Staircase in Olympic National Park: A Visitor’s Guide

Staircase is the southeast corner of Olympic National Park, a forested valley on the North Fork Skokomish River above Lake Cushman. It has a ranger station, a riverside campground and one of the park’s best short walks, the Staircase Rapids Loop. In 2025 the Bear Gulch Fire closed it for a year. Here is what is open now and how to plan a visit.

Where Staircase is and how to get there

The park describes Staircase as about an hour’s drive from Olympia and two hours south of Port Angeles. From Highway 101 at Hoodsport, the road climbs past Lake Cushman for 16 miles, partly paved and partly gravel. Inside the Olympic National Forest it is road FS-24.

The unpaved stretch closes from time to time for weather such as snow, and Recreation.gov notes that it is often closed completely from November to May. If you are driving the whole peninsula, our Olympic Peninsula loop road trip puts Staircase on the long Hood Canal leg.

The Bear Gulch Fire and the 2026 reopening

The human caused Bear Gulch Fire started on July 6, 2025, on Mt. Rose above Lake Cushman, in Olympic National Forest. In late July it moved into the park, crossed the North Fork Skokomish River and spread into the wilderness. The park calls it the largest wildland fire on the Olympic Peninsula since 1951, and it was fully contained on November 12, 2025.

The Staircase developed area and FS-24 reopened on July 8, 2026. Crews spent the summer on trail stabilization, erosion control, culvert repairs and vegetation work, and the park warns that closures may change as recovery continues.

What is open and closed at Staircase, as of October 2026

Place	Status
Access road FS-24	Open since July 8, 2026
Campground and ranger station	Open
Staircase Rapids Loop	Open
Shady Lane Trail	Closed
North Fork Skokomish Trail beyond the Rapids Loop	Closed to Home Sweet Home
Four Stream, Wagonwheel Lake, Flapjack Lakes, Black and White Lakes	Closed
Six Ridge Primitive Trail	Closed from Belview Camp to the North Fork

Wilderness camps along those trails are closed too, from Beaver Flats and Camp Pleasant to Flapjack Lakes and Wagonwheel Lake. The NPS fire conditions page keeps the full list, so check it before you go.

Walking the Staircase Rapids Loop

The Staircase Rapids Loop is the walk most visitors come for. The park describes an easy 2 mile loop with about 200 feet of elevation gain, through old growth forest to a bridge over the North Fork Skokomish. The park’s trail conditions table lists it at 2.1 miles and marked it reopened in September 2026.

A short spur off the loop leads to the Big Cedar, a fallen western redcedar about 14 feet across. The spur starts just over the Skokomish River bridge from the parking area and runs 0.2 miles on compacted gravel, mostly under 5% grade. Our guide to accessible trails in Olympic National Park has the full measurements.

Seeing the fire up close

Walking the loop now, you pass through a mosaic. Some stretches are still green with ferns and maples, while others are black trunks and orange needles, with new plants coming up underneath.

The park lists real hazards in burned forest: trees and branches that fall without warning, even on calm days, loose rocks, stump holes, landslides and debris flows. Stay on open trails, leave at once if you hear cracking trees or moving rocks, and avoid burned areas in wind or heavy rain.

Burned ground is also easy for invasive plants to take over, so the park asks you to clean your boots and gear before you hike. Our post on invasive plants on the Olympic Peninsula explains why that matters.

The ranger station and campground

The Staircase Ranger Station sits at the parking area. The park’s Staircase brochure says it is open in summer when staffing allows, with information, exhibits, wilderness permits, bear canisters, maps and a wheelchair to borrow. A stock corral, an accessible restroom and a picnic area are nearby.

The campground has 49 sites, many along the river, with picnic tables, fire rings, potable water and animal proof food lockers. From mid fall to May there are only pit toilets, with no water or trash service. Recreation.gov warns that most sites can’t fit large RVs or trailers.

Book through the Staircase Campground page on Recreation.gov, which also lists the stay limits and food storage rules. Our Olympic National Park campgrounds guide compares Staircase with the park’s other campgrounds.

Why it is called Staircase

In 1890, Lt. Joseph O’Neil’s expedition crew built a cedar staircase over the rock bluff across the river from today’s campground. The park says it was the only way over the bluff until the Shady Lane Trail was built in 1911. The staircase is long gone, but the name stayed.

Before you go

• Pets and bicycles are not allowed on park trails. Leashed pets are allowed in the campground; see our post on dogs in Olympic National Park.
• You need a valid park entrance pass to camp, and a wilderness permit for any overnight hike once trails reopen.
• Drive slowly, especially in wet or windy weather, and carry extra food and water in case fallen trees or rocks block the road.
• Store food and scented items in a vehicle or animal resistant locker.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer led friends group based in Port Angeles. The park’s own crews are doing the work at Staircase. Our volunteers pitch in elsewhere, from our adopt-a-trail crew on the Heart O’ the Forest Trail to invasive plant pulls. If places like Staircase matter to you, see our volunteer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions