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| Hoh Rain Forest |
Olympic National Park is located in the state of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. It was declared a National Monument in 1909 and later a National Park in 1938. In comparison to other National Parks, Olympic is quite diverse in that it offers visitors three completely different areas to explore including glacier-capped mountains, temperate rainforests, and Pacific coastline. The park is a massive 1,406 square miles so if you are a first time visitor, who wants to see as many of the major sights as possible, then you'll need to dedicate at least three full days, if not longer. Fortunately, the park has remained nearly untouched by humans so visitors will be able to experience trees that are more than 1000 years old, enjoy clear glacial lakes, and partake in limitless hiking opportunities. Outside of the park but within the Olympic Peninsula there are even more impressive things to do and see, several of which will be detailed further below.
I have visited Olympic National Park and the Olympic Peninsula on countless occasions since my childhood. Even with all of those visits under my belt there are still a few areas of the park that I have yet to see including Ozette Lake, Kalaloch, Ruby Beach, and Staircase.
Below are descriptions of all of the areas that I have visited within and just outside the boundaries of Olympic National Park including:
- Hurricane Ridge
- Lake Crescent
- Marymere Falls
- Salt Creek County Park
- Sol Duc Hot Springs
- Makah Museum
- Cape Flattery
- Shi Shi Beach
- Hoh Rain Forest
- La Push
- Rialto Beach
- Lake Quinault
- Sequim
- Dungeness Spit
- Olympic Game Farm
- Lavender Festival
- Port Townsend
- Fort Worden State Park
- Point Wilson Lighthouse
Hurricane
Ridge:
Located within the
Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge rises over 5,200 feet and provides amazing views of the park and, on a
very clear day, a glimpse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are many hiking trails that visitors can enjoy in this area of the park. Unfortunately, all of my visits to date have occurred on cloudy days which have prohibited the aforementioned views. If it's a cloudy day I would recommend skipping this viewpoint.
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
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| Hurricane Ridge |
Lake
Crescent:
Located within Olympic National Park, beautifully brilliantly blue Lake Crescent is one of the deepest lakes in the country. It is well known for its clear water which is the result of a lack of nitrogen and helps to prohibit algae growth. The lake is quite large and there are various areas to stay around the lake including campgrounds, cabins, and lodges. My father camped here all the time as a child and has fond memories of the peaceful lake, which I remember him discussing when I was a child. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to visit myself until my mid-twenties, but I was very impressed by the beauty of Lake
Crescent, especially during the early morning hours and late evenings when gleaming
reflections would cover the gorgeous lake.
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| The clear waters of Lake Crescent. |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| Lake Crescent |
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| A rainbow sunset at Lake Crescent. |
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| A rainbow sunset at Lake Crescent. |
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| Sunset at Lake Crescent |
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| Sunset at Lake Crescent |
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| Sunset at Lake Crescent |
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| Sunset at Lake Crescent |
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| Moonlit Lake Crescent |
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| Moonlit Lake Crescent |
Marymere
Falls:
Located close to Lake Crescent within Olympic National Park, this 90 foot waterfall is easily accessible to visitors via a well-maintained .75 mile trail. If you are staying in or near Lake Crescent this waterfall makes for a fun and easy visit.
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| Hike to Marymere Falls. |
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| Hike to Marymere Falls. |
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| Hike to Marymere Falls. |
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| Marymere Falls |
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| Marymere Falls |
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| Hike to Marymere Falls. |
Salt
Creek County Park:
Located just outside the boundary of Olympic National Park and just north of Lake Crescent, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca this 196-acre park provides visitors with the chance to enjoy beaches, tide pools, rocky bluffs, and plenty of campsites and picnic areas. The beach is about a half mile walk from the parking lot. I was
surprised at how soft the sand was; it reminded me of the sand I had seen in
Oregon unlike the sand you would normally encounter on the rocky beaches of
Washington State.
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
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| Salt Creek County Park |
Located on the grounds of the Sol Duct Hot Springs resort within the boundaries of the national park, these hot springs contain 99-105 degree mineral water that is
piped into three large outdoor pools. Be forewarned that this is a built-up developed resort so do not come here expecting to see hot springs in their natural setting. If you are interested in visiting some undeveloped hot springs, then head to the nearby Olympic Hot Springs which requires walking along a 2.5 mile hike to reach.
