McClane Creek Nature Trail

McLane Creek Nature Trail is a 1.5 mile-long trail located just outside of west Olympia inside the area known as Capitol Forest. The trail includes one large loop, which is connected to a shorter inside loop that skirts along the lake.

Although the trail is not far from the busy Westside scene, the park is quiet and secluded. It’s also a great local park option with many sights depending on the season. The lake is the residence of many ducks and other birds, and there are beavers and apparently even newts, if you can spot them. During the spawning season, salmon are running in the creek and we were lucky enough to catch that sight last time we visited the park. Jozee didn’t know what to think about all the movement and splashing going on in the water!

Along the longer outside loop, there’s a combination of boardwalk, platforms and nature paths where you’ll meet a number of beautiful trees with character. Along the creek side, there are observation platforms overlooking the water, which are helpful and great viewing points when the salmon are running.

On the shorter loop trail surrounding the lake, there are observation areas with benches where you can watch the gorgeous ducks and other beautiful birds and if you’re lucky, as we were the first time we visited, you might even spot a few turtles. Make sure to bring a pair of binoculars with you. 

Depending on the weather, keep in mind that the boardwalks may be wet and they can be a tad slippery…especially for anyone wearing shoes with no traction or holding onto a pup who likes to pull on the leash.

Another downside is that due to the smaller size of the park area and the limitations of space to roam due to the widths of the boardwalks (many of which are over water or swamp), it can feel a bit crowded if the park is maxed out. This is especially difficult during Covid times when social distancing isn’t as easy to adhere to, even if everyone is doing their best to walk in the same direction.

Overall, though, this is a nice spot to visit when you want to stay local or wish to stick with a shorter walk brimming with the possibilities of nature sightings.

Quinault Rain Forest & South Shore Trails

The Quinault Rain Forest is situated in parts of the Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest and is just one of many beautiful areas in both the park and forest that one can explore. We’ve traveled the loop around and through both parks (Hwy 101) while visiting and camping at a number of sites along the way, but it was many years ago and we decided it was time to add this stunning PNW area to our hiking list.

Once we arrived at the park, we found a place to park near the Lake Quinault Lodge and wandered the area. The day was cloudy, but it wasn’t raining and when you consider the rain forest receives something like 140 inches of rain in an average year, we were just happy to have a clear day.

We visited the beach along the lake, where canoes can be used to access the water, before moving up the hill toward the hotel. A wedding was taking place this day (it’s a popular location for celebrations) so some of the lodge wasn’t available to us, but we enjoyed what we were able to explore of this historic building, which was built in 1926.

Jozee wasn’t able to explore inside the hotel, so she was more than ready when we hit the South Shore Trails which we accessed across from the lodge. The area must be visited in person to truly feel the magic of the rain forest. We enjoyed every bit of our hike as we wandered from trail to trail.

After our walk, we ventured on and took the Quinault Loop Drive. We didn’t miss the nearby star attraction, the World’s Largest Sitka Spruce and while we’ve seen bigger trees, we couldn’t help but be impressed with its age…a mere 1,000 years!

The loop drive was a nice little adventure where we could stop to get out and explore further whenever we wished. We saw waterfalls...

Enjoyed a river walk...

Found a nice pond where Jozee could play near the river...

Spent time on a nice quiet beach along the lake...

And enjoyed the beauty of the forest along the way...

This area made for an enjoyable adventure and only validates how beautiful the PNW is, rain or shine. We look forward to exploring more of the areas around the Olympia National Forest and eventually the National Park.

Riffe Lake and Swofford Pond

Riffe Lake and Swofford Pond are both located near Mossyrock in Lewis County, a large county with many acres to explore. When we head out to the Mossyrock area, usually during blueberry season and for the Blueberry Festival, we make a point of visiting Mayfield Lake, especially one of our favorite parks we discovered last year, Ike Kinswa State Park.

But on this particular day, we decided to venture further past Mossyrock to explore parts of Riffe Lake and the surrounding area. And when I say only parts of the lake, I mean it because Riffe Lake is over 23 miles long. After the long drive and some exploring, we wanted to take a break and were thrilled to discover a quiet, cozy place to stretch our legs and eat lunch at an out-of-the-way rest stop near the Mossyrock Dam.

Jozee has a ton of energy but even she couldn’t deny the relaxing atmosphere we had all to ourselves was nice.

Once we were well rested, we explored more of the area around the lake and saw a sign for Swofford Pond. Curious, we drove the short distance to the pond, which we quickly discovered was a favorite fishing pond. There were multiple areas along the pond where someone could park, sit along the shore and throw out a line and there were also quite a few boats out on the water. Later after reading up on Swofford Pond, it appears to be home for a large variety of fish, even sturgeon, although it’s a rare find.

