My wife and I celebrated our anniversary by driving toward Olympic National Park. Our only plan was to go to places we’d never been to before. What a weekend! And what an amazing national park. We started at the Elwha River and the former Upper Elwha Dam, then to the spectacular Sol Duc Falls before finishing Day 1 at Marymere Falls. On Day 2, we drove up to Hurricane Ridge and past the lodge to climb the Hurricane Hill Trail. What an amazing journey (a 3.2-mile hike climbing up more than 3,000 feet in elevation to 5,757 feet above sea level). You can see all the way to Canada! A lifetime of memories in one weekend. We’ll return again and again.
Sincerely,
Olympic National Park
Exploring Olympic’s dynamic landscape is like visiting three parks in one. The high mountains offer snow, glaciers, wilderness and — if you time it right — acres of wildflowers. The lush, verdant Hoh Rainforest is unlike anything else in the Lower 48, and home to Roosevelt elk, black bears and other charismatic wildlife. And the park’s stunning coast offers some of the country's wildest and most spectacular beaches, dotted with tide pools and sea stacks. Visitors can now see where park staff recently removed two large dams, letting the Elwha River flow freely again for the first time in more than 100 years.
State(s): Washington
Established: 1938
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Greetings from Olympic National Park
I spent a day hiking in Olympic National Park with my family this summer. We were greeted by snow-capped mountains and miles of evergreens, both of which were familiar characteristics of Washington State. Throughout the year, the mountains are always dotted with wildflowers frequented by fat bees and skittish butterflies.…
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Greetings from Olympic National Park
On top of Hurricane Ridge I came across this deer who seemed to be enjoying the view as much as I did.
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Greetings from Olympic National Park
In 1993 I was 16 years old and had just come out in my small town. There was no one else I knew, no support groups, no gay characters in TV or movies. Fortunately, I had very supportive friends. I spent that summer volunteering in the backcountry of Olympic National…
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