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If the tide is high, or you just want to see a different side of the Olympic Peninsula while you're visiting the coast, cross Highway 101 from the Kalaloch campground and take a peek into the deep Olympic forest.
The wide and wet Kalaloch Nature Trail provides a quiet forested walk on a well-maintained trail, thanks in part to WTA volunteer crews, who visit this area each year to improve sections of this trail, trying to keep the eternal rains of the Peninsula from damaging it too much.
From the parking area for the Kalaloch Campground, walk south to campground A. A sign points left (east) indicating the Kalaloch Nature Trail. Straight ahead, a service road continues through a gate. This trail leads to the Kalaloch store and is a convenient connector if you're camping in the park, but for now, take the trail branching left.
Walk to the edge of Highway 101 and cross, being sure that there's no oncoming traffic. Remember, this is a US Highway, so cars will be moving very fast.
Once safely across, immediately plunge into deep forest. The nature trail here is wide, but the forest all around is all-encompassing. Trees grow huge and gnarled, draped with thick moss. Skunk cabbage blooms early, lighting up the forest floor with its bright yellow leaf and pungent odor.
The trail itself can be boggy -- despite WTA efforts, sections remain where puddles do form after periods of heavy rain. Push through these, across a log bridge, and down a set of steps. You'll continue walking among the giants of the forests, on a generally southerly trajectory, before arriving at a viewpoint of Kalaloch Creek.
Foliage obscures the best views, but marvel at this large freshwater tributary feeding into the Pacific Ocean before turning back on the trail and heading north, away from the creek and through the forest, back to the trailhead. The gravel in this section was spread by WTA crews, encouraging drainage of water from the trail and a more secure footing for hikers.
Trailhead
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