On March 11, 2024, Port Angeles contractor 2Grade was to begin removing structurally compromised cabins at Kalaloch Lodge.

The ten cabins slated for removal are within about 15 feet of the bluff edge and unsafe for occupancy. All have been closed to public use since January. The main Kalaloch Lodge and other lodging structures are not threatened.

A combination of King Tides, strong winter storms, and freeze-thaw events have eroded the bluff beneath the cabins.

Over four meters of bluff sloughed off in some areas between December 2023 and January 2024 alone. 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 ten years.