Hikers of all ages, especially children, will love this easy loop, one of the finest nature trails in Western Washington. On good tread and boardwalk this trail takes you on an up-front and personal journey along McLane Creek and an adjacent beaver pond. Plenty of birds and critters will captivate you along the way.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) should be commended on this trail. It was clearly developed with environmental sensitivities and with the intent of making it easy for people to connect with nature. If the DNR can only bring some of this same care to other parts of the Capitol State Forest, the possibilities are great.

The McLane Creek Nature Trail consists of a 1.1-mile outer loop and a 0.3-mile connector trail. My recommendation: do a figure-eight and take your sweet time. With interpretive plaques and observation decks along the way, McLane Creek is meant to be savored. Time of day and season will dictate which critters you might observe. Keep your senses keen and you should see plenty anytime you visit.

The trail starts off by skirting a large beaver pond. In springtime the wetland is transformed into a musical marsh thanks to a chorus of blackbirds and an ensemble of tree frogs performing regularly. Cattails and pond lilies punctuate the nutrient-rich wetland. Soon you'll encounter the shortcut trail. Once part of the Mud Bay Logging Company's rail line, this trail offers more good views of the beaver pond and perhaps a peek of the beavers themselves.

The main trail darts into a dark and gloomy forest of cedar, hemlock, giant maples and over-your-head devil's club. Heading along McLane Creek and twice over it, look for spawning salmon come fall. The trail passes through a hemlock tunnel that children will want to pass through again and again. Next, traverse a skunk cabbage patch before returning to the beaver pond. Take the shortcut trail right or head left to loop around the willow-, alder-, and cascara-lined wetland, returning to the trailhead.