Olympic Rainshadow Explorers

weather permitting
This is a 4.5 mile loop walk in Fort Flagler Historical State Park. We will walk through the campground and up to the bluff. This is an easy walk on dirt and some pavement with a few short hills and beautiful views of Admiralty Inlet and Whidby Island across the way.
Leashed dogs are allowed.
Discover Pass required

This is a flat, easy 5 mile round-trip, out and back walk on the paved Olympic Discovery Trail. Leashed dogs are welcome.
We will start at the Morse Creek Trestle trailhead off of Strait View Drive. This portion of the trail takes us through a forested area for less than a mile. The rest of the walk is along the waterfront. We will turn around after 2.5 miles and head back the same way. If you would like to walk further, you can add a mile or two on this trail.
This trail is mostly shaded.
Bring valuables with you.
weather permitting. Moderate to heavy rain/wind will cancel this event. Drizzle will not
No parking pass needed.

We will meet at the trail head by the Visitor Center. The first part of this hike is just under 6 miles round-trip. We will start off on the Hoh River trail through the temperate rainforest full of ferns, spruces, and moss covered maples. If we are lucky, we may see elk and deer, as well.
Our goal is to hike .2 miles past the Mt. Tom Trail junction at 2.7 miles . We will pause for a snack while enjoying the view of the river and valley.
We will return the same way and walk to the Hall of Mosses. This short loop is less than a mile and is the star of the rainforest.

This is a relatively flat trail but can be muddy. Some of us will appreciate hiking sticks to maneuver around roots and rocks.

National Park pass required. Dogs are not allowed on trails in the National Park.

There may be no cel service at the visitors' center so if you know you are going to be a few minutes late, please communicate at least 30 minutes before the meetup time.

You may have several delays for road construction outside of Forks, so please allow extra time to arrive on time.

optional lunch in Forks before driving home

I suggest bringing plastic bags for muddy shoes and clothes. If its really muddy, you may want a change of clothes for the drive back.

This is our weekly walk at the Dungeness Recreation Area and the Spit, tides permitting.
This event will take place whether or not I can attend.
Please check the weather before you head out. Stormy weather will cancel this event.
We will park in the dirt lot just past the entry gates. We will walk along the bluff trail, with fabulous views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We will walk down to the Spit, so bring your National Park pass to show the volunteers at the top of the trail (between May and October when the trail to the beach is monitored). One pass will admit 4 walkers. The walk to the Spit is about .5 miles on a paved walkway and includes one short, steep hill to the beach. Depending on the tides and weather, we may walk the beach for a bit before returning back up the hill. We will then take the dirt trail on the east side of the Recreation Area and head back to our cars.
Expect to walk 3.5 to 4 miles with elevation gain/loss around 65 feet.
Leashed dogs are allowed, except on the trail to the Spit. If you bring a dog, you will have to skip the walk down to the beach and take one of the several trails through the park.
Bathrooms are available.
No parking pass required.
Because there are multiple trails to choose from, we may mix it up and explore the other routes in the park.