Riding the Olympic Discovery Trail Sequim to Port Angeles (River and Prairie Section)

This section of the Olympic Discovery Trail is around 26.1 miles one-way. A marathon-length! And, yes, there is a marathon that runs the trail! But, of course, you can adjust your trip length by parking in one of the other parking areas along the trail to adjust it down, or farther up the road if you want to lengthen your trip.

It depends on your fitness level, of course! I rode to Port Angeles and back several years ago on a hybrid bike when I was at a moderate level of fitness and was fine — happy but tired — on my return. This time I chose to go one-way and stay the night in Port Angeles as I wasn’t sure how my ebike battery would hold out. It turns out I would have been fine — I kept the motor off or low most of the time, only used one bar of charge, and my body would have handled the adventure as well. So, yes.

7 Cedars Casino in Blyn is very close to the trailhead, you can find plenty of lodging down the road a bit in Sequim or in Port Angeles. If I planned to stay overnight again in Port Angeles, I’d opt for the Red Lion as it’s right where the trail starts, near shops, and right across the street from a beach area. Not too far from the trail, though not at one end or another, Domaine Madeline is a terrific B&B and not too far from the trail.

There are also a couple of places to camp near the trail. The trail takes you right through Sequim Bay State Park and you’ll also find camping not right on the trail, but not too far away (at least if you’re cycling) at Dungeness Recreation Area. Camping at Dungeness is part first-come-first-serve and part reservation. Note that it’s been my experience that, for any campsite in the PNW you need to either make reservations very early or get there before the weekend to stake out your spot for first-come-first-serve sites.

I would say “yes,” with a caveat. I’ve done this trip on a hybrid bike, which was fine, and on an e-bike which was also enjoyable. I’ve seen plenty of road bikes on this section of the trail, but it was never something I wanted to try myself on a bike with 23″ wheels and no shocks whatsoever. Ouch!

When it comes to e-bikes, I don’t know that there’s any kind of rule or enforcement for what types of ebike you might use. Class 1 bikes would be fine. If you have a bike that will assist you at higher speeds, I’d recommend you slow down — both for your own enjoyment of your ride and for the safety of other people on the trail.

I was worried about my e-bike not being able to make the trip both directions on one battery charge as it has the annoying tendency to tell me that I have an estimated “23 miles left” (for example) on Eco mode. What I found was that I only used one bar or charge, kept the bike motor off or on Eco most of the time, and could have gone both ways in a single day on one charge.

The Olympic Discovery Trail Sequim to Port Angeles section is mostly paved — some nice pavement as you’re going through Sequim and when you’re entering Port Angeles but with the large majority being roughly paved. You’ll find a few areas with gravel, but not many. And, as mentioned above, you’ll encounter some wood trestles.

You’ll find chemical toilets (“Honey Buckets”) spaced strategically along the trail. Most don’t have any area to lock up your bike, but your chances of someone riding off with your wheels here isn’t too great (though after having a bike theft — in a very different place — its something I always consider). I haven’t listed all of the toilets on the map here as they may move and they’re readily visible from the trail and frequent enough that you shouldn’t have trouble reaching one on time.

You’ll find public parking at one end of the trail behind the Jamestown Sk’lallam Library and on the other end at the Port Angeles Waterfront near the Fiero Marine Center. For this section of the trail, there are several other parking areas along its length, which are listed on the map.

Me too! Fortunately, the signs marking the trail seem to be much improved from when I rode it years ago. That time, I found myself in several strange places and encountered many other souls wandering around with their bikes with a lost look in their eyes.

This time I mostly stayed on the trail. I find the area that I tend to go off-route is in Sequim as it’s easy to miss the trail signs. Keep in mind that the trail goes THROUGH Carrie Blake Park. If you find yourself, instead, going past silos and into an area with farm animals, you’ve gone too far!

You’ll find a couple of large hills on this route. For one, you’ll see a warning sign before you go down as the hill turns abruptly just before a drop-off. I choose to walk my bike, here because I’m very cautious.

There’s another large hill that I’ve found other cyclists walking up (I say this to make myself feel better). This time, on my cargo bike with a load of camera gear and overnight stuff, I told my spouse I was very grateful for “hill assist mode,” only to find that I had not been using hill assist correctly and had lugged the bike up the hill without any assist. What do you call this? The “placebike effect”?

You’ll find bike shops either in Sequim or Port Angeles. And I’ve read, but not experienced, that there’s a bike repair station at the Dungness River Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park. Make sure you bring some bike tools and tubes so you can take care of your own issue if you have it on the trail.