Parking
From US 101, take the signed 0.2-mile gravel access road to the unmarked gravel parking area at its end.
Overview
About Big Cedar Trail (Kalaloch)
Why go
- See the storm-split giant and a second cedar on one short outing.
- Compacted gravel and mostly gentle grades make the walk approachable.
Heads up
- The full walk is brief; most of the payoff is visiting the two trees.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation200–249 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- CautionUS 101 Hoh River Bridge reduced to one laneUS 101 at the Hoh River Bridge is restricted to one lane of alternating traffic; obey the signals and 25 mph speed limit.Official details
- ClosureStaircase wilderness trails and campsites remain closedWilderness trails and campsites around Staircase remain closed during recovery from the Bear Gulch Fire; the developed Staircase area, including the Rapids Loop, campground, and ranger station, is…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Big Cedar Trail (Kalaloch), narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Kalaloch Big Cedar: Beyond the Split Trunk0:00 / 0:26
“You're nearing Kalaloch's Big Cedar Tree, a quick forest stop with a giant western redcedar just a short walk from parking.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fireweed's Drifting Seeds
- Beach Six Overlook: An Ocean Pause
- Kalaloch Beach Four: A Gap in the Rocks
- Kalaloch Beach Three: A Pocket of Rocky Shore
- 204 audio storiesacross Olympic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Olympic Marmot, Humpback Whale, Grey Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 148 trails, 94 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Big Cedar Trail (Kalaloch)
Two cedars in a quick walkBig Cedar Trail (Kalaloch) is a 0.
Big Cedar Trail (Kalaloch) is a 0.32-mile round-trip out-and-back with a loop around the famous split cedar and a second, smaller loop beside another cedar. If you’re near Kalaloch and want to see these huge trees without taking on a longer hike, it makes a good 20-minute stop. The compacted-gravel tread is mostly level; this is a short nature walk, not a sustained hike.
Keep going past the first treeFrom the gravel parking area, the first cedar is about 110 feet up the path.
From the gravel parking area, the first cedar is about 110 feet up the path. Circle it to the left, then continue roughly 690 feet into lush coastal forest to the little loop at the second cedar. The route comes back along the shared approach. Several visitors have been surprised that the walk continues beyond the first tree, so don’t turn around there if you want the full route.
The storm-split giantA 2014 storm brought down half of the Big Cedar.
A 2014 storm brought down half of the Big Cedar. The standing trunk and fallen half are both visible beside the path, and the far loop passes another impressive cedar. Stay on the tread and don’t climb on the old tree. A photo from the path can show its exposed roots and the fallen section together.
Tread and accessThe path is compacted gravel, mostly under a 5% grade, with a few steeper short pitches.
The path is compacted gravel, mostly under a 5% grade, with a few steeper short pitches. It narrows to about 3 feet at the loops, and the crowned tread has sloping gravel shoulders, so keep to the middle. Turn off US 101 onto the 0.2-mile gravel access road; the parking area at its end is gravel with no marked stalls. Pets are not permitted on this trail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Olympic
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
