Olympic Discovery Trail offer a fantastic way to enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest
Olympic Discovery Trail known as the pathway to the Pacific, introduces visitors to forests and oceans
Sereme and scenic Olympic Discovery Trail
Journey through Olympic Discovery Trail
From steam-powered engines to whirring bicycle wheels, the Olympic Discovery Trail offers a fantastic journey through local history.
A bee lodged between the delicate petals of the perennial alfalfa (also known as lucerne)
Also known as the pathway to the Pacific, Washington State’s premier leisure trail introduces visitors to forests and oceans, foothills and lakes, prairies and rivers.
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Unable to explore the Olympic Discovery Trail’s entire 135 miles [220 km] in two days’ time, we decided to focus on the West Central and East Central segments, making the most out of our small window. What we saw was incredible.
The centre of the trail sits at Port Angeles. While the area was settled in the 1850s (following the 1846 establishment of the US-Canada boundary), it wasn’t officially founded until the early 1860s.
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Rumours abound of its founder’s personal agenda. You see, this small town wasn’t always a port of entry between the Canadian and American West.
Friendly visitors: one of many flocks of Canada geese lining the Olympic Discovery Trail
The honour initially belonged to the nearby Port Townsend. In 1861, A customs collector named Victor Smith arrived in the area. Eager to move the port of entry to a nearby settlement, where he held some land interests.
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On June 6th, 1862, that settlement was officially named Port Angeles. Just a few days later, on June 18th, Smith successfully moved the port of entry to Port Angeles.
The customs house was also summarily moved, conveniently positioned close to Smith’s newly purchased land. His victory was short-lived.
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After Smith’s passing in 1865, Port Townsend was renamed the port of entry, and Port Angeles became little more than a ghost town. That is, until the trains came to town.
1880s railroads connected the nation
In the 1880s, railroads were the epitome of urbanisation and opportunity, connecting the nation at speeds previously unthinkable.
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The rise of the railroad greatly opened up the Pacific Northwest. Its presence in Port Angeles transformed the town from bust to boom.
In half a year (1890, to be specific), the town’s population ballooned from under fifty to over 1,000. Over the next few years, Port Angeles earned revenue from logging, dairy and crop farming, and a local sawmill.
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Given the state’s dense forestry, logging and timber have naturally been important industries throughout the city’s history.
Vibrant greens amongst earthy foliage
In 1912, Port Angeles was the proud home of the world’s largest sawmill. A large pulp and paper mill, built in 1920, still operates to this day.
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Besides logging and timber, the port city occasionally served as a stopping point for naval ships.
US Pacific Fleet visits
The interwar years were the busiest for Port Angeles’ docks: in the 1920s and early 30s, large numbers of the US Pacific Fleet stopped by the sleepy town every summer.
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As the years went on, naval visits steadily decreased until they stopped entirely in the 1980s. Today, the docks’ most regular visitor is the Black Ball Ferry – a border crossing between Canada’s Victoria Island and Port Angeles.
Magical and mythical forest
Nature enthusiasts, cyclists, young families, and senior vacationers are the primary demographics.
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Our first day on the trail went off to a late start (blame it on the jet lag). To keep the setting sun behind us, we decided to first explore the East Central section of the Olympic Discovery Trail.
A bridge over one of the many rivers on the trail
Hugging the shoreline of the inland Salish Sea, I had to remind myself time and again that Canada was just beyond the blue horizon. What can be crossed in three hours by ship is imperceptible to the naked eye.
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But while Canada was out of our sight, we were reminded of its closeness time and again by some feathery friends – Canada geese, to be exact.
Whether sitting on narrow beaches, paddling in the water, or flying high above us, we were never far from one of our national symbols.
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Another heart-warming sight was the young trees lining the harbourfront. Evergreen, hemlock, and cedar are among them.
Sentimental dedications are paired with young trees along the East Central segment
Fir trees dominate the other side of the trail, supplanted by the odd maple and alder tree. Simple plaques were set in front of most.
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Some dedications were simple, like Catherine Sudak, who was “loved by all who knew her”.
Canada geese rest on the shoreline
Patricia Pfeifle was honoured with a four-leaf clover and the first half of the chorus to a 1912 song in tribute to Ireland, which charmingly goes “When Irish eyes are smiling / sure tis like the morn in / spring. In the lilt of Irish / laughter you can hear / the angels sing.”
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Some trees represented more than one loved one, such as George Stanford King and Elsie O’Donnell King. Both born in the early twentieth century, their memory lives on in rustling leaves.
Canopies of staggeringly tall trees
Running along a coastal plain between the Olympic Mountain Range from the south and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the north, the trail is protected by a community of volunteers.
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Their public support is highlighted by volunteer adopter signs that frequently pop up on the trail, naming specific individuals or community clubs.
Ennis and Lees Creeks
Also, the further we go along, increasingly present are vivid blue clusters of forget-me-nots and wild raspberries, pale and tiny.
