Palmer Creek Trail

Palmer Creek Trail explores the interior forest and wetland habitats of Patrick Point State Park, providing access to old-growth Sitka spruce and red alder forest communities that contrast with the dramatic ocean-facing terrain of the Rim Trail. Following Palmer Creek through a shaded canyon, the trail passes beneath ancient Sitka spruces whose moss-draped limbs create an extraordinary cathedral atmosphere in the perpetually moist coastal environment. The creek corridor supports lush riparian vegetation including skunk cabbage, sword ferns, and lady ferns that thrive in the rich organic soils of the old-growth forest floor. Wetland areas along the creek provide habitat for the northwest salamander, rough-skinned newt, and Pacific treefrog, and the chorus of frogs is particularly impressive during spring evenings. The old-growth forest interior contrasts dramatically with the coastal headland character of the park ocean-facing trails, offering a quieter and more sheltered experience that many visitors find deeply restorative. Varied thrushes and winter wrens are among the characteristic bird species of the old-growth interior, their songs echoing through the tall timber in a way that emphasizes the ancient character of the forest community. The trail loops through a productive combination of upland forest and wetland edge habitat that supports an impressive diversity of wildlife for such a compact park. Palmer Creek Trail completes a comprehensive exploration of Patrick Point when combined with the Rim Trail and Octopus Trees Trail in a single half-day visit.