Route: Pacific Northwest Trail Olympic Segment (Cape Alava to Highway 101/Boulton Farms Road)

Starting at the western-most point of the contiguous United States, Cape Alava, this route follows the official Pacific Northwest Trail.  A paved-road bypass from Rialto Beach to LaPush allows trail users to avoid a potentially dangerous crossing of the Quillayute River that otherwise requires hiring of local fishermen to ferry them across.  Forty miles of wild Washington coastline gives way to a mix of managed forests, state lands, and the Jewel of the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park.  Crossing the park will take trail users over several passes and peaks, providing sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains.  A short reroute of the official PNT allows users to bypass an overgrown, washed out, abandoned section of forest service road that was destroyed by a landslide in the early 2010s.  Terminating at the junction of Boulton Farms Road and US Highway 101, the overall section covers 213 miles and 37,000+ feet of vertical gain.

The Pacific Northwest Trail is one of the newest National Scenic Trails in the United States (2009).  The Olympic portion (most of section 9 and all of 10) is diverse, offering adventurers ground level immersion in multiple ecosystems including PNW coastal, rainforest, rainshadow and alpine zones.  Rugged, wild and absolutely gorgeous, the Olympic portion of the PNT will be the adventure of a lifetime.  

Pacific Northwest Trail Association - Explore and Protect the PNT