Projects

Current projects and their status

Port Townsend to 4 Corners

No announcements at this time.

Hwy 20 to Diamond Point Rd (County Line)

Trail construction on the 1/2 mile of the ODT in Jefferson County at the tip of Discovery Bay will connect to Old Gardiner Rd on the west end, and temporarily connect to Hwy 101 near Salmon Creek on its east end.
The new trail bridge over Salmon Creek with trail extension to Hwy 20 is planned for 2018-19.

Diamond Point Rd to Blyn and Sequim

Construction on the extension of the trail east from Old Blyn Hwy to Diamond Point Rd. is underway. The Pierce Rd to Diamond Point Rd portion and the Diamond Pt Rd Trailhead should complete by mid-2017. The section from Old Blyn Hwy to Pierce Rd has been cleared and is open, but final grading and paving is scheduled for 2018. The trail will continue indefinitely to use the one mile segment of Old Blyn Hwy to connect to the new trail from its current end at Blyn Rd. (updated Jan 2017).
A portion of the trail where it passes through Sequim Bay State Park will be closed from Sept 2016 to spring 2017 for construction of a new bridge over the ravine and creek, and removal of the much disliked steep, gravel bypass. A detour route through the park closer to Hwy 101 has been posted for trail users till the bridge is complete.

Sequim to Dungeness River

No announcements at this time.

Central Clallam County – Dungeness River to Morse Creek
The Bagley Creek Bridge decking has been replaced to improve traction. However, the asphalt slopes on both sides can be treacherous for bikes in wet weather. We clear leaves and debris from the trail surface frequently, but users still need to take the caution signs seriously.

Morse Creek to Port Angeles Downtown and Waterfront
Work is continuing to improve the drainage from MP 2 to 4 east of downtown. Users should be alert for mudslides across the trail, which may be reported to Port Angeles Parks Department.

Hill St (PA) to the Elwha River Bridge

An improved route from Marine Drive to Crown Park is in design, replacing the current Hill St route. No construction schedule is available at this time.

Elwha River to Joyce

Right of way procurement is progressing along this part of ODT, with landowner agreement established on the first section. Route survey and final agreement are in process, so a construction start in the next couple years is possible. Hwy 112 remains the temporary route.

Hwy 112 and Lake Crescent to Cooper Ranch Rd

Work is continuing along the new connector between Gossett Rd. and Waterline Road. Clearing and grading is well along, and 3 new bridges are being installed. As soon as the Waterline Rd. transfer from DNR to Clallam County is complete, the county will regrade and pave the old road including the connection to East Beach Rd. This will complete the connection from Hwy 112, via Gossett Rd, to the East Beach trailhead on Lake Crescent. When completed this will become the ODT route, replacing the temporary (and steep) Joyce-Piedmont Rd. route. (updated Jan. 2017)

The Spruce RR segment of ODT is closed for construction from the Trailhead at East Beach Rd to the west end of the McFee tunnel (the easternmost of the two tunnels). The work is resurfacing the old RR grade for 0.5 miles of trail, installing new tunnel entrances and facades, and stabilizing the rock walls. Completion is expected about the end of May, 2017. It will be closed again in fall 2017 for resurfacing of more trail and reopening of the western tunnel with completion in 2018. There will be periods when the Spruce RR section will be open for use in both summers. Estimated open dates are shown in the following table. Check here frequently as construction schedules will probably change:

Summer 2017: open early June to end of August.
Summer 2018: open period not yet established

The East Beach Trailhead will be closed as part of the current construction to add a 20-vehicle parking area with a horse trailer turnaround. The trail west of the tunnel between the Camp David picnic area and the Sol Duc Rd Trailhead is not affected by the construction and will remain open. During the closed periods, through travelers going west can detour via East Beach Rd back to Hwy 101, and can rejoin the trail either from Camp David Rd along the north shore, or continue on the highway up Fairholm Hill to the Fairholm Trailhead, across the Hwy from Sol Duc Rd. (updated Jan 2017)

With completion of the 2.1 mile connecting trail past the Hwy 101 crossing in late 2016, the ODT route is open for over 20 miles, from the west end of Lake Crescent to the intersection of Mary Clark Rd and Hwy 101 near Sappho. (updated Dec 2016)

Major construction work has been announced for Hwy 101 along the south shore of Lake Crescent for 2017, 2018, and 2019. The highway will remain open but there will be half hour delays weekdays during periods of alternating one way traffic. There will be occasional 4 hour delays (9am to 1pm) which will be announced 2 weeks in advance on the Olympic National Park and the Wash State DOT websites. There will be no roadwork weekends or between mid-November and Feb month end. Bike traffic on Hwy 101 can use the Spruce RR segment of ODT on the north shore of Lake Crescent as an alternate route during the limited summer periods in 2017 and 2018 when the trail will be open, as shown in the chart above. The detour route would be from East Beach Rd via the trail to the Fairholm Trailhead (or further). (updated Jan 2017)

Cooper Ranch Rd to Forks

The first Right of Way proposal, which would have used the North Fork of the Calawha river, could not be negotiated The current plan for the ODT route from the Camp Creek Trailhead will follow Mary Clark Rd west to Sappho, then temporarily use the Hwy 101 shoulder for 10.5 miles to the Hwy 110 intersection.

Forks to the Pacific

The county has verbal agreement with Rayonier Timber on a 7 mile route west from Hwy 101 just south of Hwy 110. The process is underway to locate, survey, and transfer an acceptable route to the county. From there west the route will use the Hwy 110 ROW and bridge to the Quileute reservation. The tribe will provide a route from there to First Beach and LaPush. There will also be a trail route developed from the east side of the Hwy 101/110 intersection into downtown Forks.

Adventure Route

Two closures are planned on the Adventure Route for logging operations. The first closure started Feb15, 2017, between The Joyce Access Road and Eden Valley Road. We expect the closure to last for at least 2 months, plus trail cleanup time. It could be as long as 6 months. The second closure will be between the Hwy 112 trailhead and Eden Valley Road. We expect this to be in late 2017 or early 2018. We will post the dates as soon as available.

At the west end of the Adventure Route, the old waterline road is being transferred from WA DNR to Clallam County, who will upgrade this section to Olympic Discovery Trail standards, and use it to connect Lake Crescent at East Beach to Hwy 112 at Gossett Rd. The OAT and ODT will share this route into East Beach. We expect to see the upgrade and ODT connection in 2018.