Olympic National Park

Located on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the nearly one-million-acre Olympic National Park is a land of diversity. The park sprawls across several different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline. The central feature of the national park is the glacier-clad Mount Olympus which is the highest peak in Washington’s Olympic Mountains standing at 7,980 feet. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Olympic Peninsula was home to eight American Indian tribes that developed complex hunter-gatherer societies. The first European explores ventured here in the late 1700s and forged the way for future homesteaders. First protected as a national monument in 1909, the region was further protected in 1938 when Olympic National Park was established. Today the park is internationally recognized as a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.

Although Olympic National Park covers a vast area, getting around is fairly easy as US-101 circumnavigates the Olympic Peninsula with Mount Olympus at its center. The park is divided into different regions that are each accessible by a spur road off of US-101. Some of the more popular regions include the wild coastline of Mora, old-growth forest of Sol Duc, alpine terrain of Hurricane Ridge, alpine lake of Fairholme, and the temperate rainforest of Hoh. During my three days in Olympic National Park, my base camp was in the Sol Duc region and I was able to visit a few of the other regions that were each about an hour drive away.

The Sol Duc Valley is located in the northwest region of the park. Running through the heart of the valley is the Sol Duc River which serves as a key highway for coho salmon that return in the fall to spawn. The Salmon Cascades is a popular spot to view salmon leaping up over the rocks to make their way up the river. Further upstream is the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort which offers lodging and bathing in their large hot spring pool. At the end of the road is the very popular Sol Duc Falls which is a unique three-pronged waterfall that plunges 48 feet into the gorge below. It is an easy 1.8-mile hike from the parking lot to the falls which can be viewed from the scenic bridge. I elected to hike to the falls from my campsite in the Sol Duc Campground which was a beautiful 5.5-mile trek through the old-growth forest to the falls.

Hurricane Ridge is the most accessible mountain area within Olympic National Park. In order to reach the 5,240-foot summit, visitors have to navigate the 17-mile Hurricane Ridge Road that begins at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in the town of Port Angeles, Washington. The road curves it way up the mountain and through several tunnels, but on a clear day you can see all the way to Victoria, British Columbia across the strait. The summit offers spectacular views of glacier-clad mountain peaks and the air is crisp. During the winter months, Hurricane Ridge can receive more than 400 inches of snow and there used to be a ski area up there. A visitor center once sat at the summit of Hurricane Ridge, but it burned down in 2023 during a remodeling project.

Located just along US-101 in the Fairholme region of Olympic National Park are the crystal-clear waters of Lake Crescent. The deep valley in which the lake rests was gouged out by glaciers thousands of years ago. As the ice retreated, it left behind a steep valley that filled with the clear blue waters of Lake Crescent. The 12-mile-long lake plummets to depths of up to 624 feet and it is known for its exceptionally clear water with visibility down to 60 feet in some locations. Clarity and reflecting light give Lake Crescent its stunning blue-green color. Its protected waters are home to fish like the Beardslee and Crescenti trout, two types of fish found nowhere else in the world.

Located on the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula is the rugged Pacific Ocean coastline. A 70-mile stretch of the coast is designated as part of Olympic National Park and is known as the Mora region. As you approach the coast, the region is characterized by towering trees, lush undergrowth and the omnipresent roar of the Pacific Ocean in the background. A popular destination is Rialto Beach which features a rocky beach, giant drift logs, pounding surf, and views of offshore islands known as “seastacks”. Backpackers like to hike along the wild coastline, but they need to be cautious of the power of the North Pacific.