Kloshe Nanitch
Stand watch over the Sol Duc Valley
Quick Facts: Location: North Olympic Peninsula-Sol Duc Valley;
Land Agency: Olympic National Forest;
Roundtrip: 6.4 miles;
Elevation gain: 2,400 feet; Contact: Olympic National Forest, Pacific District North, Forks; Notes: Discover Pass Required;
Recommended Guidebook: Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula (2nd edition)
Good to Know: Dog-friendly, Trail Less Traveled, Historic Hike, Practice Leave No Trace Principles
Access: From Port Angeles, follow US 101 west for 37 miles to the Klahowya Campground. Proceed west another half mile turning right onto West Snider Road (just past Sol Duc River Bridge). In .4 mile come to the USFS Snider Work Center, continue straight on paved road another .6 mile to road end and trailhead.
Chinook Jargon for “stand guard” or “stand watch,” Kloshe Nanitch once hosted a striking cupola fire lookout until 1963—and then a beautiful replica of it from 1996 to 2012. Now a viewing platform teetering on this Snider Ridge outcrop high above the glacially carved Sol Duc Valley allows you to stand watch over thousands of acres of rugged surroundings.
The hike starts on DNR land (hence the Discover Pass) following an abandoned section of US 101. Walk the old road, along a bend in the Sol Duc River. Soon enter the Olympic National Forest and come to a sign indicating the start of true trail. Take it and steadily climb through second-growth fir forest carpeted with salal and pipsissewa. The way switchbacks up the south side of Snider Ridge. Cross several streams rushing down steep ravines, although by late summer most will be running dry. At about 2 miles the grade eases through a stand of hemlocks and then launches into some tight switchbacks (more like Z-backs) before approaching a small ledge offering a preview of the views lying ahead.
After skirting beneath some cliffs, come to a junction. The trail to the right travels 3.5 miles along Snider Ridge to connect with the Mount Muller Loop. Head left, breaking out into a wildflower-studded meadow beneath the knob that once supported the lookout. Make one last short and steep climb to arrive at a picnic table, privy, and the lookout site on a ledge at the edge of the long ridge (elev. 3160 ft).
You may have company as the lookout site can also be reached via rough FR 3040 and FR 3040-595 from the Snider Work Center. More than likely, though, you’ll have the viewing platform to yourself. Scan the Sol Duc Valley from craggy Mount Appleton and the snow-patched High Divide all the way to the Pacific. A blanket of clouds on the western horizon marks the coastline. On a clear day you can see James Island near La Push. That big snow- and glacier-covered mountain to the south is Olympus, of course.
Kloshe Nanitch is one of 136 featured hikes in my fully updated and expanded Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula 2nd Edition (Mountaineers Book). For more details on this hike and others (including many not found in other guides), pick up a copy of this book—the number one selling and most trusted guidebook on hiking in the Olympics—today!
For information on where to stay and on other things to do on the Olympic Peninsula, check out Northwest TripFinder
