Mount Octopus Road - FS 1200

Branching off the Hoh Mainline, this 4.3-mile spur climbs steadily into the western foothills of the Olympic Mountains toward the base of Mount Octopus. The surface is mostly easy, well-graded gravel, with a few stretches narrowing into two-track as the road gains elevation. Along the way, there are a handful of cliffside sections with limited shoulder, so it's worth taking those slow, especially if you're meeting oncoming traffic. The road climbs roughly 1,400 feet over its length, winding through second-growth timber typical of this corner of the Olympic Peninsula's working forest land. The route ends near the base of Mount Octopus, a 2,444-foot peak that once held a fire lookout tower (staffed from the late 1950s into the early 1970s); the final approach to the old lookout site has historically been gated, and it was closed at the time of this visit, so the drivable road ends short of the summit itself.