By Diane Offutt
Willapa Hills State Park Trail is one of our less well-known parks. The beginning is at the Chehalis Trailhead and it goes for a relatively flat 56 miles to Willapa Bay although there are closed sections due to mudslides.
There are ten different access points between Chehalis and the Bay including Rainbow Falls State Park which has individual camping as well as a well-thought-out group camp about 1/3rd of the way along the trail. The day we visited the area it was pouring rain and no one was on the trail.
This was originally a Burlington Northern Railroad line which turned into a multi-use trail in 1993. The beginning of the trail has two parking lots for about 25 cars, an accessible vault toilet facility, and a kiosk map. There are six accessible parking spaces, three of which are van-accessible. There is no visitor center, no staff, nor did I see any drinking water. A Discover Pass is required.
The trail is surfaced with asphalt from Chehalis through the town of Adna where it transitions to compacted gravel at mile 5 until reaching mile 27, west of Pe Ell. There are some road crossings but traffic here is light. This trail is set up to handle pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchairs, and strollers. The surrounding habitat changes gradually while walking the trail and because it is close to the Chehalis River, wildlife is everywhere. Hillberger Pond at the beginning of the trail and Shorey Road crossing that occurs shortly thereafter are listed as eBird Hotspots with 138 and 103 species respectively. Walking west for about a mile and a half will be productive for birds during spring and early summer. Depending on the weather and time of day, there is protection from the sun. There is information on this trail via the Washington State Park website https://www.parks.wa.gov/1023/Willapa-Hills-Trail.
It is an easy drive to get there from Olympia going south on I-5 and getting off at Exit 77. Head west and follow the signs to the parking lot after going through a light commercial area. It took me about an hour from Yelm via back roads. We plan to go back to the area for a longer walk/birding and to stay at the campground. The only downside we found was that there is no loop unless one left a car at a different trailhead to avoid returning via the same trail. Here is the link to the map: https://www.parks.wa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7573/Willapa-Hills-Map
This park is well worth the drive for walking, birding, and fun outside for anyone.
