Mt Ellinor '00,  Olympic National Park,  June 5, 2000     page 1 / 4

Libby and I took off for the day to climb Mt Ellinor, a favorite hike of mine. It actually lies outside the Olympic National Park just north of Lake Cushman. It is easy to get to, requiring just under 2 hours of driving time to the parking area from our home in Gig Harbor. Nearly every year I climb the peak to quickly satisfy an urge to see the interior of the National Park.

Two trailheads exist, one at about 3500 feet above sea level, the other about 1000 feet lower. I generally park at the higher parking area. The elevation gain from there is still 2500 feet to the summit, so you can feel as though you accomplished something reasonably difficult.

Typically in June much of the hike is still over snow, as it was during our visit. The snow began around 4000 feet.