McLane Creek Nature Trail - Pictures & Map

McLane Creek Nature Trail is a popular nature hike located at the base of the Black Hills in Capitol State Forest. The hike is extremely easy, so your intent here should be to savor the natural area that the preserve is trying to display. With that said, I've seen natural areas inside the city limits of Tacoma and Seattle that are much more interesting. The hike has two loops, an inner and outer loop. To see it all, do a figure 8. Along the way are many boardwalks and viewpoints so younger kids will likely enjoy the walk. McLane Creek can be accessed at the furthest point along the trail, beyond the beaver ponds.

From Olympia go west on US 101 for 2 miles to the Black Lake Boulevard exit. Take a left on Black Lake Boulevard. In 3.5 miles the road turns right, becoming 62nd Avenue. Continue another 0.7 mile to a stop sign. Turn right on Delphi Road. In 0.5 mile turn left into the McLane Creek Demonstration Forest.