Experience Olympic National Park in Washington

posted in: Nature, Travel, United States, Washington | 14

At this time last year, we were gallivanting around the enchanting Olympic National Park in Washington, one of the most diverse parks in America. The west coast wonderland possesses temperate rainforests, dense alpine woods, snow-capped mountains, and rugged coastline.

In one day, you could surf the wild waves of the Pacific, look like a munchkin standing next to the world’s tallest spruce tree, and gaze at the Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus. It seems so crazy! How could one park encompass all of these different terrains?

Clouds - Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park Facts

The park is slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island at 922,651 acres. It has 73 miles of wilderness coast, 60 named glaciers, and over 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. There are plump banana slugs, no venomous snakes, and our experience led us to believe, no mosquitos.

Huffing and Puffing on Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge, a 17-mile drive from Port Angeles, was our introduction to Olympic National Park, and what a glorious introduction it was! At times the scenic drive presented carved rock and wildflowers on one side, and coniferous trees and amazing views on the other.

Hurricane Ridge Drive Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge Hike

As we approached the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center the trees started to disperse and the area opened up to meadows with beautiful vistas.

A clear day at the Visitors Center
The Visitors Center

We walked a few of the short hikes around the visitors center: High Ridge, Cirque Rim, and Big Meadow.

The highlight was the Klahhane Ridge, a paved 6.2-mile hike that starts out in a subalpine forest and ends in an open grassland brimming with wildflowers and panoramic views. We were up in the clouds at the top, alone, except for a group of deer; the sun was setting and it was an awe-inspiring sight.

Klahhane Ridge - Olympic National Park

Flowers and Sunset - Olympic National Park

Dave in Olympic National Park

RELATED: PLAN A DAY TRIP TO BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls

Lake Crescent was formed by glaciers and dammed by a great landslide. The natural wonder provides a summer asylum nestled in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. From the Lake Crescent Lodge, we hiked the easy 1.8 mile trail to Marymere Falls. The narrow waterfall spills down the moss-covered rock into a small ravine. It’s a nice reward at the end of a short hike. On the way out, we drove along highway 101 which offered great views of Lake Crescent.

Pier at Lake Crescent Lodge
View from Lake Crescent Lodge
Cabins on Lake Crescent
Marymere Falls
Marymere Falls

Sol Duc River and Falls

Maybe it’s because we are from Illinois, home of some of the murkiest water there is, or maybe because we are nature lovers, either way, we get so excited to see crystal clear water. The Sol Duc River surrounded by old-growth forest was beautiful. We followed along the river to Sol Duc Falls, a powerful, misty triple waterfall.

Sol Duc River - Olympic National Park Sol Duc Falls - Olympic National Park

Sunset at Shi Shi Beach

Shi Shi Beach was our first taste of the raw beauty that is the Pacific coastline. Wild waves crashed into the enormous pieces of driftwood on this rocky beach as we watched the sun slowly set. It was marvelous.

Shi Shi Beach Driftwood - Olympic National Park

Shi Shi Beach Sunset - Olympic National Park

Searching for Sparkly Vampires and Handsome Werewolves

My husband was so excited when I told him Forks and La Push were part of the main setting for the Twilight saga – yeah right! Let’s just say, he was not very enthused when I suggested we look for some of the Twilight attractions. I’m not a diehard fan or anything but was curious how the small town and beach fit in. After some research, we found that although most of the plot was set in these areas, the filming locations were in other places. After driving around the small town on a dreary day and visiting the beach as the mist crept up toward the cliffs, I could see how Stephanie Meyers was inspired.

Forks Hospital near Olympic National Park
Looking for Carlisle

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Hobbit Hunting in Hoh Valley

Exploring the lush, otherworldly Hoh Valley felt like an epic adventure in and of itself. At every turn, I half expected to see a hobbit scurry by. The valley receives 140 to 170 inches of rain yearly, producing a luscious bright green forest with enormous ferns and massive trees draped with moss.

Hoh Rainforest Trail - Olympic National Park

Hoh Valley Rainforest - Olympic National Park

Trail in Hoh Rainforest - Olympic National Park

Roosevelt Elk in Hoh Rainforest

Finding Sea Creatures at Ruby Beach

We expected to spot colorful starfish and sea urchins on Ruby Beach since we read about their impressive tide pools. What we didn’t expect, was to find iridescent, jelly-like sea creatures washed up all over the rocky beach. We had never seen anything like it. At first glance, it looked like someone scattered pieces of blown glass all over the shore. We had no idea what they were until we found an article when we were home. It definitely added to our experience of walking up and down the stunning coast.

Dave at Rialto Beach - Olympic National Park

Sea Creatures - Olympic National Park

Jelly Creatures - Olympic National Park

Rialto Beach Rocks - Olympic National Park

Quinault Rainforest

We drove the 30-mile Quinault Rainforest Loop on the south side of Olympic National Park. There are many photo opportunities to stop along the scenic drive; it loops around the lake and passes by waterfalls, the Quinault river, and if you’re lucky you’ll see wildlife. Lake Quinault is another gorgeous glacier-carved wonder surrounded by old-growth trees. We hiked many of the short trails in the area including the Trail of the Giants, Falls Creek Loop, and Big Cedar Trail. The rainforest was unbelievable; it was saturated with gigantic Hemlock, Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and the world’s largest Sitka Spruce tree.

Lake Quinault Lodge reminded me of the family-friendly 1960’s resort from the movie, Dirty Dancing. When we were walking the grounds there were people sitting on Adirondack chairs and families playing bocce ball on the big open grassland overlooking the lake. I fell in love with the place!

World's Largest Sitka - Olympic National Park

Lake Quinault - Olympic National Park

Lake Quinault Lodge - Olympic National Park

We didn’t find any hobbits or sparkly vampires on our adventure, but exploring Olympic National Park was a magical experience regardless. Every section of the park had something so unique to offer, that every day was a new experience and seemed like a completely different trip.

Have you been to Olympic National Park? What was your favorite area?

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Olympic National Park in Washington should be on your bucket list!

 

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Angela E. is a travel writer from the Chicagoland area who has visited all 50 states in the US and has traveled extensively around the world. She is passionate about exploring the great outdoors and hiking in particular. Her love for nature has taken her to some of the most beautiful locations on the planet. She has written extensively about her travels on her own website, Dang Travelers, and has been published in collaboration with other travel websites and multiple visitor bureaus around the country.

14 Responses

  1. Julius @ Traveltipy

    Wow, such a great place! I hope that this beauty will remain forever. I also liked that Dirty Dancing lake 🙂 Needs to be really very romantic, I would really like to go there!

    • Dang Travelers

      Thanks for the comment Julius! We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery in Olympic National Park. We hope it’ll remain untouched as well!

    • Dang Travelers

      It wasn’t too bad, about 6.5 miles round trip, but the views were amazing!

    • Dang Travelers

      Thanks for the comment Alexis! The park is amazing, so beautiful and diverse.

  2. TRAVELENA

    Whoa! this looks stunning! yet another time I am being convinced that America is one of the best countries (surprisingly!!!) to explore if you’re a hiking junkie! Great pics!

    • Dang Travelers

      Thanks Divine! Extremely peaceful. We were surprised at how few people there were in the park exploring around in the middle of summer. It was great for us.

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