FORKS — Ten cabins at Kalaloch will be removed beginning Monday because of coastal erosion.
The cabins, which have been closed to public use since Jan. 1, are within about five yards of the bluff edge and are unsafe for occupancy, according to Olympic National Park. Kalaloch Lodge is not threatened, park officials said.
The cabins had been popular because they provided an opportunity to see the power of the ocean at any time of year.
“We are sorry to say goodbye to these cabins, but visitor safety must come first,” said Deputy Superintendent Kevin Killian, in the press release.
“Even without the cabins, the experience of visiting this wild coastline will endure,” he added.
Port Angeles contractor 2Grade will remove the structurally compromised cabins.
The bluff under the cabins has been eroded by a combination of King Tides, strong winter storms, and freeze-thaw events.
Over four feet of bluff sloughed off in some areas between December 2023 and January 2024 alone, officials said.
The bluff’s loose composition of sand, gravel, and stone makes it especially vulnerable to erosion from wave action enhanced by soaking rains and recent freeze-thaw events.
The saturated material expands when frozen and becomes weaker when it thaws.
Bluff erosion is a natural process that has accelerated over the last decade.
