Olympic National Forest · Washington

Upper Big Creek Loop

4.2 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 827.1 · trail class 3 · typical grade 5-8% · hiking, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 47.4936, -123.2131 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Big Creek Upper Loop #827.1 the Forest Service's write-up

season Early Spring to

This trail passes through mature second growth and affords the hiker an excellent walk in the forest. Upper Big Creek Loop Trail #827.1 makes a four mile loop around Big Creek Basin. To access the trail, start at the picnic shelter, cross the lower Big Creek Bridge and then turn left. The trail proceeds in a northerly direction for 1.7 miles to a bridge across Branch Creek. Near this point a side loop trail goes to the confluence of Big and Branch Creeks. From Branch Creek, Mt. Ellinor Connector Trail #827.2 connects the Loop trail to the Lower Mt. Ellinor trail in 1.3 miles. The Loop trail runs northeasterly 400 to the Big Creek Bridge then continues, crossing several creeks, until the campground is reentered at 4.0 miles. Each creek crossing and confluence are excellent places to enjoy lunch (benches provided) in beautiful surroundings.

Via trails Big Creek Upper Loop Trail #827.1, Mt. Ellinor Connector Trail #827.2 , and Mt. Ellinor Trail #812 , a hiker can trace the historic climbing route from Big Creek Campgound to the summit of Mt. Ellinor, total 6.2 miles.

Restrictions Bicycles, motorized vehicles and horses are prohibited on the trail.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Olympic National Forest

All 116 trails in Olympic National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.