Lake Crescent by Trail
Rick Proctor
Way out west on the Olympic Peninsula there is a trail known as the Olympic Discovery Trail. The ODT has been evolving for decades to eventually connect the Pacific Coast to Port Townsend with something like 130 miles of bike and pedestrian friendly trail. Some segments of the ODT have their own names that existed before merging into the ODT, which adds local color and a bit of confusion. While the ODT is a work in progress, the completed parts are wonderful. The missing links that still exist are being addressed with active planning efforts that include finding funds, right-of-way negotiations, land acquisition, design, and construction.
The Spruce Railroad Trail is one of the newer completed segments. We rode it in early August 2022 on a Monday with sunny and warm weather. We drove on US 101 about 14 miles west out of Port Angeles and turned right onto East Beach Road near Lake Crescent for another 4 mile drive to the Spruce Railroad Trailhead. The paved parking area at about 500 feet of elevation is quite large and was filling quickly as we arrived about 10 AM – too late to snag a nice shady parking spot. The one (1) pit toilet was very busy and there are no other services at this location. No cell phone signal either added to the remote feeling.
Most of the Spruce Railroad Trail is converted from the old railway of the same name so the grades are mild. There were plenty of signs near the start of the trail, one of them indicates no other toilets for 4 miles. The fully paved trail has lots of pedestrians for the first mile or so to the Devil’s Punch Bowl, a popular swimming area, especially on a nice summer day. The trail follows the northern shoreline for a couple of mostly level miles with spectacular views across Lake Crescent to the Olympic Mountains beyond. The waters of the lake are naturally blue-tinted clear water, which adds to the perception of a perfect northwest mountain lake.
The McFee Tunnel near the Devil’s Punch Bowl is long enough at a hundred yards or so and has a bend in the middle, so it is dark. Lights are useful here and are required per signage. Bicyclists were also supposed to walk bikes through, although no one else did. A mile or two later the Daley-Rankin Tunnel is straight, much shorter, and not so dark. The trail gradually veers away from the lake west of the second tunnel and a mild consistent grade is an easy climb through forest. At mile 4 we didn’t know which tree or bush was intended for toilet use as nothing else could be found per the trailhead sign, so we continued up the trail. At a max elevation of about 1,100 feet at mile 11 a porta-potty was found near a trail junction.
The trail junction option to the south would go to the Fairholm Olympic Discovery Trailhead, US 101, and beyond to the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road. We took the other trail junction option to the right which continued westward for another mile with a few non-railroad type of tight switchbacks and short moderate grades reaching US 101 where the paved trail continues for a few more miles beyond. However, on this day US 101 was getting resurfaced with a fresh layer of sealant and rock chips (a.k.a. ”Chip Seal”) which we did not want to walk on or ride our bikes across. We also wanted to get away from the noise and dust, so we backtracked to the trail junction and a nearby table for a nice lunch in the forest, then rode back to our car.
The Spruce Railroad Trail is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail, which is also part of the Great American Rail-Trail that will someday connect the Pacific Coast to Washington, DC with a cross continental bike and pedestrian friendly non-motorized transportation route. May you be young enough, and lucky enough, to ride the completed trail end to end.
