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Olympic National Park, on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle
in Washington state, preserves a large and varied wilderness area (almost 1500
square miles) that includes glaciated mountains, temperate and
rain forest, and a strip of the Pacific coast. There aren't any
roads that cross the park, so much of that area is accessible only
to backpackers. Still, there are many access points at the edges of the
park, allowing plenty to see on shorter day hikes. This page summarizes
a few of the hiking and photographic opportunities in the park.
The Olympic mountains
Good views of the Olympic mountains can be found from Hurricane Ridge (accessible
by paved road), and, especially, from trails along the High Divide that
overlook the Hoh valley. The heavy snowfall and permanent glaciers on the
higher peaks make for much more impressive mountains than you would guess
from just looking at their rather modest altitude.
An enjoyable day hike, of around 7 miles, leaves from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center toward
the Klahhane ridge, providing excellent views of the mountains,
forested valleys, and out to sea. There are
good spots near the visitor's center to see and photograph sunset
in the Park. An altogether more ambitious hike leaves from the Sol Duc Valley,
and ascends past Sol Duc Falls to the Seven Lakes Basin and the High Divide. The
view (right hand image) from this spot of the high mountains in the park
is unparalleled. For a loop hike, one can then descend past Heart Lake
along the Sol Duc valley, passing numerous waterfalls along the way. I'd
highly recommend this 18 mile loop, which is outstandingly scenic. We
hiked this route in one long August day, after snow had melted
off the High Divide trail, though you could easily spend several days
camping and exploring the area at a more leisurely pace. If you attempt
this earlier in the year, guidebooks suggest you might need an ice axe to
safely cross lingering snowfields along parts of the High Divide.
Temperate forests and waterfalls
One of the highlights of the park is the temperate forest, which covers
much of the lower elavations and provides a beautiful backdrop
to numerous waterfalls. Marymere Falls is
one of the more impressive waterfalls that are easy to reach, as it's
only a short walk from the Storm King Ranger Station along Highway 101.
Along the Elwha Valley, Upper and Lower Boulder Falls can be reached
via short and easy hikes (8 miles round trip) along the trail that
leads toward Appleton Pass. Along the Sol Duc Valley,
Sol Duc Falls is just one
of innumerable cascades that can be seen (or sometimes just
heard) along the river and its many
tributary streams.
Needless to say, it's pretty dim in the forest under all those trees,
so a tripod is needed to photograph the waterfalls. The image of
Upper Boulder Falls to the right is about a 2 second exposure
(at 28mm with the lens stopped right down).
Rain forest
The valleys of the Hoh, Queets and Quinault rivers on the western edge of
the park receive enough rainfall - more than ten feet annually - to
qualify as temperate rain forests. The ancient forests within the park
stand in sharp contrast to areas blighted (scenically at least) by
clear cut logging, which continues apace elsewhere on the Olympic Peninsula
(watch out for logging trucks on some of the minor roads).
The Hoh rain forest is the most accessible, and you can get the flavor
of the area by taking short loops that leave from the Visitor Center.
You can also hike up the valley on a trail which parallels the river -
eventually this leaves the forest behind and reaches the foot of the
stunningly beautiful Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus. That's much too far away to reach on a
day hike, unfortunately, though you can make a pleasant (and flat)
hike through the forest for as long as you want before turning
back the way you came. After a few miles the scenery of ferns,
moss-draped
trees, and huge fallen logs starts to get a bit same-ish, so unless
you're a real afficionado of rain forests you can probably see
all you want of the Hoh river valley in half a day.
The Pacific coast
Disjoint from the rest of the park, Olympic also contains a 60 mile strip of the
Pacific coast running down the far northwest of the Olympic Peninsula. The coast
is reachable by car to the south, and by short trails to the north. A large
section in the middle is accessible only via lengthy hikes.
The best day hike (and only loop) is probably the 9 mile Cape Alava / Sand Point loop from
the Ozette Ranger Station. It's three easy miles to the coast through the forest, then
three miles along the beach to Sand Point, then three more miles back to complete
the loop. Most of the trail through the forest is along a wooden boardwalk, so it's
very easy. This stretch of the coast is backed by dense forest and is quite wild and
interesting, though not especially scenic, especially at low tide.
PracticalitiesOlympic National park is easy to get to - no more than a couple of hours drive from Seattle. Highway 101 more or less rings the park, providing access points from all directions, though most of the routes into the park from the east and south are along unpaved forest service roads. The most developed areas are to the north and west - for visiting these the moderately large town of Port Angeles on the north coast of the penninsula makes the best base. The area is visitable year-round as the climate is mild, with dry-ish but often cloudy summer days, and lots of rain in the winter falling as heavy snow on the peaks.
The official website for Olympic National Park |
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