Welcome to my new series "Johnnie C's Favorite National Parks". Today, we travel to the Pacific Northwest, in particular to the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington State. As I mentioned in the introduction post for this series, Olympic National Park is one of my favorites due to the incredible diversity of habitats and scenery that can be found there, including:
Temperate Rainforest
Though some places in Alaska and Hawaii get much more rain, western Washington State is one of the rainiest places in the Lower 48 States. The 12-14 feet (4 meters) of rain the area receives annually, have created a rare temperate rainforest ecosystem on the western side of the park, while much of the eastern half of park gets far less precipitation. The Hoh and Quinault Rainforests are magical places with enormous moss covered trees, ferns as tall as people, and beautiful mountain rivers that are home to salmon.
Beaches with Tidepools
Olympic National Park has dozens of miles of beaches and each has its own character. The sand even changes size and color from beach to beach. Tidepools provide wonder at the small scale, while craggy islands, rock arches, and massive driftwood are much larger in scale.
Glaciers
Like many glaciers around the world, the glaciers in Olympic National Park are shrinking. The ones that remain are still stunning reminders of colder times. The Blue Glacier atop Mt. Olympus is one of the largest in park. On my first visit to the park, I backpacked up the Hoh River, through the rainforest, and then was blown away by the view of the glacier and Mt. Olympus (and the bears strolling nearby).
Montane Forest and Subalpine Meadows
Much of the eastern half of the park is covered in montane forest. I love getting up to Hurricane Ridge and taking in the alpine views.
Glacially Carved Lakes
Lake Crescent is a deep lake that takes on amazing blue hues when the light is right. There are multiple places to stay on the lake and it is well located for exploring the western and northern areas of the park.
And the wildlife isn't bad either.
I've seen black bears, lots of deer, elk, rabbits, bald eagles, mountain goats, spawning salmon, starfish, banana slugs, chipmunks, marmots, and more.
That's it for Olympic National Park! Let me know if you have any questions or would like more details on anything and I can add it!
Stay tuned for the next installment of Johnnie C's Favorite National Parks!