On U.S. Route 101 between Forks and Port Angeles, Washington, turn left from eastbound/right from westbound between Mileposts 216 and 217 where indicated by signage for Mount Muller Littleton Loop Trailhead
Proceed 0.30 miles/0.50 km to the parking area and trailhead on the right
The Mount Muller Loop is an extraordinary trek with much to offer the hardy hiker. The site of much human activity in the early to mid-1900s, including logging, mining, and fire, the mountain continues the gradual recovery of its second-growth woodland. The 13.00-mile/21.00-km loop trail arcs through various distinct ecosystems, from the lush woodland at its feet, to the slender-columned conifers stretching up its flanks, to the blooming meadows, stunted mirkwoods, and distinctive stone outcrops strung along its coxcomb ridge before descending again through similar layers to the trailhead where it began. Whether hiked clockwise or counterclockwise, the trail climbs steeply up one end of the mountain and, even after attaining the ridge, repeatedly loses and regains elevation along its undulating crest before descending as sharply down the other end. Throughout, posted signs identify points of interest with whimsical monikers, e.g., Miners Crossing, Nosebag Point, Crow Caw Flats, etc. When the clouds that frequently gather on the mountaintop permit, its ridgeline meadows afford vistas of the Sol Duc River Valley below, snowy Mount Olympus to the south, and Lake Crescent to the east. The keen-eyed hiker may also spy Mt. Baker to the extreme northeast and the Salish Sea and Vancouver Island across the ridge to the north.
This profile follows the loop trail clockwise, as suggested by signage at the trailhead. Posted signage thereafter adequately marks trail junctions, except where the trail briefly merges with the paved Olympic Discovery Trail on its eastern end. If hiking the loop clockwise, turn right onto the paved trail and look for a small sign marking the loop trail in about 0.25 miles/0.40 km. Counterclockwise, turn left onto the paved trail and look for the unmarked loop trail climbing left from between two bridges.
If you are not up for hiking the full loop, track your distance and turn around at one of the named points of interest that is less than half the full route. Jasmine’s Meadow and even the Mount Muller summit are worthy destinations on the clockwise circuit (although they include most of the elevation gain along the ridge). Fouts Rock House and the open meadows just beyond Cahill’s Overlook are shorter alternatives in the counterclockwise direction. At Jim’s Junction, the clockwise route also connects to the Snider Ridge Trail that branches west approximately 3.00 miles/4.80 km to the North Point and Kloshe Nanitch.
Given its length, the trail offers likelihood of solitude. Although encounters with others on the trail are infrequent, it is a multi-use trail open to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians alike. Around the trail’s many bends and hillocks, bikers may be heard before seen; if curiously swift voices approach from beyond sight, be sure to move aside so that all users can coexist without mishap. Where the trail is narrow, yield the right of way to riders on horseback or ask how best to pass. Most often, the rumble of vehicles on U.S. Route 101 will be the nearest human presence, but it, too, will dissipate as the trail climbs.
Littleton Creek murmurs softly through the leafy lowland forest near the trailhead before continuing on its own path. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.As the trail ascends the drier, midland slopes on either end of the mountain, the forest quickly shifts from deciduous woodland to the slender, unbranched columns of conifers. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.Just over 3.00 miles/4.80 km from the trailhead, the trail reaches the ridgeline and curves eastward, alternating between rolling meadows with increasingly sweeping views of Mount Olympus and close forest dwarfed by the harsh conditions of higher altitude. Posted signs name each meadow, most after Forest Service workers who made the trail, e.g., Jasmine, Allison, Milsap, and Markham. Jasmine’s Meadow, Mount Muller Loop, Washington.An assortment of wildflowers brightens the mountain’s woodland shadows and sky-topped meadows, including, top row, left to right, blueleaf, Virginia, wild, or, common strawberries (Fragaria virginiana), Cascade Oregon-grapes (Berberis nervosa), Cascade desert-parsley (Lomatium martindalei), vanillaleaves, or, sweets-after-death (Achlys triphylla), western fairy slippers (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis), dandelions (Taraxacum spp.), white avalanche-lilies (Erythronium montanum), Lyall’s, or, little mountain anemones (Anemone lyallii), and kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi); center row, Pacific, or, western bleeding hearts (Dicentra formosa var. formosa), red elderberries (Sambucus racemosa), Utah honeysuckle (Lonicera utahensis), Smith’s fairy bells, or, fairy lanterns (Prosartes smithii), spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa), salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis), Oregon, or, redwood wood-sorrels (Oxalis oregana), harsh paintbrushes (Castilleja hipsida), and oval-leaf blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium); and, bottom row, Pacific trilliums (Trillium ovatum var. ovatum), two-leaved false Solomon’s seals (Maianthemum dilatatum), star-flowered false Solomon’s seals (Maianthemum stellatum), evergreen, or, redwood violets (Viola sempervirens), hookedspur violets (Viola adunca), pioneer, or, stream violets (Viola glabella), red-flowering currants (Ribes sanguineum), yellow avalanche-lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum), and small-flowered blue-eyed Marys (Collinsia parviflora). Mount Muller Loop, Washington.At Mount Muller’s higher elevations where recovery from past clear-cut logging takes place more slowly, the teeming second-growth forest has yet to return to the natural, lushly layered woodland that burgeons farther down the mountainside, leaving the ridgetop mirkwood littered with debris and bereft of most other life. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.In the bristling forest along the ridge, keep an eye out for glimpses of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada’s Vancouver Island through parted boughs. Mount Muller Trail, Washington.At approximately 5.00 miles/8.00 km from the trailhead, short side trails lead to Mount Muller’s summit and to Panorama Point (shown here), which offer expansive vistas topped by Mount Olympus. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.From Panorama Point and the increasingly rocky slopes beyond, the view soars eastward across Lake Crescent. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.On a clear day, Mt. Baker (in this photo, what appears to be a small cloud on the horizon) can be spied away northeast across the Salish Sea. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.Along the open ridge and and down its eastern slope, jagged rock formations jut from the trailside like petrified, lantern-jawed ogres. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.Approximately 8.00 miles/12.80 km from the trailhead, a short side trail leads to another notable stone feature: Fouts Rock House, a stone lean-to formed by two garage-sized boulders. The naturally occurring shelter is spacious enough to harbor not only two- but likely four-legged creatures on occasion. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.At approximately 9.00 miles/14.50 km from the trailhead, the loop trail drops abruptly to the paved Olympic Discovery biking trail. Turn right onto the paved trail and continue for approximately 0.25 miles/0.40 km, keeping a wary eye for the sign marking where the loop trail resumes to the right. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.The remaining 3.00 miles/4.80 km of the trail are flat and often within earshot of Highway 101’s whir, traversing the verdant lowland forest that hems the mountainside. Mount Muller Loop, Washington.
