exactly 1 hour and 27 minutes after I left the summit! It was a great way to end an amazing hike.