The Raft River, a stream located entirely within the Quinault Indian Reservation on the Olympic Peninsula, flows into the Pacific Ocean at Tunnel Island, approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of Taholah, Washington. Tunnel Island is named for a sea cave that runs through it. Surrounding Tunnel Island is a cluster of smaller stacks, one of which is called Elephant Rock. This rock was named for its arch resembling an elephant’s head; however, the “trunk” part of the arch collapsed in 2016.

The Raft River begins at the confluence of Crane Creek and Lunch Creek, which flow southwest from the Olympic Mountains. The river runs west for about 11.5 miles (18.5 km), gathering tributaries such as the South Fork and North Fork Raft River, before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Much of the river’s drainage basin consists of low hills and plateaus that have been clear-cut in recent decades. The Raft River and its tributaries support chum and coho salmon, as well as a limited number of Chinook salmon. Bull trout and steelhead trout also inhabit the river. Access to the Raft River estuary and beaches is restricted to tribal members, unless accompanied by a tribal representative.

The rocks that form the islands and sea stacks at the mouth of the Raft River are part of the Quinault Formation. This formation, located between Cape Elizabeth and Point Grenville, is over 2,200 feet (680 meters) thick and composed of conglomerates, shales, and some sandstone. Carbonized wood fragments are common in much of the sandstone, suggesting a nearby source of vegetation when the materials were deposited millions of years ago. Concretions, or relatively hard nodules, are scattered throughout, with some forming around fossils. The most common fossils are large clams. Microscopic fossils are also prevalent in the sandy siltstone strata, largely exposed at low tide. These fossils indicate to paleontologists that the sediments of the rocks were deposited in the sea during the early Pliocene Epoch, approximately 5 to 7 million years ago. Read more here and here. Explore more of Tunnel Island and Raft River here: