Olympic Discovery Trail - East Central

The Olympic Discovery Trail offers multiple options for a hike — from a few minute stroll to an all-day adventure. The full route is 130 miles, more than half on non-motorized trail. The East Central section of the trail is almost entirely on paved trail, with 2 miles of trail along roads and three sections of gravel. 

You can hop on or off the trail at multiple points — olympicdiscoverytrail.org offers a great map with options. Most of the trail is gently graded, with a few steeper sections. The website’s map includes an elevation profile, and shows whether the route is paved. 

To begin at the east,start near the Jamestown S’Klallam’s campus. You’ll begin at the south end of Sequim Bay and, in less than 2 miles, reach Sequim Bay State Park, where you can take a side trip to the water. The trail continue to parallel Highway 101 until it veers away in Sequim. As the trail nears Sequim, it passes through more open areas before heading into town and passing through Carrie Blake Park. A small section of trail follows roads, before returning to dedicated trail. 

West of Sequim, the trail continues through farming areas and then reaches Railroad Bridge Park. If you have time, the Dungeness River Nature Center is a fabulous stop. As you head farther west, the trail becomes more forested and rolls up and down before dropping to Morse Creek and another long bridge. (Watch for salmon in the fall.)

From here, the trail heads toward the water and then along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You’ll have an excellent chance of seeing river otters and eagles on this section of trail, in addition to plenty of other birds. This section of trail ends at the Port Angeles City Pier.