Essential Tips to Plan Your Vacation a Park
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OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK TRIP PLANNER Essential Tips To Plan Your Vacation A Park Map No Matter Your Mood - Enjoy Olympic Peninsula .com GETTING THERE Plan your dream vacation with our top things to do and see at Olympic National Park. Stockphoto) ucked on Washington’s Olympic East of the coast, you’ll discover huge trees older than 250 feet and are hundreds of years old. The Peninsula, Olympic National Park is than 200 years growing in the park’s lower largest Sitka spruce in the nation is 191 feet tall and unique among national park sites. Not elevations, accentuated by big rivers and scenic lives in Quinault. The largest western redcedar is Tonly is it home to four of the world’s few lakes. Species like Douglas fir and western 159 feet high and can be found along the Quinault remaining intact temperate rainforests, but it has hemlock provide a canopy over huckleberries, Big Cedar Trail. The largest Douglas fir stretches a breathtaking coastline and craggy alpine peaks. salal and trillium. Wildlife, such as owls and rare 281 feet in the sky in Quinault. Elevations range from sea level to 7,983 feet at fishers, rest in branches. But get some altitude while you are here and Mt. Olympus. You’ll discover four separate rainforests scattered head to the alpine zone in the park where peaks Explore some of its 73 miles of wild Washington throughout the park. The best-known rainforest to almost reach 8,000 feet, and wildflower-dotted coast where you’ll find tide pools filled with sea visit is the Hoh, but Bogachiel, Quinault and Queets meadows are frequented by marmots. The easiest creatures, towering sea stacks and rock arches. are equally as stunning with more solitude. Walk way to get into the mountains quickly is to drive You also may spot whales, seals, sea lions, otters among Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, western hemlock up to Hurricane Ridge. From the visitor center, ON THE COVER: Walkway through rainforst of Olympic National Park (Depositphotos) • THIS PAGE: Hiking (i and eagles. and western redcedar, some of which grow higher you can choose from a number of hiking trails. MyOlympicPark.com PARK ENTRANCES Accessed via US 101, which circles the peninsula, the park has many entry points. NORTH the coast. This area is CENTRAL WEST home to a 2,000 years of HURRICANE human history largely MORA discovered after a storm RIDGE AREA Access the northern coast surge in 1970 eroded via the Mora area by taking Along a narrow thread of banks revealing US 101 to Hwy. 110. You’ll the park boundary jutting remarkably preserved find the Quileute Indian up north into Port Angeles, artifacts. Archaeologists Reservation here, along with Wash., is the Olympic have unearthed more the park’s stunning Rialto National Park Visitor than 50,000 artifacts. Beach, First Beach, Second Center. Get your park pass During whale migration, Beach and Third Beach. and map, shop the spot gray whales when bookstore and get a lay of you walk on one of two the land from staff. This three-mile boardwalk road leads to Hurricane trails to the coast. SOUTH Ridge, which is about 17 miles south of Port LAKE QUINAULT Angeles. Along the ridge, NEAH BAY If you’re entering the park’s you’ll find Hurricane Ridge Seventy-one miles from southern boundaries from Visitor Center, with a snack Port Angeles, explore Aberdeen, you’ll bar, gift shop and a staff pristine beaches and the immediately enter the park offering programs and rainforest on the at Lake Quinault where you guided walks in summer. northwestern tip of Olympic will find one of the park’s Peninsula at Neah Bay. An famed rainforests, along LAKE CRESCENT AREA estimated 1,500 Makah with the Quinault Rain people live in and around Forest Ranger Station. On From Port Angeles, take US Neah Bay today. Visit the the opposite side of the lake, 101 to Lake Crescent and Makah Cultural and you’ll find U.S. Forest then access the gorgeous Research Center to learn Service/National Park Washington coast. In July more about Makah Service Recreation 2017, construction began traditions and history. Hike Information Center. on 12 miles of road around two miles from the Makah Lake Crescent. All work is trailhead to Shi Shi Beach. completed, except near SOUTHWEST milepost 229 that will be finished spring 2020. Go to CENTRAL KALALOCH nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit Approaching the park’s to learn about delays. HOH RAIN FOREST southern end, continue west Farther south lies Sol Duc ENTRANCE on US 101 past Lake Hot Springs Resort. Located 31 miles south of Quinault and enter the park Forks off