Northern Olympics Overnighter

After filling up with 87 octane at $5.99 a gallon, I got in line for the short ferry to Bainbridge Island, bike on the back of my car and packed bags in the trunk. A pleasant drive through forests and over long bridges to Port Angeles, a big order of rockfish and chips at the Hook & Line Pub, and then a side-of-the highway trailhead parking lot.

Loaded with camping gear, my ride is heavy. My tent is bigger than it needs to be, my rack and panniers are sturdy rather than light, and my frame is an XL size in aluminum. Anything steeper than downhill is slow, but I put it in a low gear and start spinning.

The trail started with an ascent with dramatic valley views. Though not terribly steep, I found the tight switchbacks to be a challenge. You lose a lot of nimble control when weighted down, and the turning radius required for these was pushing my skill levels. A couple sections had stacks of these switchbacks, it almost felt like running drills at practice -- I'm certainly a better rider after this one.

Conditions were excellent with well-maintained, packed dirt. I'm certainly not used to that after a dry Central Oregon summer, where you come to expect pits of moon dust and sand. It was great to cruise the downhills under a dense canopy, too dark for my cheap photochromic lenses, and then come to a clearing to realize I still had hours of daylight left.

One problem with the route, which bikepacking.com only hints at: dispersed camping is not permitted at the far end of this out-and-back. Lake Crescent is in the National Park, and is day-use only outside of reserved campgrounds. I'd been pondering their choice of words, "stealth camping," and it became clear that they were deliberately chosen. The last miles of trail were flanked by a lake and a steep hill covered in delicate ferns I didn't want to disturb. I wound up making camp in the dark, in a very non-stealth location, a gravel parking lot covered with an inch of soft duff.

I'm usually terrible at getting up early when I camp. But, since I wasn't really supposed to be out there, I felt some motivation to get a move on. Five miles in, I was happy to find the lakeside Log Cabin Resort serving a hearty breakfast and hot coffee. I spent some time on the wifi to plan my day, and solicited some good advice from my server. I plotted out 20 more mile of country roads up to Crescent Bay and then back to the car.

I know I can't keep comparing Washington to Oregon, but a sign, "Private Property - See Host for Access", caught me off guard. The Oregon Beach Bill of 1967 ensures that the state's entire coast line is publicly owned and accessible, and it is one of the coolest things. I decided to pedal past, and found a public access point across Salt Creek (with signs warning not to cross the creek onto private property).

Anyhow, the beach here is very pleasant, with tide pools and an overlook atop the adjacent bluff. I would recommend this as a stop for anyone passing through the area, via bicycle or otherwise.

Have you been riding out here before? Reach out via the contact page and let me know how it went.