Baldy & Tyler Peak

Getting There

From US 101 near Sequim Bay State Park, turn west onto Luella Road  and then left onto Palo Alto Road. In 6 miles, turn right onto Forest Road  2880 and then turn left onto Forest Road 2870 in 1.7 miles. In 9 miles, reach the large parking area just past the Dungeness River Bridge (2,500 ft).

Alternative Trailhead: Continue on Forest Road 2870 and turn left onto Forest Road 2870-120. Continue to its end and the Maynard Burn trailhead (3,300 ft).

approach & ascent

Baldy (6,797 ft)

10.4 miles round trip, 4,475 feet of elevation gain, difficulty: strenuous 3, technical 3

Hike the Upper Dungeness Trail to it junction with the Lower Maynard Burn Trail.  Turn right and head steeply up. Reach the junction with the spur trail on Forest Road 2870-120 (3,300 ft) in 1.6 miles (if you start here, you'll save 5.2 miles round trip and 800 feet of elevation gain). Continue on to the  saddle east of Baldy (6,200 ft). Turn left and continue over the false summit and to the true summit of Baldy. This last bit on the ridge is off trail on a boot path.

Tyler Peak (6,364 ft)

From the summit of Baldy, hike back to the saddle to the east (6,200 ft). Then descend 0.8 mile to the knob west of Tyler Peak. Scramble up Tyler Peak. Descend by retracing your steps. Alternatively, consider descending the trail east of Mueller Creek that starts at 5,900 ft on the way back towards Baldy. This adds ~2 miles and 600 feet of elevation gain.

Baldy—gray wolf ridge—mount deception traverse

29-mile Loop, 12,800 Feet of Elavation Gain, 7,788-foot High Point

Dificulty: Strenuous, Technocal 4

Camp 1 (5,900 ft, 10 miles, 6,000 feet of elevation gain): Scramble to the summit of Baldy (as above), but use the Upper Maynard Burn Way Trailhead (3,300 ft) to reduce the elevation gain for this day. Follow Gray Wolf Ridge in a southwesterly direction to reach the 6,400 ft low spot just northeast and below Point 7076. To avoid steeper terrain on the ridge crest, traverse west at 6,500 ft before veering back to ascend Point 7076 via its northwest aspect. Finally, descend into the basin southwest of Point 7076 to an elevation of 5,900 ft, then traverse around the small ridge to reach the area near the small lake and the first night’s campsite (5,900 ft), less than a mile from Point 7076 and 0.5 miles north of the summit of Mount Walkinshaw.
Camp 2 (6,100 ft, 3 miles, 1,500 feet of elevation gain): From camp, traverse in a westerly direction (with a bit of descent) to reach game trails at 5,700 ft  that cross the ridge emanating from Mount Walkinshaw in a northerly direction.  After crossing the ridge crest, traverse a bit, then ascend in a southerly direction to an elevation of 6,500 ft for expansive views of the valley with Surprise Col at it’s head (the col bordered by Mount Clark on its north, and Mount Johnson on its south). The second night's camp is at a small lake on the far side of the valley in a SSW direction that is just below the ridge crest (the north side of the ridge) at an elevation of 6,100 ft.  This lake is ~1 mile WNW of Mount Clark. To reach this lake, descend in a SSW direction through talus, scree, alpine trees/brush to an elevation of ~5500 ft, then traverse south to reach a beautiful stream surrounded by lush alpine meadows at the bottom of the valley. Follow the meadows upstream to reach a small ridge that affords an easy ascent to the camp near the lake. Leave your overnight gear at this lake and convert to day packs.
Mount Deception (7,788 ft, 6 miles, 3,300 feet of elevation gain): Using a game trail immediately above the lake, cross the ridge and ascend to ~6,300 ft. Traverse 0.4 miles to the SSE to reach the top of an avalanche track. Descend this track to an elevation of 5,500 ft, then traverse through intermittent trees to reach the open valley. Ascend to the southwest, then east to reach the narrow valley leading to Deception Glacier on the northern aspect of Mount Deception.  Ascend this stagnant glacier on its eastern side to an elevation of 7,000 ft, then traverse and ascend a bit to reach an easy boot track that bypasses Gilhooey Tower on its west side. Bear east and ascend the easy ridge to the summit of Mount Deception (7,788 ft).  Retrace your route back to camp.
Royal Basin Exit (10 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain):  From Camp 2 descend to the northeast to reach the lush meadows at 5,500 ft.  From here ascend in a southeasterly direction to reach Surprise Col (6,900 ft), which passes between Mount Clark and Mount Johnson.  Descend through Surprise Basin to reach upper Royal Basin and then the Royal Basin Trail.  Enjoy the sights of Royal Basin as you descend the Royal Basin Trail to the cars.  If you opted to park at the Upper Maynard Burn Way trailhead, after 7 miles ans at ~2,900 ft, leave the Royal Basin trail and ascend the Lower Maynard Burn Way Trail back to your cars.

• Suitable Activities: Day Hiking, Scrambling
• Seasons: June, July, August, September, October
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Difficulty: Strenuous, Rock Scramble, Strenuous 3, Technical 3
• Length: 10.4 mi
• Elevation Gain: 4,475 ft
• High Point: 6,797 ft

• Land Manager: Olympic National Park
  Buckhorn Wilderness
• Parking Permit Required: Northwest Forest Pass
• Recommended Party Size: 12
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12