Miles: .5 mile loop (James Pond), 1.9 miles loop (Quillayute River Slough)
Elevation Gain/Highest: 66ft/30ft (James Pond), 77ft/79ft
Map: Green Trails Olympic Ozette No 130s, Custom Correct North Olympic Coast, my GAIA tracks: James Pond, Quillayute River Slough
Favorite Eats After Hike: Pacific Pizza, Sunsets West Co-op, Kalaloch Lodge, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
11/23/2018
We camped at Mora Campground for Thanksgiving this year and discovered two short trails that were perfect for walking off our delicious campfire dinner. The first one was the James Pond Trail that leaves from the ranger station, crosses the road and loops to a marshy pond on the other side.
At less than a half mile, this walk is perfect for all ages but there were a few spots with roots so not necessarily all abilities. If you want a small taste of the rain forest, however, it is just right.
The second hike leaving from the ranger station, this time on the far side of the parking lot at the utility road, is the Quillayute River Slough Trail. This is, also, a loop trail and depending on how you close the loop it can be almost 2 miles.
We kept left when the trail met the river and followed along glancing down into the water through the trees looking for possible birds or other wildlife.
There was just a wooden post to mark where you turn right and down to the slough and arriving near the water’s edge, the trail curves left but has a boot path right. Don’t bother, the shore is overgrown there. The viewpoint to the left was nice, but not much more than what we could see from the trail above. Although we didn’t see any wildlife, it was a tranquil spot to listen to the raindrops hit the water.
Back at the junction, we opted to take the right out to Mora Road and make a loop back on the pavement to the parking lot for a total of almost 1.9 miles.
I suggest it because once out on the road, you are right at the national park sign and it makes a great place to snap your selfie as there really is no parking for the sign. The shoulder is soft making it best to walk on the road (and not park) but traffic was so light safety was not an issue. I imagine in drier months the shoulder would be okay to walk on.
Directions: From Port Angeles, drive US-101 west for 55 miles. Turn onto SR-110 west for 7.7 miles. Fork right on Mora Road for 4 miles to the Mora Ranger Station on the right hand side (about .5 miles after you pass the Olympic National Park entrance sign). If you would like more information about staying at Mora Campground, visit the National Park website.
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