Parking
Start at the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station information kiosk and its parking area; the full loop begins and ends there.
Overview
About Kestner Homestead Trail
Why go
- Short, mostly level route to an old homestead and orchard
- Roosevelt elk use the old fields
Heads up
- Uneven bridge boards and roots make the tread less smooth than the grade suggests
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Olympic map
Full mapElevation246–328 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 Kestner Homestead Trail, 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
Quinault Ranger Station and Kestner Homestead0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station, the starting point for a walk to Kestner Homestead. Choose this stop if you'd enjoy seeing how a farm fitted into the rainforest.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Ants That Move Trilliums
- The Maple’s Spinning Seeds
- Kestner’s Rebuilt Barn
- Merriman Falls: A Roadside Cascade
- 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 Kestner Homestead Trail
Choose the full loopKestner Homestead Trail is a 1.
Kestner Homestead Trail is a 1.3-mile loop from the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station to the old homestead and orchard. It runs through maple woods, follows the farm’s original entrance lane, then returns to the kiosk. The route is mostly level and self-guided; allow about 45 minutes with time to look around. The separate 1.1-mile out-and-back from the kiosk is shorter and skips the full Maple Glade loop.
Through Maple GladeThe full loop leaves the kiosk through Maple Glade, crosses a roughly 40-foot bridge, and meets…
The full loop leaves the kiosk through Maple Glade, crosses a roughly 40-foot bridge, and meets the homestead trail after about 0.2 mile. The approach has a few short steeper pitches, but no sustained climb. Most of the route is compacted gravel; near the homestead it narrows and gives way to grass.
The old entrance laneNear the buildings, follow the original entrance road past the orchard, cross Kestner Creek,…
Near the buildings, follow the original entrance road past the orchard, cross Kestner Creek, then head back toward the kiosk. The return is mostly flat. Take a few minutes at the homestead before moving on; the farmyard and its history are the payoff.
Watch the old fieldsRoosevelt elk graze in the old homestead fields.
Roosevelt elk graze in the old homestead fields. During the fall rut, bulls gather groups of cows and bugle. Look over the open fields as you near the buildings; elk are a possibility, not a promise.
Surface, access and petsMost of this short walk is firm, but uneven bridge boards and roots up to two inches high…
Most of this short walk is firm, but uneven bridge boards and roots up to two inches high interrupt the path. Dogs aren’t allowed on Olympic National Park trails outside its designated pet routes, and this trail isn’t one of them; service animals are allowed.
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.
