"A Spectacular Coastal Mountain Wilderness" Top 5 Page for this destination Olympic National Park by chewy3326

Olympic National Park Travel Guide: 296 reviews and 762 photos

Stormy Olympus at Hurricane Ridge - Olympic National Park

Wonderland

Olympic National Park is a wonderland filled with rain forests, beautiful lakes, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, and much more. You can view rocky coastline, glaciers, and giant cedars in the same day. It's a great national park, one of my favorites, so be sure to spend a few days here.

Wildflowers in the Hoh Rain Forest

Olympic National Park covers over 900,000 acres, with 95% of land designated as wilderness, and about 3,000,000 visitors annually. The most visited parts of the park are the Hoh Rain Forest and Hurricane Ridge. Don't even think about doing this park as a day trip. You need a minimum of three days (generally, seven to ten days should be about enough). There are many, many places that I missed this time that I know I have to come back for in the future: views of Mt. Olympus from the High Divide, Hurricane Ridge on a clear day, and hiking into the Seven Lakes Basin.

There's no way to really experience Olympic without at least doing some hiking; try the Hurricane Hill Trail, Cape Flattery Trail, Sol Duc Falls Trail, and some others. The park is usually a very lush green.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful mountain scenery
Cons:Often cloudy, stormy

Last visit to Olympic National Park: Jun 2003
Intro Updated Dec 28, 2005
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Reviews (22)

Salmon Cascades Things to Do (19)

The Salmon Cascades on the Sol Duc River are very beautiful. Though we didn't see any salmon leaping upstream on the... more travel advice

Ruby Beach Things to Do (19)

Ruby Beach is probably the most beautiful beach in the Kalaloch Area, with giant seastacks, natural windows, and cliffs.... more travel advice

Quinault Rain Forest - Olympic National Park

Quinault Rain Forest Things to Do (19)

The Quinault Rain Forest is a beautiful, mossy, and damp place. Many trails run through the area, as well as two roads.... more travel advice

Quinault Loop Things to Do (19)

This 3.5-mile loop on the south shore of Lake Quinault is meant more for rain forest lovers than anything else, but if... more travel advice

Off The Beaten Path (2)
See All Drive a road to Deer Park.

Hotels (1)
Cabins with a view

Travelogues (1)

Written Jan 27, 2006

6 photos

Around Hurricane Ridge

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Comments (11)

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coneyislandgreen Dec 10, 2006 at 9:53 PM

Thank you for the excellent tips! They will help me out a lot soon. Take care, good travels...
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roamer61 May 12, 2006 at 9:10 AM

One of the most spectacular National Parks and one that I yearn to go to. Great page.
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el_ruso Mar 13, 2006 at 6:41 AM

Great photos! I loved visiting Vancouver, and hope to return to this area again. Thanks for visiting my page.
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shivan Mar 3, 2006 at 3:30 AM

fantastic pictures and comment!
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chodearm Feb 23, 2006 at 6:16 AM

Something has been pulling me to Olimpic for a long long time. Gotta quell the power.
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goingsolo Feb 8, 2006 at 4:50 PM

This page rocks! I'm dying to visit this park. The scenery is far better than I imagined. My friends in Seattle say that the rain doesn't stop till July 4th. Sounds like they're right. :)
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btex Feb 7, 2006 at 2:42 PM

nice photos. I remember hiking the trail to marymere falls. hope to return someday.
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Ken_Weaver Feb 3, 2006 at 4:57 PM

Great pics and tips on a favorite place of mine!
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mtncorg Jan 19, 2006 at 8:21 AM

The road into Deer Park takes you to the Grand Park trail, which is an even better hiking destination. Nice tips on a spectacular park ... even if they don't allow mountain corgis on the trails.
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richiecdisc Jan 13, 2006 at 3:32 AM

Thanks Chewy. I loved Olympic too. It really has it all.