Hiking Olympic National Park
By Erik Molvar

Peabody Creek Trail

This little-known path provides forest solitude at the edge of bustling Port 
Angeles. From two unmarked trailheads at the western edge of the visitor center 
parking lot, a short loop descends to the banks of a small stream. 
Here, a longer trail marked 'dead end' follows Peabody Creek upward for 
2.2 miles through a wooded ravine, tracking the road to Hurricane Ridge. 
Although this area receives far too little moisture to qualify as a rainforest, 
visitors will find nurse logs and lush growth of ferns and mosses. The mature 
conifers soon fall away, replaced by groves of red alder that invaded the area after 
it was clearcut. After 1.8 miles, the trail climbs onto the bluffs beside the stream, 
where the traffic noise is constant. After 0.7 mile, the trail swings away from the 
road and returns to the silent forest. Watch for signs of fire: charred* stumps rise 
amid the dense growth of younger conifers that grew after the blaze. The path soon 
drops down into the ravine once more, then climbs onto a finger ridge. 
Heavy rains during the winter of 1995-96 weakened the soils, and trees that grew on 
this exposed spot were thrown down by heavy winds. A short distance farther on, the 
trail emerges onto the road between two well-hidden posts with reflectors. There is a 
pull off 0.2 mile down the road, at mile 2.