Kalaloch, Washington

File:Outlet of Kalaloch Creek 02.jpg

Artifacts discovered in Olympic National Park are evidence early humans inhabited the Olympic Peninsula 6,000 to 12,000 years ago.{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Prehistoric Inhabitants of the Olympic Peninsula |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/historyculture/prehistoric-inhabitants.htm |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=National Park Service |language=en}} Today eight tribes (Elwha Klallam, Hoh, Jamestown S'Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble, Quileute, Quinault, S'Klallam, and Skokomish) live in reservations along the shores.{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=The People of the Olympic Peninsula |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/the-people-of-the-olympic-peninsula.htm |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=National Park Service |at=Ancient Peoples and Area Tribes |language=en}} In 1855 and 1856 Olympic Peninsula tribes ceded their lands and waters to the federal government.{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Tribes of the Olympic Peninsula |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/historyculture/tribes-of-the-olympic-peninsula.htm |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=A History of Treaties & Reservations on the Olympic Peninsula, 1855-1898 |url=https://depts.washington.edu/cspn/resources/curriculummaterials/treaties-reservations/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest |publisher=University of Washington Department of History}}

In 1889, Washington became a state. President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897, which was renamed to Olympic National Forest in 1907.{{cite web |title=Olympic National Forest - History & Culture |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/olympic/learning/history-culture/ |accessdate=2022-07-16 |publisher=US Forest Service}} Charles W. Becker, Sr., purchased a {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=on}} coastal plot just south of where Kalaloch Creek meets the Pacific Ocean in 1925. Becker used milled lumber from driftwood logs that washed up on the beach to build a main lodge and cabins.{{Cite web |title=Olympic National Park History |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/History.aspx |accessdate=May 12, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |publisher=}}

File:Intertide zonation at Kalaloch.jpg

To preserve some of Washington's primeval forest lands, in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated {{convert|898000|acre|ha}} as Olympic National Park. Two years later, President Roosevelt added {{convert|300|mi2|km2}} to the park. President Harry S. Truman added {{convert|75|mi|km}} of coastal wilderness to the park in 1953, including the Kalaloch area. In 1976 the Olympic National Park was designated as an International Biosphere Reserve.{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=History & Culture |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/historyculture/index.htm |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=National Park Service |language=en}} The National Park Service (NPS) purchased the Becker property in 1978 and renamed it Kalaloch Lodge.{{Cite web |last=Donovan |first=Lauren |date=2024-03-28 |title=The erosion threat to Kalaloch Lodge's coastal haven |url=https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/erosion-threat-kalaloch-lodge |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=FOX 13 Seattle |language=en-US}} Olympic National Park was designated in 1981 as a World Heritage Site. In 1988, Congress approved the designation of 95 percent of the park as the Olympic Wilderness.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=RL |title=Ruth L. Scott Impacts to Olympic Wilderness Qualities |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs/rmrs_p004/rmrs_p004_144_147.pdf |via=USDA Forest Service}}{{Cite web |title=S.2165 - Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/senate-bill/2165 |website=congress.gov |date=November 16, 1988 |publisher=Library of Congress |at=[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-102/pdf/STATUTE-102-Pg3961.pdf TITLE I—OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK WILDERNESS]}}

Kalaloch weather is influenced by prevailing Pacific winds and two temperate rain forests, the Hoh Rainforest and the Quinault Rainforest. Annual rainfall at Kalaloch is measured in feet: on average, {{convert|8.5|ft|m}} fall annually.{{Cite web |last= |first= |first2= |date= |title=Olympic National Park: Weather |url=http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-olympic-national-park-weather-sidwcmdev_067792.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323102103/https://gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-olympic-national-park-weather-sidwcmdev_067792.html |archive-date=2016-03-23 |accessdate=May 12, 2014 |website=GORP |publisher=}}

• Spring – {{convert|8.94|in|mm}} per month average
• Summer – {{convert|3.13|in|mm}} per month average
• Fall – {{convert|11.17|in|mm}} per month average
• Winter – {{convert|17.12|in|mm}} per month average

