Hiking Olympic National Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures

I am a voulunteer Back-country Ranger for Olympic National Park, and this book is in my pack every time I head out into the back-country. His details are just what I want. I do not care for books that are so indepth that you know the hike before you start. What adventure is in that. He describes the location of back-country camp sites better than other authors. His book is very user friendly. Highly recommended.

I ordered the three Olympic Mountains trail guides that seemed most highly recommended -- Molvar, Blair, and Wood -- and was impressed by each. I needed a guide for a 7 to 10 day visit to Olympic, of which I had no prior knowledge. Wood's book is definitely the most comprehensive and technical of the three. If I lived near Olympic or had more time, it would definitely be my first choice. Blair's book of day hikes is also an excellent book, with useful topo maps and a 1 - 5 star rating system that makes choosing the day's hike that much easier, especially for out-of-towners. It is chattier than Wood, in a sort of happy-day-hike way (pointing out picnic spots and giving more local history, for example), and includes hikes from a few to 10+ hours. The happy medium between these two books is Molvar. It is written in a friendly narrative, but with enough information to put together a several-days hike. Its weak point is its lack of topo maps, but the trail maps are still very useable, and the elevation profiles are helpful. It also includes beach trails not found in Blair.

guide book of the Olympic Pennisula. It is the book I carry most often in my pack (though I have a bad habit of cutting out the pages I need - my book is about dead) I have had this book for over 2 years and is well used. I like Erik's style of writing, and that he gives distances at major points along the way. Wood's book is good also, but a little old school for my taste. Thanks to Erik, I found myself in Badger Valley, Grand Valley, Royal Basin and Flapjack Lakes this summer, some of the prettiest hikes I have ever done. If you like this, check out his North Cascade book also.

Rugged beaches. Tide pools. Glaciers. Dripping rain forests. Moss-covered old growth. Rivers and lakes. Olympic National Park has it all. Having just spent a memorable week there, I was able to see all of these things and more with Molvar's helpful hiking guide. Following an informative Introduction (pp. 1-21), this guide is organized by area: Sol Duc-Lake Crescent trails (pp. 29-50), Elwha River-Hurricane Ridge trails (pp. 51-85), Rainforest trails (pp. 86-121), Hood Canal Country trails (pp. 122-170), "Western Approaches" (pp. 171-211), and Olympic Coastline hikes (pp. 213-235). Throughout the book, black-and-white photos depict these areas. I relied upon this guide to locate and hike the Sol Duc Valley, Hurricane Hill, Shipwreck Coast, and Hoh Rainforest trails. I also saw many other visitors in the Park with Molvar's book in hand. Olympic Park has a lot to experience, and Molvar's hiking guide includes everything but the rain.G. Merritt

I have used this great book by Eric Molvar to plan many great day and over night trips in Olympic National Park and Forest. This book comes highly recommended by someone that spends most of their time in the back country.