Olympic National Park is one of the most diverse parks in the US. Covering high alpine mountain peaks to rain forests to coastline – this park is worth a visit.

Currently there are 365 miles of trails within the park that are maintained for equestrians. Some of these trails are rugged and require an experienced pair, although there are some less adventurous options as well. For those ready to explore this park, there are 22 backcountry stock-friendly camps awaiting you.

The Trails:

Like in many other National Parks, the National Park Service expects users heading out into the backcountry to be experienced on the type of trail you’re navigating and be able to self-sustain in the backcountry. They also expect your horse to be well-trained for the tasks you’re asking. It should be experienced in backcountry travel and your method of containment. Hence why the park rates the trails for “experienced” and “very experienced”.

Trails for Experienced Riders and Horses

• North Fork Skokomish River Trail to First Divide – inaccessible due to 2025 fires.
• West Fork Dosewallips River Trail to Anderson Pass – inaccessible due to 2025 fires.
• Dosewallips River Trail to Hayden Pass.
• Heart O’ the Hills to Lake Angeles
• Heart O’ the Hills to Heather Park
• Elwha River Trail to Low Divide
• Sol Duc/Seven Lakes Basin Loop
• Hoh River Trail to Martin Creek Stock Camp
• Hoh Lake Trail
• North Fork Quinault River Trail to Low Divide
• East Fork Quinault River Trail to Enchanted Valley
• Wolf Creek Trail

Trails for VERY Experienced Riders and Horses

• Duckabush River Trail to First Divide (windfall, heavy brush, narrow tread, a river crossing and puncheon bridges require experienced riders)
• Gray Wolf River Trail to Gray Wolf Pass
• Lillian River Trail
• Happy Lake Trail (limited turn-around for truck and trailer)Boulder Creek to Sol Duc Valley via Appleton Pass (limited turn-around)
• Bogachiel River Trail to the Mink Lake Trail junction
• Queets River Trail

Please note: the road to access Enchanted Valley has been closed to trailers. Please call to verify road conditions and rules before arrival. Some trailheads may require an “uber” drop off or riding in from a further location.

The Camps:

Backcountry camps may have grazing, hitch rails or drift fences or no facilities at all.

The Rules:

1. You must have a wilderness permit for all overnight trips, some may require a reservation instead of a walk-up permit.
2. Only pelleted feed is allowed. No loose hay or grain.
3. You may not tie to a tree for more than one hour and it must be 8″ or larger in diameter.
4. Stock must be contained 200 feet from water.
5. No off-trail travel above 3,500 feet elevation.
6. Food and scented items must be properly stored for bear safety. Camps that don’t have a designated bear hang require bear canisters – they are they are available for loan from Wilderness Information Centers during business hours for those with a wilderness permit. They do have quite a few but may run out on busy weekends.
7. Grazing is permitted within 1/4 mile of stock camps.
8. Grazing animals must be moved at least every 12 hours to avoid overgrazing.
9. If fixed highlines are provided then you must use them.
10. Animals may not be left unattended or overnight unless highlined. Hobbling while unattended is prohibited.
11. Group size for overnight wilderness trips is limited to 12 people and 8 stock. Certain camps may have restrictions for fewer people than the overall limit.
12. In quota areas, deviation from your permit itinerary is not allowed, except in true cases of emergency.
    

How To Get a Permit:

• Reservations for the summer season (May 15th through October 15th) become available on April 15th at 10:00am EDT / 7:00am PDT.
• Permits that are listed as Walk-up or “W” on the detailed availability screen are only available by contacting the Wilderness Information Center.
• Once reserved, your permit will be issued by WIC staff 3 days before the start of your trip, you will then be able to log in to your recreation.gov account and print the permit yourself. 
  • If your permit is reserved less than a week in advance – it is typically issued the same day.

Online: All Olympic National Park Wilderness Permits are listed directly on recreation.gov. The site will show real-time availability for those sites that have quotas. Be sure to choose “Overnight with Stock” when selecting permit type.
Phone: Call the Wilderness Information Center at (360) 565-3100.
In Person: 3002 Mt Angeles Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98362, 9am – 4pm daily.

Fees: $6 reservation fee per permit. $6 recreation fee per person per night (waived for youth 15 and under). For those local to the area, an Olympic National Park Annual Wilderness Pass is available for $45 per year and waives the recreation fee for the passholder. It does not cover the reservation fee.

Frontcountry Staging Facilities:

Hoh Ranger Station – overnight holding corral.
Staircase Ranger Station – overnight holding corral.
Littleton Horse Camp – USFS camp outside of park boundaries.
LeBar Horse Camp – USFS camp outside of park boundaries.
Sage Horse Camp – privately owned horse camp near Sequim.
Sol Duc Campground – 1 group site that allows horses, hitching rail. It may be reserved through the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort online at www.recreation.gov or by calling Aramark at (877)-444-6777.

Overall, Olympic National Park is a hidden gem for equestrians. If you have visited or planning to in the future – drop a comment! I’d love to hear your stories and goals.

If you have additional info or photos of any North Cascades NP stock camp please feel free to share in comments or submit info via the Submit a Trail form! We will be cataloging backcountry stock sites with photos, gpx tracks and trail info for all areas of the Pacific Northwest.

Don’t forget to subscribe for trail catalog updates straight to your inbox!

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