Located in Neah Bay, this museum (also known as the Makah Cultural and Research Center) was created as a
result of artifacts that were excavated from a Makah village in the early
1970's that had been partially buried by a mudslide nearly 500 years prior. A
sampling of these artifacts and many other Makah tribal art pieces are housed
in this well thought-out and designed museum, which was actually much larger
than what I would have ever expected. Some of my favorite things at the museum
included the cedar dug-out canoes and a replica of the traditional long house. If you are lucky your visit might coincide with a live demonstration, such as basket weaving which I was able to enjoy during my visit. Apparently, the woman I met had been working on her basket on
and off for almost a year. There are many intricate steps and processes
involved in making a basket and she was very proud to talk with me about her
work.
Cape
Flattery:
The
most northwestern point in the contiguous United States, this beautiful area is located outside of the Olympic National Park boundary just outside of the town of Neah Bay. In order
to view the cape, one must walk along a 3/4 mile downhill boardwalk path that will eventually lead to
different viewpoints including views of Tatoosh Island and the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. It is from here where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. The views were
absolutely gorgeous with the crashing waves against the rocky shores and the
sun shining down brightly.
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| Hike to Cape Flattery. |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| View from Cape Flattery. |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
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| Cape Flattery |
Shi Shi Beach:
Located on the grounds of the Makah Indian reservation, Shi Shi Beach is a popular place for day hikers and campers to visit as it is not the most accessible of places. When I completed the hike it took me about 40 minutes to get
from the trail head down to the beach. The majority of the trail is along fairly even terrain but towards the very end there the trail changed to a nearly vertical drop that would be very difficult to traverse without proper footwear Unfortunately my visit occurred during a very cloudy and foggy summer day which is actually quite common. If you find it sunny on the day you visit consider yourself quite lucky. Shi Shi is well known for its Point of Arches, which the powerful ocean carved out of ancient rock.
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| Shi Shi Beach |
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| Shi Shi Beach |
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| Shi Shi Beach |
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| Shi Shi Beach |
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| Shi Shi Beach |
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| Shi Shi Beach |
Located within Olympic National Park and one of its most popular sights, the
Hoh Rain Forest is one of the few temperate rain forests in the world and
receives approximately 12 to 14 feet of precipitation each year. What all this
wet stuff equates to is lots and lots of densely green moss which covers nearly everything, including trees that are over 200 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide! I have visited the rain forest on three separate occasions and have always walked along the easy Hall of Mosses
trail, which takes about 40 minutes to complete.
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| My brother and sister at the Hoh Rain Forest. |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| My sister at the Hoh Rain Forest. |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Banana Slug at the Hoh Rain Forest. |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
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| Hoh Rain Forest |
La
Push:
This tiny town is home to the Quileute Indian Tribe.
The town was featured in the popular
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers; one of the main characters named Jacob lives in this part
of Washington. Notoriety
aside, La Push is home to a very depressed looking town with gorgeous views of
the Pacific Ocean. These two glaringly obvious aspects of La Push didn't seem to
fit together and I found it to be quite a strange combination.
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| La Push |
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| La Push |
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| La Push |
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| La Push |
Rialto
is one of the most popular beaches in the Olympic National Park and is filled with
lots of driftwood, sea stacks, and offers visitors a very good walking trail. Unfortunately, as
seemed to be the case for most of my visits to the Pacific Ocean on this trip,
it was cloudy and gray at the beach with the thunderous ocean waves crashing
in. Unlike some of the other beaches I have visited along the Olympic Peninsula, Rialto Beach has a very rocky sand, including many small and colorful pebble stones.
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| Rialto Beach |
Lake Quinault:
I have described my visit to Lake Quinault in a separate entry, which you can find
here.
Sequim:
This lovely town is located east of Port Angeles along the route to Olympic National Park. It is famous for its pleasant and unusual climate in Washington state, which boasts an average of 299 days of sunshine and about 17 inches of rain each year. This is because the town lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, giving it the nickname "Sunny Sequim" and sometimes referred to as the blue hole of Sequim. Not surprising given its relatively dry climate, Sequim has become a popular place to retire. The town offers visitors several different sightseeing opportunities and things to do including the Dungeness Spit, the Olympic Game Farm, plus the famous fields of lavendar. The climate in Sequim is perfect for growing lavender and it is one of only two areas in the world where lavender oil is produced, the other being
Provence, France.
