SEQUIM — The road to a nature preserve in eastern Sequim has not been smooth.

The 45-acre Keeler property, a prime spot for elk and eagles off U.S. Highway 101 east of Happy Valley Road, was to be sold to the city and turned into a public park.

Last year the Keeler family, represented by Joe Keeler and his sister Carol Bolduc, planned to donate 10 of the acres, and sell the rest to the city for about $800,000.

Together they envisioned the Joseph L. Keeler Park, a place with walking trails and interpretive signs telling about the park’s namesake, a pioneer who came to the North Olympic Peninsula to build a life at the turn of the 20th century.

But a series of twists, including an appraisal that priced the parcel above $1.5 million, threatened to derail the deal.