Chehalis River Discovery Trail

Explore the Chehalis River between working farmland and recently restored riparian habitat. Your hosts: a bevy of birds, from barn swallows to bald eagles.

From the parking area, walk the gated access road past working farms and an old barn—notice the nesting swallows—to a T-junction at 0.3 mile. Pick up an interpretive guidebook and follow the signposts, first right, then back.

Trees and shrubs along the river bank were planted in a partnership between the City of Centralia and the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust to protect salmon habitat. As they grow, cottonwood, red-osier dogwood, and willow will restore eroded river banks and create spawning grounds for threatened char. In the meantime, they provide superb bird-watching, including bald eagles, a pair of which resides here year-round. Note, too, the mature black cottonwood forest across the river. The largest such grove remaining along the Chehalis, this ribbon of riparian woodland is protected in perpetuity under a conservation easement.

At 1.2 miles, reach the end of the north branch of the route. Note the expansive agricultural fields; they soak up water from the treatment plant and act as a filter before it reaches the river. Follow the path back past the T-junction to the south branch at two miles. Continue on the south branch to its terminus at 2.6 miles, where a thick grove of Douglas-fir and western red cedar towers over a 90-degree bend in the river. Relax on the shaded shoreline before returning the way you came.

WTA Pro Tip: Built in 1908, the Olympic Club Pub caters to tourists and timbermen amid warm wood and turn-of-the-century details. If you have time to stay, check into one of the Olympic Club Hotel’s 27 intimate European-style rooms.