SOL DUC HOT SPRINGS
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
Lodging Reservations: https://www.olympicnationalparks.com/lodging/sol-duc-hot-springs-resort/
Permit Needed for Olympic National Park: National
Park Wilderness Permit. Hint: bring that senior in your life who could use a
bit of pampering. They’ll get the best price on a lifetime pass that will cover
everyone in your vehicle: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/olympic/passes-permits/recreation
IN QUILEUTE LEGEND, once long ago there were two great
dragons, Sol Duc and Elwha, embroiled in an endless conflict, each suspecting
the other of trying to take their territory. The tears they shed created two
glorious and enduring hot springs that travelers from around the world enjoy.
It’ll take guts to brave the WiFi dead zone, and a quick thumb to pull the
trigger early on securing a reservation, but once you’re at Sol Duc Resort
(Olympic National Park) just thirty minutes south of Lake Cresent on the Olympic
Peninsula of Washington State, it will all be worth it.
We booked our trip ridiculously early, about eight months out, and were able to snag the Riverside Suite for a large party. Coming from the Seattle area, there are plenty of great stops to explore lovely coastal towns along the way: Poulsbo, Fort Flaggler, Port Gamble, which has an incredible
seashell museum, Sequim, for lavender farms and groceries, and finally, Port Angeles, which will be the last major town at which to pick up supplies. You’ll next circumnavigate the dreamily beautiful Lake
Crescent, a deep crystalline lake with dramatic peaks including Storm King
rearing up along its shores. There’s a last stop you could make at Fairholme
General Store at the Fairholme Campground on the far west side of Crescent Lake along
Highway 101 West before you’ll turn south down Sol Duc Hot Springs Road and
enter Olympic National Park. About thirty minutes down, you will see the sign
for Sol Duc Resort on your right.
Everything is very well marked to get there, but once you
enter the Resort, it can be a bit confusing. We arrived on a Saturday for a 4
PM check in late summer, and the parking lot in front of the main lodge was
completely full. There are plenty of campgrounds around, and so campers will also flock
to the Lodge to enjoy the hot springs after a long day of hiking. Visitors who aren't resort guests will have
to reserve time slots to use the hot springs, usually in 1.5 hour increments. However, if you are a guest, you’ll get all day access
to the hot springs, including special guests-only from 7:30 Am – 8 AM. Simply
flash your wrist band and you’ll get a towel for each member of your party each
time you head over to the springs through the main lodge. There’s a gift shop
and a simple convenience store, as well as drip coffee for around $4. As
mentioned before, there’s no WiFi—a phone is available at the front desk for
emergencies.
Spreading out before the lodge are quite a few rows of
cabins, which could probably hold up to four people at the most. If
you have a larger party, you’ll definitely want to try and book the Riverside
Suite, which is the large building farthest back by the creek above a workshop.
It has a master bedroom, a bedroom with two twin-size beds, and a third bedroom
with a queen. There is also plenty of space for additional party members to
sleep on couches or sleeping bags in the three separate living rooms, and there
is one full bath and one half-bath in the master. We had a fully equipped
kitchen including fridge, oven, stove, and dishwasher, but be aware that this
is all federally funded so it won’t be the Bellagio-- many of the appliances
and the building shows its age, but for “glamping,” you’ve hit the lottery. Park
in front of the Riverside Suite where the signs indicate (easy parking for two
vehicles; additional cars would need to park behind them), follow a steep staircase
up, and you’ll get the entire second floor to yourselves, along with a wrap-around deck and stairs down to a path to the creek. Breathe in that sulfurous
air! You’ll also enjoy watching dozens of swallows dive and soar overhead.
·
Pros: walk to the hot springs, walk to a
trailhead for the Lover’s Lane Loop, and within easy ten minute drive to the
Sol Duc Falls trailhead if you keep going south down Sol Duc Hot Springs Road
(this trailhead had completely filled up by around eleven, so get there before
then!) Riverside Suite was clean, good temperature, and had plenty of hot
water.
·
Cons: there were some safety concerns for
little children (nails left out on the back deck), the handrail in the stairway is loose
and poor lighting, the coffee maker is for k-cups only unless you fill a pod
with ground coffee & cover it with foil, and we couldn’t find oven mitts. Our
guests said the queen bed was saggy in the middle.
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Enter through the main lodge and branch off to the right to
access the showers and the springs. There are locker rooms in the showers and
plenty of places around the pool to hang your stuff. There are a total of four
pools: the large cold pool (which floaties are allowed in; appropriate for all
ages), a small wading pool (good for all ages; we had two toddlers and they
loved it, even at eight at night), and two hotter pools—my favorite, the one
with the fountain, and lastly, a mid-sized pool that gets up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was clean and ambient. You’ll get a pool schedule that shows half-hour
increments the springs are closed for cleaning.
Expect crowds during the day, but go early or the last
session for seclusion. We ended up doing the 8 – 9 Pm session twice, and two of
the toddlers with us, code names Eagle One and Flying Squirrel, got to
enjoy the shallow kids’ spring all to themselves while us adults took turns dipping in
the hotter pools. The warm water leaves your skin feeling silky and smooth, and
we got to watch the stars at night and spotted a deer on our way back to the
Riverside Suite.
Note: We did not try the restaurant at the Lodge due
to seeing some reviews that it was not worth the money, but it looked very
rustic and lovely for a drink outside under the lights overlooking the springs.
Sol Duc Falls
There are plenty of hiking options during the day. The full
Lover’s Lane loop is about 5.8 miles and make sure to start off at the
trailhead off of the resort so you can soak in the springs after!
We were looking for a kid-friendly option for Eagle One,
Flying Squirrel, and for my own sake due to carrying the baby, code name Pink Pika.
Sol Duc Falls was a perfect hike for all ages. There and back is about 1.6
miles round trip (we were considering a 2.2 mile round trip by adding on
Lover’s Lane Falls but alas, the kiddos did not concur).
To get there by car, turn right out of the resort and follow
the road past a campground nestled in old growth to the parking lot at the end
of the road. Go early—the parking lot was filled by eleven. There is a bathroom
there. Next you’re in for a treat as you descend into an atmospheric forest of
giants straight out of another world. Dinosaur-shaped firs, dangling tree
beards, and little bridges over bubbling creeks—Pink Pika was wide-eyed the
entire time. When you pass an old shelter on your left, you’re nearly to the
falls.
 |
| Eagle One leading the way. |
After you cross the bridge over Sol Duc Falls, you’re
greeted with a trail left or right. We took the left and found a nice secluded
little sandbank by the river. This was during summer—likely this spot would be
flooded in colder months. We enjoyed lunch and skipping rocks in the cool
streams under the shadowy boughs before heading back. If you keep going left,
you’ll find a neat tucked away little campground. We made it back with plenty
of time to get in a nap and then it was back to the unspoiled beauty of the
springs. Soak up and have fun!
Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.
