Salt Creek Recreation Area began life as a harbor defense military base named Camp Hayden, built between 1942 and 1945. Remnants of Camp Hayden remain throughout the park and we passed several. Camp Hayden consists of two large concrete bunkers, and several smaller structures.
Our Striped Peak loop had a couple out and back legs and in total was 7.2 miles. If you can’t hike that far, you can take off the two legs and that makes it a 5 mile loop. We chose to hike clockwise but in retrospect, I’d probably go counter clockwise so the climb is steep but the descent is gentle. My cranky knees don’t like steep descents.
The trail starts among fir and maple trees, traveling along the well-constructed gravel Access Trail. As the path heads into the forest, it wanders through towering cedar, fir and hemlock. At almost a mile in, we veered left and took the steep Cove Trail down to the beach. This part is pretty steep with steps to help out but it’s just steep. It is a very dramatic view with a waterfall and then, an awesome secluded beach. It’s best to hit this around low tide so you can spend time tide pooling or just relaxing on the small beach. You’re at the Strait of Juan de Fuca!!!!
Back up we went, and then continued on our loop. The trail goes deeper into the forest before crossing a logging road. This part was cut recently so it’s out in the open with a totally different feel. It was sunny and warm as we hiked along seeing different wildflowers. Bleeding hearts were predominant but rhododendrons grow like weeds out here.
Our next side trip was up to the top of the peak for a view of Crescent Bay. This was definitely worth the little side trip because the views are stellar. STELLAR!!!!!! I wondered why it was called Striped Peak so I looked it up. It’s named after a landslide that occurred down its face in 1846, which is no longer visible.
From here is was almost all downhill via a series of switchbacks. Our day didn’t end here though. We drove over to Camp Hayden for a short hike out to Tongue Point. This place is beautiful and definitely worth the trip.
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