File:KalalochEagle.jpg

About {{convert|73|mi|km}} of beach in the Olympic National Park provide beachcombing opportunities. At Kalaloch, seven area beach trails lead to coastal hikes and Kalaloch Creek. Fishing possibilities at Kalaloch include surf perch, salmon, or native trout, or at low tide visitors may dig for razor clams.{{cite web |title=Olympic National Park Fishing and Clamming |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/fishing-and-clamming.aspx |accessdate=May 11, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |publisher=}} Bald eagles, black-legged kittiwakes, red-throated loons, black scoters, and brown pelicans are among birdwatchers' sightings at Kalaloch.{{cite web |title=Kalaloch Birdwatching in Olympic National Park |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/birdwatching.aspx |accessdate=May 11, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |publisher=}}{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Visiting Kalaloch and Ruby Beach |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htm |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=National Park Service |language=en}} From Kalaloch bluffs, whale watchers may see migratory gray whales, and sea lions, harbor porpoise, harbor seals, sea otters and orcas may also be spotted.{{cite web |title=Washington Coast Whale Watching |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/whale-watching.aspx |accessdate=May 12, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |publisher=}}

The National Park Service staffs a ranger station in the area during the summer.{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Kalaloch Area Brochure |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/kalaloch-area-brochure.htm |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Exploring the Coast - Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/exploring-the-coast.htm |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Visitor Centers |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}

Kalaloch Beach is known for the location of the "Tree of Life", a Sitka spruce with exposed roots that spans over a small creek that drains onto the sand from cliffs above the beach. Normally a tall species, the Tree of Life is shorter and thicker, with bent and windswept branches. The tree is a landmark in the county and is a popular site for social media photographers. In early January 2025, the tree had noticeably slumped approximately {{convert|5|ft|m|1}} after the creek gully eroded.{{cite news |last1=Sailor |first1=Craig |title=Famous 'Tree of Life' slumps but struggles to survive on WA coast after recent storms |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article298248643.html |access-date=January 15, 2025 |work=The Tacoma News Tribune |date=January 9, 2025}}

File:Kalaloch Lodge 01.jpg

Kalaloch Lodge offers three types of accommodations: lodge, cabins, and campground.{{cite web |title=Kalaloch Lodge at Olympic National Park |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/ |accessdate=May 12, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |at=Lodging Options}} At its peak, forty cabins were available, including six on the bluff overlooking the ocean.{{cite web |title=Olympic National Park Cabins at Kalaloch Lodge |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/cabins.aspx |accessdate=May 11, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge}}{{Cite news |last=Valentino |first=Silas |date=March 8, 2024 |title=NPS is removing cabins along Highway 101 due to coastal erosion |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/nps-olympic-cabins-removal-erosion-18713656.php |access-date=2024-03-09 |work=SFGATE |language=en}} Due to approximately {{convert|13|ft|m|1}} of erosion to the bluffs in 2023 and 2024, a total of seven cabins were demolished. The NPS stated that the lodge and remaining rental units were not considered threatened.{{cite news |last1=Zhou |first1=Amanda |title=NPS to demolish some Kalaloch cabins on WA coast as bluff erodes |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/nps-to-demolish-some-kalaloch-cabins-on-wa-coast-as-bluff-erodes/ |access-date=April 15, 2024 |work=The Seattle Times |date=March 6, 2024}}

Kalaloch Campground, with 166 camp sites, is one of four campgrounds in Olympic National Park that accepts summer reservations.{{cite web |title=Kalaloch Lodge Group Campsite |url=http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/Kalaloch-Lodge-Campsite.aspx |accessdate=May 11, 2014 |website=Kalaloch Lodge |publisher=}}{{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |author-link=Olympic National Park |title=Camping |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/camping.htm |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=National Park Service |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last= |first= |year= |title=Geology of the Washington Coast between Point Grenville and the Hoh River |url=http://file.dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_b66_geol_wa_coast.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Natural Resources}}
• {{Cite web |title=Kalaloch Lodge at Olympic National Park {{!}} Forks, WA |url=https://www.thekalalochlodge.com |website=Kalaloch Lodge}}
• {{Cite web |last=Olympic National Park |title=Plan Your Visit |url=https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/index.htm |access-date= |website=National Park Service |language=en}}
• {{Cite web |title=Kalaloch |url=https://thewhaletrail.org/sites/kalaloch/ |website=The Whale Trail |date=February 2, 2014 |language=en-US}}

{{Jefferson County, Washington}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Washington (state)

Category:Unincorporated communities in Jefferson County, Washington