News Release

Spruce Railroad Trail Closure at Lake Crescent to Begin Monday, March 9

Map of Spruce Railroad Trail closure at Lake Crescent

NPS Photo

News Release Date: March 4, 2020

Contact: Penny Wagner, 360-565-3005

PORT ANGELES, WA:  The final phase of work on the Spruce Railroad Trail at Lake Crescent is set to begin Monday, March 9 and be completed by fall 2020. During this phase, the entire four-mile trail along Lake Crescent will be closed to all use for public safety due to the heavy equipment and truck traffic involved in construction. 

Upcoming work will include restoring the Daley Rankin Tunnel; completing the final two miles of trail improvements; rockfall mitigation; retaining wall construction; and paving the length of the trail and the Lyre River Trailhead parking area. The Spruce Railroad Trail improvements are part of a multi-year collaborative project to establish the entire 10-mile length of the trail as a universally accessible, multipurpose trail to be shared by hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, and people traveling in wheelchairs. The paved portion of the trail will be eight feet wide with a gravel shoulder.

During construction, East Beach Road will be closed to the public at the intersection with Joyce-Piedmont Road. Camp David Jr. Road will be closed to the public beyond the North Shore Picnic Area. Devil’s Punchbowl will only be accessible by boat until this final phase is complete. The westbound portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail and Pyramid Peak Trail will remain accessible from the North Shore Picnic Area on Camp David Jr. Road.

“We understand visitors will miss getting out on the trail while it is under construction and we look forward to its reopening and the creation of nearly ten miles of universally accessible trail,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “This would not have been possible without the continued collaboration with Clallam County and the Federal Highway Administration.”
 
The $5 million contract for this final phase was recently awarded to Bruch & Bruch Construction of Port Angeles. Federal Highway Administration staff provide construction management and general contract oversight.

Clallam County and Olympic National Park are jointly funding the project. The park obtained close to $1 million for this contract through the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 which provides cost-sharing funds to the National Park Service (NPS) to improve infrastructure. Clallam County pulled together a combination of other local, state and federal funding for the remainder of the contract including an approximately $2 million grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board under the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program; $100,000 federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant; $858,000 of federal Surface Transportation Program funding; $750,000 of County funding; and $50,000 from the local Peninsula Trails Coalition.

“The project will complete the 10-mile Olympic Discovery Trail section around the north shore of Lake Crescent connecting to existing trail sections to the east and west,” said Clallam County Transportation Program Manager Steve Gray. “It will also provide bicyclists a non-motorized route around the lake so they do not have to travel on busy Highway 101.”

The Peninsula Trails Coalition (PTC), as the spearheading organization for the completion of the Olympic Discovery Trail, has advocated for and supported the project since its beginning, providing in-kind and other support of grants. As PTC Board President Jeff Bohman notes, “This lakeside portion of the ODT will truly be a signature feature of the entire trail and we commend Clallam County and Olympic National Park for reaching the final phase of this challenging achievement.”

Previous contracts included bank stabilization; culvert installation; two of the four miles of trail construction; and demolition and removal of a park-owned structure to allow for construction of a new 33-car parking lot at the Lyre River Trailhead with additional parking for oversized vehicles and a horse trailer turn-around. Restoration of the 450-foot long McFee Tunnel was completed in summer 2017. 
 
The Spruce Railroad Trail follows the historic railroad grade of the Spruce Railroad, built in 1918 and abandoned in 1951. When the project is completed in fall 2020 it will become a signature piece of the 134-mile long Olympic Discovery Trail that will eventually connect Port Townsend to La Push—Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean.
 
For current trail, road and travel information, visitors should consult the park website at www.nps.gov/olym or call the recorded Road and Weather Hotline at 360-565-3131.