The hike to Sol Duc Falls was the best hike of our trip, primarily because the falls were so beautiful, but also because it is a nice easy hike that makes you feel like you’re really in the outdoors being active. It is a 1.6 mile roundtrip hike on a clear, fairly even path. The initial steps down are the hardest because the steps are spaced so widely apart. There are a couple of longer hikes that use the same trailhead. Or you can take the Lover’s Lane trail from the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, which is 6 miles round-trip.
Although rainfall is below average so far this year, the falls had enough force to create quite a show. The end of the trail is a bridge crossing over the chasm at the bottom of the falls. I get vertigo very easily, so I had to hold on to the railing as I crossed. From this vantage point, it’s amazing to see the bottom of the falls, water crashing against the rocks, surrounded by the loud rushing sounds of the water. Don’t worry. It’s not really scary, and not really that far down. It’s just the sensation I got because usually I’m looking at water falls from the bottom at a reasonable distance.
I have seen the Sol Duc Falls described as one of the most beautiful falls in Washington. I highly recommend the trip. Unlike Marymere and Madison Falls, where you just kind of wander through the wilderness, arrive at the falls, oh and ah, and then head back, the Sol Duc Falls trail is a real walk through the woods with amazing scenery from start to finish. Definitely make time to stop by.
Side Note: If you are an Aaron Elkins fan and have read A Dark Place, there is a spot about halfway down the trail where you cross a stream coming from a steep incline. It’s here that I can image the scene when Gideon gets jumped by something or someone from the densely wooded hillside. It's creepy and cool at the same time. I took a couple of pictures, but the rain made the photos all splotchy.