US 101, the Hoh via Hwy. 21 to the Queets Rain Forest Visitor Center area or continue further NORTHWEST offers visitor information, a west to the coast, entering OZETTE bookstore and exhibits, the park at South Beach, along with self-guided followed by Beach 1 and To explore a lake near the nature trails. It is open daily Beach 2. Just north of this coast, head from Port in the summer and open string of beaches is the Angeles along Hwy. 112 weekends during the Kalaloch Ranger Station, until you reach the off-season. It closes for which sits on the coast near Hoko-Ozette Road and January and February. Kalaloch Lodge (see Where then drive west toward to Stay for details). Olympic Park Trip Planner 2020 MyOlympicPark.com Map Courtesy NPS OLYMPIC’S TOP SIX Here are some of our favorite things to do from hiking to exploring some of Olympic’s most iconic treasures. 3 2 HIKE HURRICANE 1 SOAK AT RIDGE EXPLORE RIALTO BEACH SOL DUC Hike Hurricane Hill and get killer views of the Olympic Mountains. At Head down Hurricane Hill to If tides are low in the afternoon, head west to the top, you’ll be able to spot Port your car and drive to Sol Duc the coast to explore the tidal pools at Rialto Angeles and Strait of Juan de Fuca, if Valley to soak in the hot springs Beach. Rialto Beach is 27 miles from Forks, it’s clear. Wash., and directly accessible from Hwy. 101. pools. Then hike to Sol Duc Falls, Dangerous areas at high tide include Hole in a triple waterfall. the Wall 1.5 miles north of the Rialto Beach parking lot. Bring a tide chart. Olympic Park Trip Planner 2020 6 5 WALK SHI SHI BEACH 4 HEAD TO HOH If tides are low before noon, hike SPEND THE NIGHT AT RAIN FOREST Shi Shi Beach to explore tide pools and sea stacks only accessible at low LAKE CRESCENT LODGE Explore one of the last remaining tide. The beach is accessible during temperate rainforests in the world Built in 1915 on Lake Crescent’s shores, all tide levels for hiking unless you and one of four in Olympic: the Hoh this charming lodge is a beautiful place venture past Point of Arches. Rain Forest. Stroll the .8-mile Hall of to spend time. Relax in the lobby in Beyond, you can get trapped if the Mosses after visiting the Hoh Rain front of the roaring fireplace. Make tides come up. Forest Visitor Center. reservations for the lodge’s dining room. PHOTOS: Overview of Lake Crescent (Adobe Stock); Rialto Beach (©Adobe Stock); Sol Duc Falls, Hiking Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent Lodge, Hoh Rain Forest, Shi Shi Beach (Courtesy of NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) MyOlympicPark.com WHEN YOU’RE HAPPY IT’S RAINING IN THE FOREST You can ’t get any more Northwest! The Northwest is a way of life, not just a place – and you can’t get any more Northwest than Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. When you’re ready to experience wide open spaces and tranquil places, we’re here to welcome you back! Get your FREE travel planner and begin your next adventure at OlympicPeninsula.org. WILDLIFE FIELD GUIDE Look for these animals as you explore Olympic National Park. ROOSEVELT ELK These dark brown ungulates are the largest subspecies of elk in North America, with bulls sometimes reaching 1,100 pounds and cows more than 600 pounds. The largest wild herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest lives in Olympic. Small herds of about 30 cows and calves band together and browse on ferns, lichens and meadow grasses year-round, while bulls tend to live alone. In September, listen for the eerie bugling of bulls during the rut (mating season). BLACK BEAR Black bears (but not grizzlies) live throughout Olympic, roaming in search of ripe berries, spawning salmon, tree bark and insects. Look for them in high-elevation fields, subalpine zones, forests and eagle (©Depositphotos) along the coast. Black bears can be black, brown or even blond. Though bear attacks are extremely rare, bears can be dangerous. Never approach one, and scare it away by shouting and banging pots and pans if one wanders into your campsite. SEA OTTER These lovable mammals can be found on the Pacific coast from Alaska to northern California. Sea otters are larger than river otters, and unlike the river otters, rarely come ashore. Thick, brown fur protects sea otters from cold water. Males in the area can weigh up to 65 pounds and reach 4 feet in length. Playful and smart, sea otters are the only mammals besides primates known to use tools. They use small rocks to pry shellfish from underwater boulders and to hammer the shells open. GRAY WHALE In spring and summer, Olympic’s largest animal can be spotted off the coast. The gray whale can stretch up to 60 feet long and weigh more than 30 tons.