Hike of the Week: Butte Creek

Moss carpets everything in the Butte Creek Sitka Spruce Grove

Butte Creek

Ancient Sitka Spruce Grove is a real “beaut!”




by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin

November 17, 2006

Quick Facts
Location: Southwest Washington-Willapa Bay
Land Agency: Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Roundtrip: 1.5 miles
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Access: From Raymond travel north on US 101 2.5 miles. Butte Creek Picnic Area is on the right (east) just beyond Mile Post 61.

Notes: Dogs must be leashed; Picnic Area open May 1st through October 31st. Park at gate when picnic area closed. Access road makes nice walk to trailhead.

Saunter through an old-growth Sitka spruce forest just minutes from the mill town of Raymond. Butte Creek’s magnificent ancient grove is a small remnant of the grand forests that once covered the surrounding Willapa Hills. Very little remains of the original forests that once lined the salty marshes and covered the scrappy hills surrounding Willapa Bay.
Start your hike by a sign that states, “Unimproved Trail.” The trail is very improved, however-built well and well-cared for. It’s unimproved only in that it can’t accommodate wheelchairs. The Butte Creek Trail makes a loop about 1.5 miles long, returning back to the picnic area just to the south of where you began. Various side trails lead off the main path allowing for shorter loops and variations. The main trail winds its way through a dark forest-dominated by spruce with a sprinkling of Douglas-fir and western hemlock. Moss carpets everything within this lush environment.
A small stream runs through the parcel, and the main trail crosses it several times.
This wonderful area was once part of an old homestead. Now through the cooperation of the Washington DNR, students from nearby Raymond High School have staked a claim here. They help maintain the trails and facilities of Butte Creek; and hopefully, like you upon hiking this area, have gained a better understanding and appreciation for our dwindling old-growth forests.


The Butte Creek Sitka Spruce Grove is one of the featured hikes in my new book, Day Hiking the Olympic Peninsula (Mountaineers Books) to be released this upcoming spring. Look for it.