Dungeness
Spit:
A 5.5 mile long sand spit that juts out from
the edge of the Olympic Peninsula, just north of downtown Sequim. All of the land is part of the Dungeness National Wildlife
Refuge which features a lighthouse at the very end of the spit. Unfortunately, walking 5.5
miles on sand is not the quickest process, so allow at least 3-4 hours if you want to have enough time to go all the way to the lighthouse. The Dungeness Spit would be a great place for families to visit as there is lots to explore along its coastal waters and children will enjoy finding lots of treasures.
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
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| Dungeness Spit |
This so-called farm is home to dozens of species of wild
animals, including elk, yak, bison, deer, cougars, and bears. Many of the Walt
Disney nature specials were filmed at this 90 acre preserve during the 1960’s.
Being a lover of animals, I was excited to visit the farm, assuming it was
set-up as a sanctuary. Unfortunately, as soon as I saw the caged-in cats, I
realized that it was not at all as I had imaged. While I had fun feeding the
massive-sized animals through the windows of my car, I couldn’t help but feel
terrible for the conditions the animals had to live in. The ones that made me
feel the most sad were definitely the bears. They each had their own separate
pen, which weren’t actually that big. These bears were the ones used in many of
the Disney movies, and would stand on their two hind legs and roar
(as if on cue) in order to have me throw them bread. It made me feel very
sad and depressed that these bears had no idea what life was really like out in
the wilderness and that they had to live in the never ending life of cars
driving next to their pens each and every day. It’s unfortunate that the park
has been set-up in such a way that that animals cannot roam free over at least
a small portion of the 90 acres. I won’t ever go back and I wouldn’t recommend
a visit here, especially to those who care about animal welfare and cruelty.
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
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| Olympic Game Farm |
I was most excited to visit the many lavender
farms that have made Sequim known as “the Lavender Capital of North America”.
Since my visit occurred during the annual festival, I was required to
purchase a “farm tour” ticket, which enabled me to visit all of the farms. I
thought the price was steep, but it was either pay up or not visit any of the
farms. From what I understand, if you visit any of the farms outside of the festival dates, entrance is
free. In hindsight, this would have been the wiser plan as I would have not
only saved money, but would have been able to enjoy the farms without the
hordes of tourists that were everywhere! I ended up visiting five of the
farms and even bought a few small lavender plants to take back home with me which, to this day, are still thriving! In
addition to visiting the farms, I also walked through the street fair. Interestingly
enough, there were several food vendors selling lavender flavored foods,
including ice cream and bratwurst (neither of which we were brave enough to
try!).
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
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| Lavender fields in Sequim. |
Located on the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend was founded in 1851, has 70 buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, and also has more authentic architecture
from the Victorian era than any other town in the United States north of San Francisco. There is plenty to see and do within the city and it is a popular place for Seattleites to stay overnight in one of the many bed and breakfasts.
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| Port Townsend |
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| Port Townsend |
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| Port Townsend |
Fort Worden State Park:
Located in Port Townsend on 434 acres, this site was originally used by the United States Army base from 1902 to 1953. In 1971 use of the facilities, including all of the former army barracks and Commanding Officers Quarters, was transferred to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Fort Worden was thrust into the spotlight after the film An Officer and a Gentlemen was filmed on-sight in 1982.
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| Fort Worden State Park |
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| Fort Worden State Park |
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| Fort Worden State Park |
Point Wilson Lighthouse:
Located within Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, this lighthouse was built in 1914 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately no public tours of the lighthouse are offered.
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| Point Wilson Lighthouse |
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| Point Wilson Lighthouse |
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| Point Wilson Lighthouse |
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| View from Point Wilson Lighthouse. |
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| View from Point Wilson Lighthouse. |
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| View from Point Wilson Lighthouse. |
Posts
Olympic Game Farm was once a hot bed for all the Disney Nature Films. (they filmed them all there) Like most places it has been hard by the recession and high cost of living. They have been raising money over the last two years to expand their big cat areas and improve the living conditions of all their animals. Instead of saying negative things about the game farm you could try donating money or sending more people to it. This way they can make more money to improve their situation. While most of us animal lovers might not like the cage situation the owner and all the keepers do have gigantic hearts. They are constantly being asked to take in mistreated animals or orphaned babies. The game farm needs a little tender loving care.
ReplyDeleteI visited the OP for the first time recently, as well, and took a myriad of photos myself of the beautiful mountains, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Lake Crescent, and Pacific beach sea stacks. I've planned to return for the Lavender Festival next week but after reading this, am having second thoughts about paying for the "farm tour," when the rest of the year, admission to the farms is free (is that true of ALL the farms?) and putting up with throngs of tourists.
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