Towering forests of old-growth Sitka spruce and Western hemlock line the lush trails of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

Stretches span across estuarine flats and dunes west of U.S. Highway 101, reaching as far as the shores of Sunset Beach.

Between trails, the Lewis and Clark riverbank sets a tranquil scene for an afternoon picnic. And if scenery and historic interest aren’t reason enough to visit, National Park Week begins on Saturday.

To mark the occasion, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park will offer free admission to visitors on Saturday. The park has also compiled a full schedule of events for the week, with each day focused on a variation of this year’s National Park Service theme, “park connections.”

The park, which sits on the ancestral lands of the Chinook and Clatsop tribes, commemorates the 1805 to 1806 winter base of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In addition to exploring many miles of trails, park visitors can look to the past at Fort Clatsop, a replica fort of the winter encampment of the Corps of Discovery. Plan to stop by the park’s exhibit hall and bookstore to learn more about the explorers and other historical figures.

Like the expedition’s journey, the park extends across the coast region, partnering with both Washington and Oregon state parks to include sites reaching from the lighthouses of Cape Disappointment to the cliffs of Ecola State Park.

Take a drive through the region to explore vistas, forests and streams throughout the collection of park sites. Along the way, look for Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, river otters and beavers, as well as the park’s hundreds of vascular plants, fungi and birds.

This issue of Coast Weekend celebrates the beauty of the coast’s public lands in honor of National Park Week and includes a list of hikes, bird species to look for and an essay on the ecological importance of parks.