Olympic National Park – a Mini-Pictorial

I thought we were just going to spend a few days in Olympic National Park up on the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington. Ha! Two weeks later, Dinah and I were still there. No cell signal, no service, no phone, no internet. Very few people in the campgrounds and on the trails. Ranger stations and visitor centers closed. It was no wonder we didn’t want to leave the peace and quiet and go back to “civilization” – I could have stayed forever. Lots of pictures later, these few will give you an idea of where we spent our nights – next to the constant motion of the ocean (hey! that’s a rhyme!), near a quiet lake, in the wet and rainy rain forest, under the majesty of mountains, near the swiftly flowing rivers.

Lake Quinalt Campground — Lake Quinault Campground in the Quinault Rainforest

Tiny plants — Tiny oxalis growing at the base of a stump

World's Largest Spruce Tree — World’s Largest Spruce Tree near Lake Quinault

Dinah relaxing at Lake Quinalt — Dinah relaxing on the banks of Lake Quinault in the early morning

: Overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Kalaloch

On the Hoh River in the Hoh Rainforest — Our campsite on the Hoh River in the Hoh Rainforest

It’s a lovely evening by the Hoh River (I’m enjoying a glass of merlot!)

Hiking in the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rainforest

Moss grows on everything in the rainforest! — Moss grows everywhere in the rainforest!

A calm day on Lake Crescent — A beautiful calm day on Lake Crescent

Our campsite at Sol Duc Hot Springs – the river is right next to us. Although we stayed several nights here, I spent most of my time in the hot springs – I didn’t take many photos.

The Elwha River — Looking out over 100 years of silt washing down the Elwha River – the Glines Canyon dam is almost completely removed and salmon have already been returning.

View of the Olympic Mountains from Hurricane Ridge

View from Cape Flattery - farthest northwest point of land on the continental United States — Looking out from Cape Flattery – farthest northwest point of land on the continental United States

These pics represent only a small part of the wonderful time Dinah and I had. We relaxed, walked, hiked, soaked, drove, ate, sat, learned, explored, drank, talked, met, photo’d, and built fires in the fire pits. Spring is the perfect time to check out this large, multifaceted national park – when the crowds are non-existent, the days are a bit cooler, and the black-tailed deer mamas and their babies munch their way right through your campsite. For more information about the places we went and the things we saw, or to plan your own trip, click on the links below.

Olympic National Park – National Park Week was April 20-28 this year: free admittance to all 401 national parks; they do this every year!

Camping in Olympic National Park

Day Hikes/Walks in Olympic National Park

Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Lake Quinault Rainforest

Olympic Mountains, Washington

Sol Duc Hot Springs

The Elwha River Restoration Project

Cape Flattery

Hurricane Ridge

This trip also completed my journey of the entire length of U.S. Route 101, from Los Angeles, CA, to Olympia, WA. There is a sign on the highway noting the end of Hwy 101, but I didn’t get a picture of it as we sailed by at a speedy 50 miles per hour (we don’t drive very fast when towing Li’l Homey!). For more information than you ever wanted to know about this iconic highway that even has a country band named after it, click here.

Olympic National Park – a Mini-Pictorial

Playing a New Game

Olympic National Park – a Mini-Pictorial

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