Seven Lakes itinerary
Every published mile marker on the Seven Lakes route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Seven Lakes Basin permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Seven Lakes. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights at named sites, issued by reservation.
- Stops mapped
- 7
- Across the markers
- 10.8 mi
- Published route length
- 18.2 mi
- Published ascent
- 3,050 ft
How long it takes: 2-3 days. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
These two figures disagree. Adding up the climbs between the markers gives 3,434 ft, which is more than the 3,050 ft published for the whole route — and the marker sum can only ever be a floor. Both are printed as the catalogue records them rather than one being quietly dropped.
The Seven Lakes route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
1,988 ft
Sol Duc Trailhead
End of the Sol Duc Road, 14 miles from US 101 and paved the whole way.
0.8 miles · 27 ft down to Sol Duc Falls
Mile 0.8
1,961 ft
Sol Duc Falls
About a mile in, where the river drops into a slot. The busiest quarter-mile of the loop.
2.7 miles · 1,582 ft up to Deer Lake
Mile 3.5
3,543 ft
Deer Lake
First camp on the standard direction. Maximum group size of six people, and no campfires.
3.3 miles · 954 ft up to Lunch Lake
Mile 6.8
4,497 ft
Lunch Lake
In Seven Lakes Basin itself, below High Divide. Six people maximum, no campfires.
1.1 miles · 898 ft up to High Divide
Mile 7.8
5,395 ft
High Divide
The ridge walk, facing Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier across the Hoh valley. The steep slopes here hold snow and ice into mid-July and sometimes later.
2.2 miles · 608 ft down to Heart Lake
Mile 10.1
4,787 ft
Heart Lake
Just below the ridge on the Sol Duc side, six people maximum. The 2026-06-15 report had snow still lying north and east of here.
0.8 miles · 596 ft down to Sol Duc Park
Mile 10.8
4,191 ft
Sol Duc Park
Camp on the Sol Duc side of the divide, six people maximum, with a designated group site for parties of 7 to 12.
Getting a Seven Lakes for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Seven Lakes dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches Seven Lakes around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.