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After passing Ennis and Lees Creeks, the trail runs beside a residential area, allowing glimpses into beautiful backyards, providing us a canopy of staggeringly tall trees.
Trees dominate the trail
The further we walked, the more we were greeted with informative signs of the history behind the area and the trail itself.
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One of these signs shared the railroad history of Clallam County. In Port Angeles’ early days, Victor Smith and fellow town leaders dreamed of building the town into the “New New York”.
Local railroad fever hit its peak in 1903. This enthusiasm was led by local businessman Norman Smith, who, driven by ambitious plans for the town, purchased a locomotive and commissioned the development of three miles [5 km] worth of tracks up Tumwater Valley.
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But enthusiasm alone couldn’t make his dreams come true. Despite several logging and promotional runs, the scheme went bankrupt.
The Elwha River cuts a path through pine trees and pebbled riverbeds
A decade later, a passenger depot was built in Port Angeles by the Seattle, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway. Commercial interests expanded a few years later.
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By 1918, the Spruce Railroad was built to transport spruce logs from the forest to Port Angeles. There, they could be converted to lumber to build biplanes for the war effort. But before any logs could be delivered, the war was over.
Eventually abandoned in 1951, five of the original railroad trestles have been repurposed for the trail. The highest, standing eighty-five feet [26 m] above the streambed, was curved to increase stability.
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Initially, I was confused by the tight turns the trains had to take, but after learning about the bridge’s renovation, I appreciated that visitors could experience this part of the trail in a flow more in line with the surrounding nature.
Tree stumps and bark surfaces for moss and lichen to grow
Our second day on the Trail started bright and early. Heading out as the sun rose, we enjoyed watching mountainside views and shimmering lakes as we made our way to the Olympic Discovery Trail Adventure Route.
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Located west of Port Angeles, the route goes from the west side of the Elwha River to the east end of Lake Crescent, where it connects with the aforementioned Spruce Railroad trail and continues to the west end of the waterfront native town, La Push.
The adventure route began as the pipe dream of Lorrie Mittmann and Jim Mantor.
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Cycling and nature enthusiasts, Mittmann and Mantor envisioned a portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail that would allow cyclists, horse riders, and trailblazers to immerse themselves in the local forestry without first needing to drive two or three hours to begin their excursion.
Lush green trees and clear blue sky
Beginning just off the Strait of Juan de Fuca highway, the route shifts further along to hug the State Forest Road. The unpaved trail, volleying between single-track and unpaved road, wanders through dense foliage and low-level slopes.
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Built by Clallam County Sheriff’s chain gang work crew and sponsored volunteers (thanks to the Peninsula Trails Coalition and Clallam County), the four-year project began in 2004.
The utmost respect was given to the affected land. Most work was conducted with hand tools, though motorised wheelbarrows were engaged to spread gravel as needed.
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As the sun began its steady descent, we had to quicken our pace. Beholden to the local transit schedules, local buses only ran every one and a half to two hours.
New growth abound throughout the forest
Most alarming was the fact that the last bus ran at 7:15 pm, and it was already five. Making our way to the nearest bus stop, we were running low on time, and the stunning surroundings didn’t make things any easier.
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Between catching a bus to Port Angeles and capturing the rushing wonder of the Elwha River, well… a picture is worth a thousand words AND a missed bus.
The universe seemed to agree with us. No sooner had we taken some amazing photographs than a black car stopped next to us. “Do you guys need a lift?”
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A middle-aged woman asked us. We quickly glanced at each other before taking her offer. My friend slid into shotgun, and I carefully shifted her newly purchased canvas to sit on the right back seat.
Towering trees create a shadowy environment
Her name, we learned, was Denise. A Native American of the Makah tribe, Denise had been driving into town to buy some food for her cat, a common footing we quickly bonded over. Her voice was low and solid, and her light-coloured eyes (hidden behind black plastic frames) occasionally glanced our way as the conversation flowed.
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She had served in the army and done a tour in Germany in the 80s. These days, she kept herself busy with art, a habit she had no intention of trying to profit off of. “I just do it cause it’s fun,” she exclaimed. “You don’t have to make money out of everything.” The plastic-wrapped canvas made sense.
“It’s a shame you’re not here longer,” she mused. “In September, there’s a huge festival involving all of the native tribes. Everyone kayaks over here and continues on into the Elwha River.”
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As she told us about more local celebrations, we indeed lamented the fact that we couldn’t enjoy these amazing communal activities. “There’s always next time.”
Dead wood serves as foundations for new vegetation
Driving us all the way to the bus depot, we arrived in the nick of time. As we settled in for a nearly two-hour ride, our aching muscles felt well-earned.
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We’d graced the trails, greeted fellow visitors, paused plenty in the name of photography, and were rescued by a Good Samaritan.
Perhaps, we thought, we could come back in a few years and see more of what the Olympic Discovery Trail and the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Text and photos Victoria Mae Martyn
