Olympic Discovery Trail, Spruce Railroad Trail projects are topic of March 21 talk

By Sequim Gazette Staff • March 13, 2019 1:30 am

Clallam County Transportation Manager Rich James will discuss the Olympic Discovery Trail and Spruce Railroad Trail projects and trailhead improvements at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Olympic National Park Visitors Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road, Port Angeles.

The projects are underway — with Olympic National Park support — at Lake Crescent, north of Lake Crescent to Joyce and a future trail extension is planned from Forks to La Push.

James has worked for Clallam County for 29 years, and has worked for the past 26 years on planning, funding and development of the Olympic Discovery Trail, taking it from 3 miles in 1993 to its current length of more than 90 miles.

Deputy Superintendent Lee Taylor will present a “State of the Park” report, a look back over 2018 and forward into 2019 highlighting recent and upcoming park events and news.

A “Most Inspirational Friend of Olympic National Park” award will be presented to Jeff Monroe, of Monroe House Moving in Carlsborg, for saving the endangered Enchanted Valley Chalet in 2014.

The meeting is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by Friends of Olympic National Park.

For more information, call Rod Farlee at 360-681-4518.

Trail project resumes

The next phase of work on the Spruce Railroad Trail was scheduled to begin last week and is anticipated to be completed by mid-April.

During this phase, the entire 4-mile trail along Lake Crescent will be closed to all traffic between the Camp David Jr. Road Trailhead and the Lyre River Trailhead for public safety, Olympic National Park officials said last week.

This phase will be completed by Bruch & Bruch Construction of Port Angeles and involves tree removal. After the trail reopens in mid-April, erosion control measures will be in place but trail users should be prepared for rough, muddy conditions. The trail will remain open from mid-April until the next phase of work which is projected to begin in August 2019.

The trees removed from sections of the trail, some complete with root wads, are utilized to preserve fish habitat in road damage repairs along rivers.