The Olympic Peninsula is one of Washington State’s most stunning bicycling locales. Its snowcapped, non-volcanic mountain range looms above an ancient temperate rainforest. Rough ocean beaches coexist with tribal land, farmland, small towns, mid-size cities, lakes, rivers, hot springs and a massive national park. And to further sweeten the deal for riders, along the peninsula’s northern edge, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca divides the US from Canada, an off-road bicycle and pedestrian highway is slowly taking shape.

The Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT for short) is slated to run the length of the Olympic Peninsula: 120 miles from historic Port Townsend to the Pacific Ocean beaches. Currently, it consists of 40 miles of paved trail, running through the cities of Sequim and Port Angeles. Further west, another 25 miles of dirt trail run between the Elwha River and picturesque Lake Crescent. These complete portions wind through forest, farms, parks and cities; over creeks, rivers and ravines; and past beaches, parks and national recreation areas.

The ODT is one of Washington State’s many rail-trails – non-motorized-vehicle and pedestrian trails built on the sites of former railroad lines. The rail-trail concept got a boost in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, when the federal government began providing support for the creation of “trailways” from nonfunctioning rail corridors. The national, DC-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy began advocating for such trailways in 1986, working to establish a nationwide network.

In 1988, inspired by the prospect of a public-access trail linking Port Townsend and Port Angeles, a group of locals founded the Peninsula Trails Coalition (PTC). Plotting along inoperative railroad lines laid between 1887 and 1915, the PTC collaborated with county and city governments, area tribes, volunteer groups and other organizations to slowly purchase land and build trail sections.

“Our biggest challenge has been obtaining right-of-way,” said PTC’s Chuck Preble. This, he explained, involved “finding willing sellers along a reasonable route, while trying very hard to obtain the old railroad grade, which had been sold off in the mid-1980s.” It takes a year or more to obtain, survey, appraise and close on a legal easement for trail right-of-way, Preble said, adding that the group has nonetheless achieved nearly 70 percent rail-to-trail conversion.

Another of the project’s major challenges involved connecting the trail’s varied terrain. “The nature of the North Olympic Peninsula is many short, fat rivers and streams coming down from the mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca,” Preble said. “We have a bridge about every two to three miles, probably 50 bridges for the whole trail when completed. We’ve been able to get five original railroad trestles, which are great, but most bridges have to be built. Even small streams will have ravines 300 feet across.”

Once completed, rail-trails, similar to the ODT, can provide appealing, accessible routes for beginning recreational riders, as well as first-time bike tourists. The largely off-road rail-trails place riders at a safe distance from automotive traffic – and since many rail-trails run at the original rail lines’ gentle railroad grade, they’re often not particularly steep. The Olympic Discovery Trail offers riders additional perks: good weather (the trail is situated within the Olympic Mountains’ rain-shadow, making it relatively sunny and dry); proximity to high-quality farmland (delicious produce abounds); and the vibrant natural features that shape the Peninsula.