Olympic Hot Spot -- For Hiking, Soaking, Fishing And Alpine Panoramas, Head For Boulder Lake Basin

If the road doesn't get you, the climb might. But the soak in between makes the trial worthwhile.

Boulder Lake Basin in Olympic National Park offers all three, and late spring is a prime time to hike its trails, climb its peak and harvest its fish.

Stop right there and lower expectations: Don't expect to do it alone. The early snow melt has opened the area's charm to waffled soles much sooner than usual, and visitors will have plenty of company on weekend visits. But plan a midweek two- or three-day trip, and you might find yourself with an appealing piece of solitude - within a Herculean stone's throw of Port Angeles.

It's one of the few places in the Olympics - and probably anywhere - that offers a mix of old-growth forest, natural hot springs, alpine lakes and stunning snow-capped peaks.

Take the Elwha River Road, an Olympic National Park entrance off Highway 101 about 10 minutes west of Port Angeles. The road comes to an abrupt end after about nine miles, where the park service has installed a cable barrier in what seems an arbitrary place with very little parking.

No big deal. Just curse the federal government, park off the road, hoist on the backpack and prepare yourself for "The Road."

The Road, loved by hot-springs soakers and loathed by Boulder Lake and Appleton Pass hikers, is a 2.2-mile stretch of pavement leading to Olympic Hot Springs and a nearby campground.

Thirty years ago, the hot springs was home to a resort. When its buildings deteriorated and its permit expired, park officials opted to allow the hot springs to revert to their natural state.

Ultimately, the road washed out in several places and the park chose to close it rather than repair it. Now, hikers must hoof it to the springs, which isn't a major chore. But it is an annoying one given that park officials as of last summer still cruised the distance in pickup trucks. Is it a road or a trail? The park hasn't decided. Help them make up their mind by walking at a comfortable pace in the middle of the road if a truck comes up from behind.

Hiking on asphalt is about as pleasurable as dining in a bathroom, but hot-springs fans will find the walk worthwhile. On a sloping hillside above a roaring waterfall on Boulder Creek are a half dozen natural springs, where mineral waters spring forth at temperatures up to 105 degrees.

Pools, maintained by soakers who constructed earthen dams, are bathtub deep. Although a park brochure proclaims "nudity is prohibited," clothing tends to be optional, with about half the area's soakers taking the plunge in the buff. If you have an aversion to nude dudes, go to the more civilized Sol Duc Hot Springs instead.

Also, the park cautions that high levels of fecal coliform have been detected in the pools, and soakers do so at their own risk. You've been warned.

Just above the hot springs is Boulder Creek campground, which formerly had running water and restrooms. No more (BOIL YOUR WATER), but the area is spacious enough for about 25 backpacker tent sites and serves as a final destination for many visitors who've come just for the hot springs.

Resist the temptation and press on. At the end of the campground, the Boulder Lake trail begins. It's a steady, occasionally steep walk through Douglas fir, Alaska cedar and western hemlock. Tenderfoots will feel hot spots on their heels. It's about three miles to the cold, clear waters of Boulder Lake, which reflects Boulder Peak on a sunny day and offers a wealth of campsites.

Bring the fishing gear. The lake long ago was stocked with eastern brook trout, which seemed quite eager to be harvested on a recent weekend visit. We caught one each to eat and turned back at least a dozen more in several hours.

"Too easy," said my hiking partner, Seabury Blair of Bremerton, who has been watching way too many Bassmasters fishing shows on cable TV.

Newly crowned masters of the lake, we had a bit more difficulty becoming masters of Boulder Peak. The climb, a good project for the trip's second day, is a tricky ascent this time of year.

The 5,600-foot peak's rocky slopes, from Boulder Lake on, still are covered by snow, and the walk shouldn't be attempted without an ice ax until later in the summer. Try it now, and you'll find several patches of tricky, unstable snow near the top, which make the climb more difficult than it looks.

A short scramble up a waterfall notwithstanding, the peak can be had in less than two hours. The view from the summit is stunning, with Boulder and Three Horse lakes to the north and east, respectively, and High Divide's Bogachiel Peak, Seven Lakes Basin and Mount Olympus looming to the south.

The glissade back to the lake is first class - if you avoid the two-week-old, crooked track made by an outdoors reporter.

Give yourself two to three hours for the trip back to the car. Soak your sore downhill muscles in the pools. Warning: The 2.2 miles of asphalt that lead to the hot springs seem like 4.6 miles with a full pack on the way out. Park officials riding up and down the stretch in V-8-powered vehicles were at a loss to explain this.

For trail and crowd conditions at the lake, call the Olympic National Park Visitor's Center, 452-0330.