We drove around the lake, over a bridge and spotted access to the Swofford Pond trailhead. It was a nice, easy walk through grass, brush and trees, over creeks, through tight trails and wide open areas. It was a nice “jaunt.”

However, as we were leaving, we spotted a sign for yet another trail on the other side of the bridge on the road. This hiking-biking trail goes through Swofford Flats to Riffe Lake and it all but invited us to stay and explore. Too bad we had neared the end of the day and had to get back on the road.

Not only did we have another fun day exploring beautiful areas not too far from home, we have another new trail we can visit and explore some day.

Frye Cove County Park

Frye Cove County Park is another county park we heard about after we began exploring areas around our PNW location. The park is located off Ed Inlet, which isn’t an area we’ve explored much so it was a nice break from the usual parks around Budd Inlet.

 

  

Frye Cove is a pretty place to visit for a nature walk through beautiful forest and some playtime on the beach. Before you head out on the trails, there's a playground, picnic tables and a few shelters, so for those inclined to bring snacks or a lunch, it's also a nice area to picnic. The picnic area was a bit overgrown when we visited but the trails were nicely kept and the walk through the woods was peaceful and full of lush green vegetation.

There’s a view while you’re on the trail of the water and the mountain beyond. It’s also a nice place to just sit and enjoy the moment.

Yet another beautiful local park we can visit when we want to get away from it all, but don’t want to travel too far to get there.

Rainbow Falls, Long Beach & Cape Disappointment State Park

Some days we visit just one park, other days we cram a whole bunch into one day. On this particular trip, we ventured to three different areas and made it one long fun-filled day.

Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls State Park. It had been years since I’d visited this park, long before the original bridge over the river had been washed out, so that finding the park entrance took a little more time. Once we parked and began to explore the park’s day use area, memories flooded back to me of my visits there as a kid when we would stay in the campground. We quickly made our way to the river, after first stopping to get a look at a relic…a phone booth. The phone is missing and I don't believe the paper phone book was in the binder, but the booth was such an odd sight in the middle of the greenery at the park and seeing it just made me smile. 

The river walk was fun and the river was beautiful. We made our way down to the water to walk along the rocks and in the water and we also moved along the trail for more views of the river. Jozee enjoyed both the trail and a walk in the shallow areas of the river. The trail was easy and just enough for what we were looking for as a way to stretch our legs before hitting the road again. 

Our next stop was Long Beach, another area I hadn’t visited for quite some time. The beach is like any other Washington beach and this day was like many…cloudy and cool. But we enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk and in the sand and also had fun watching some pretty spectacular kites being flown by beachgoers that day. 

         

When we were ready to head indoors, we visited Marsh’s Free Museum, a tourist trap of the best kind. I’ve never been to Long Beach without also visiting this store. The museum is filled to the brim with your beach-related gift and souvenir items and so much more. It’s full of funky antiques and curios, to include antique arcade games and photo viewing machines, and oddities like Jake the alligator Man. It is a full-fledged curiosity shop and worth a visit. Jozee waited outside while we took turns exploring the store…I don’t think dogs were allowed inside but I also don’t know what she would have thought about some of the stuffed animals they have inside the store! 

After Long Beach we took a trip to Cape Disappointment State Park. Again, this is a park I’ve been to before but it’s been awhile and this was our first time with a pup tagging along. The park is very dog friendly and we enjoyed hiking up the trailhead past the lighthouse keeper's residence, Deadmans Hollow and an old bunker before we arrived at the North Head Lighthouse. Jozee met another pup along the way and they became fast friends. 

   

    

The weather was still cloudy when we arrived at the lighthouse but it began to clear up so that we were able to enjoy the surrounding views before we ventured back down the hill. The views from above by the lighthouse are truly beautiful on a clear day.

One note I should make is that this visit to Cape Disappointment was pre-Covid…I believe some of the park and access to the lighthouse is closed until further notice. However, when it opens up again, it’s definitely worth the visit if you haven’t had the chance yet.

We thought we were done for the day when we found another beach area nearby we’d never visited before. It’s called Waikiki Beach and it was a fun find. We had a different view of the lighthouse from across the water, rocks to explore, beach to access and it’s a beautiful beach cove with cliffs on one side and regular waves I imagine surfers often enjoy. We didn’t venture any further in to check out any trails the park might offer since it was so late in the day, which only means we have a reason to go back to this park someday.

Washington State has a beautiful coastline and while a visit to the beach is often cloudy and windy, you might get lucky with blue skies and sunshine to match the wonderful views. Since the weather can vary, it just gives you a reason to go back for another visit.