Heart Lake (4,744') is located 7.85 miles from Sol Duc Trailhead in Olympic National Park. The Sol Duc River Trail runs through archetypal old growth and high subalpine landscapes to the lake, and continues .45 miles above to the High Divide - Cat Basin junction (5,042').

Heart Lake is the source of Bridge Creek, a major tributary of the Sol Duc River

Avalanche Lilies take several years to mature before they flower

Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus, which forms the Hoh River, is believed to capture the highest precipitation of any other glacier in the lower 48 states with an average of 180" per year

Despite reaching impressive heights and girths, Western Hemlock have shallow root systems that make it susceptible to strong winds and fire damage

High points over the Heart Lake basin offer great views down the Bridge Creek Valley to Mount Appleton along the north wall of Sol Duc

The Sol Duc River is one of only a few places on the Olympic Peninsula where salmon run in every season

In peak summer the damp, open shore of Heart Lake is covered in lupine, a member of the Pea family

Old growth Douglas Fir trunks can measure 3 - 6' in diameter, and reach heights of 150 -250' tall with massive, complex crowns.

Though the basin holds snow well into early summer, there are few technical spots leading to the lake

Huckleberries carpet the forest floor along the Sol Duc River and large quantities come out by July

Take a few steps along the Cat Basin Trail for incredible panoramas across the Bailey Range and Mount Olympus

The valley opens over Sol Duc Park to broad subalpine meadows that attract deer, elk, bear and goat

King and coho salmon return up the Sol Duc in late summer and spawn in late fall, while cutthroat trout and steelhead run in the fall and winter and spawn into the spring

View across the Cat Creek drainage from the Cat Basin Trail

Douglas fir can live 500 - 1000 years and mature trees' thick bark can withstand periodic, low intensity fires

Haigs Lake is located in an adjacent basin to the east of Heart Lake at the head of the Sol Duc River

The High Divide trail continues above Heart Lake back to Sol Duc on the 18.1 mile High Divide Loop

Camping quotas and reservations are in effect May 1 - September 30 for the Sol Duc - Seven Lakes Basin area, and sites can be hard to get at Heart Lake

Grades are generally moderate with very good maintenance from Sol Duc to Heart Lake

Avalanche lilies favor damp subalpine meadows and are among the first flowers to appear when the snow melts