Olympic National Park

Olympic packs three wild worlds into one UNESCO park: glaciated mountains crowned by Hurricane Ridge, temperate rainforests where the Hoh and Quinault valleys drip with moss, and a rugged Pacific coast of sea stacks, tide pools and driftwood. Isolated on its peninsula, it holds species and rainforests found almost nowhere else.

Background

Protection began on March 2, 1909, when the area became Mount Olympus National Monument, and it was made a national park on June 29, 1938. UNESCO named it a Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and a World Heritage Site in 1981. Since 1988, 95 percent of the park has been wilderness, renamed the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in 2017. Mount Olympus rises to 7,965 feet and carries the Hoh Glacier, 3.06 miles long, though glaciers in the park dropped to 184 by 2009, down from 266 in 1982. The Hoh and Quinault rainforests receive over 12 feet of precipitation a year. The coastal strip runs 60 miles, and its most popular walk is the Ozette Loop, 9 miles long.

Source: Wikipedia, "Olympic National Park"

What's there

• The Hoh Rain Forest - the moss-draped temperate rainforest of giant trees.
• Hurricane Ridge - the alpine viewpoint over the glaciated Olympic peaks.
• The wild coast - Rialto and Ruby Beach with their sea stacks and tide pools.
• Lake Crescent and hot springs - the deep blue lake and the Sol Duc valley.

When to go

Summer for the driest weather and full access, though the rainforest is green year-round and the coast dramatic in any season. Winter is very wet in the lowlands and snowbound in the mountains.

Before you go

The park is huge and its three areas far apart, so seeing them all means a lot of driving around the peninsula. The rainforest is wet, so expect rain even in summer. The coast has powerful surf and tides, so heed tide tables and warnings.

Nearby

Seattle is across Puget Sound; the coastal towns of Forks and the peninsula spread around.

Key facts