By Bret Wirta
Railroad Bridge Park
Distance: Just a couple of miles.
Hiking Time: An hour or so
Elevation: Around sea level
Olympic Discovery Trail Report
January 11th, 2011. My daughter Becca and her friend Casey and I wanted to go skiing at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park but the road was icy and a big snow storm was forecasted for that afternoon, so instead we decided to go where you can be outdoors on the Peninsula anytime of the year, the Olympic Discovery Trail. The ODT is a non-motorized, walking and bicycling trail that, when complete, will stretch for 100 miles from Port Townsend on the east end to the Pacific Ocean at La Push on the west end. Most of the route follows the abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad right-of-way, so it’s flat and smooth with many fine views along the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Over a third of it is completed and another third is funded and being constructed.
It was a cloudy, dark day, below freezing and feeling even colder because of a chilly arctic wind, not a day to stray too far from town, so we decided to walk along the Railroad Bridge Park section right in the middle of Sequim. Since we were staying at the Holiday Inn Express and Conference Center in Sequim, we drove to the trailhead ten minutes away. If you were staying at the Quality Inn, the trailhead is even closer.
We walked on the level, paved trail along the edge of a field where stubble poked through the snow. Ice crunched under our boots. We weren’t walking for more than a couple hundred yards when a huge Bald Eagle flew right in front of us and perched high up on a dead pine. There it majestically surveyed its domain. There was a sign that said this was a regular nesting place for Bald Eagles and it asked us not to linger. If I was walking a small dog on that section with that big bird looking down, I’d especially pay attention to that sign.
At the edge of the field the trail passed by the Dungeness River Audubon Center. Their mission is “to inspire understanding, enjoyment and stewardship of the Olympic Peninsula’s unique natural and cultural resources, with emphasis on birds, rivers, fish, and people.” The Dungeness River Audubon Center hosts bird watching classes, lectures and to prove that they aren’t just a bunch of folks in tweeds with binocular circles around their eyes, they sponsor the Dirty Face Racing mountain bike team.
Because of watershed protection along the Dungeness River as it flows through Sequim, we left farmland and entered a dense forest. Fir trees whispered in the wind above us. Ahead of us was the Railroad Bridge. We could hear the Dungeness River tumbling over the rapids and along the snowy shores. Though the icy river was below, we felt a bit warmer here in the middle of the forest, sheltered from the cold wind. We walked up a long wooden ramp (perfect for wheelchair access) and on to the bridge. The girls danced and jumped up and down. The heavy wooden stringers and trusses still felt solid though the bridge was almost 100 years old. A long wooden ramp joined the bridge on the west side of the river. Railroad Bridge Park is great for wheel chair accessibility or parents pulling kids in a wagon.
Above us storm clouds began to darken so we decided it was time to turn back. There would be plenty of opportunities to explore more of the Olympic Discovery Trail because it is so accessible year-round.
To reach Railroad Bridge Parking from the Holiday Inn Express and Conference Center, Sequim:
1.Head northwest on E. Washington Street
2.Turn right at N. Sequim Ave.
3.Turn left at W. Hendrickson Road
4.Parking will be on the right by the river
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- Discovery Trail with Becca and Casey
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- Discovery Trail with Becca and Casey
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- Discovery Trail with Becca and Casey
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