For the start of our official second day of driving the Pacific Coast Highway, we left Port Angeles, Washington early in the morning to drive the 30 minutes to the Marymere Falls Trailhead. The Marymere Falls hike was highly recommended a) because it’s super close to Port Angeles and right off of the highway, and b) because it’s a very short 30 minute there and back hike that can be done quickly, but also has some incredibly rewarding views.
The trailhead had plenty of parking when we arrived, although it was starting to get busy, and there are multiple trails that all start from this destination. Following the signs for the falls, we started out on a wide open path that quickly took us in a short tunnel underneath highway 101.
Once you’ve crossed under the highway, you’re quickly surrounded by nature, and all civilization feels far away. The path is wide and flat at the beginning, and the trees are majestic.
We quickly found some incredibly huge trees, and couldn’t help but marvel at how small we felt next to them.
Eventually, you’ll get to a stream, and a beautiful wooden bridge to cross to the other side. This is when the hike gets a smidge more challenging, but only for a short distance that is doable by even the most beginner hikers.
Look out for the sign for the Falls Loop, a one way loop that takes you to the top of a hill to view the falls, and then back down to the starting point near the bridge.
At this point, you can make your way back along the original trail and under the highway to the trailhead start. This 30 minute hike was the perfect wake up activity for us, and got us warmed up for our next destination, a 1 hour hike through the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rainforest!
