Driving Directions:Take Highway 101 to the Duckabush River Road, 3.5 miles south of Brinnon on Hood Canal. Drive the Duckabush River Road (Forest Road 2510) six miles to the trailhead (elevation 400 feet).

Trail notes: The weather was predicted to be a little on the wet and cold side this weekend so we thought it might be a good idea to hike on the eastern slopes of the Olympics. Turns out we were able to avoid the rain and actually have a nice period of sun for the bulk of the hike.

The major draw to the Duckabush for a 'short' day hike is little and big hump. Truth be told we didn't even notice little hump as we hiked over it (400 foot vertical). We did notice Big hump (1000 foot vertical). The hike starts out very easy sort of a mini Hoh trail. The makings are the same, very quiet old growth surroundings with moss covered everything. Little Hump as I mentioned is not even noticeable on the way in. The lackadaisical trail continues for about 60-80 minutes finally arriving at the bottom of the Big Hump.

Big hump rises steeply from the valley floor roughly along side an unnamed ephemeral waterfall. The trail itself doesn't get very close to the waterfall during the switch backed ascent to the top of Big Hump. However, there are some fleeting views of this waterfall. The switchbacks themselves are not bad the grade is easy and aren't very fatiguing at all. For the next 20 minutes working your way up the switchbacks many outlooks abound offering essentially the same view down the valley from which you have come as well as to the South towards Saint Peters Dome. No views of the Brothers but they are almost directly to the South of Big Hump too.

Views up the valley to the West aren't easily found. When you manage to find a vantage point not obscured by trees you realize the view up the Duckabush from Big Hump doesn't really offer much in the way of a reward.

As a parting note keep in mind that though the gain on this hike is listed as 1550 the real change you do will be more since the terrain undulates over the humps. You can easily double this vertical by hiking over the top of Big Hump. Anyway, nothing difficult.

Where I think this hike would really shine is as the entry point to an extended trip up the Duckabush over La Crosse or O'neil Pass. You would certainly be afforded some solitude that is for sure. As it stands if you are looking for a quiet getaway through some Hoh like environs consider the Lower Duckabush, and the twin humps.