Olympic National Park covers over 1 million acres and has three unique ecosystems within its borders. The park lines the Pacific coast line of the peninsula, reaches to the glacier-coated mountain tops and down to the damp inland rainforests. 95% of the park is designated wilderness with seemingly endless nature to explore.
We've visited Olympic several times over our years of living in Seattle and each time has been unique. There was the rainy coastal camping trip, the wintertime trip to a lodge in the rainforest, and, most recently, a vacation with my whole family where we hit up the mountains, rainforest, and the coast in three days!
The national park is home to eight different Native American Nations: the Lower Elwha, Elwha Kalallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Skykomish, Quinalt, Hoh, Quileuta, and Makah peoples. Many of the people who live on these reservations have ancestors who called this place home thousands of years ago.
The coastal region of the park covers 73 miles of coastline. There are tide pools and haystacks all along the coast. The water is freezing though, so it's not a great beach for swimming - though we have seen some brave people in wet suits out there!
We've only been able to visit the Olympic mountains once - the drive up to Hurricane Ridge is the way to go unless you're a backpacker. It's a fun drive and even on a foggy day you get stellar views.
And the rainforest, the part of the park where we've spent the most time. It's gorgeous.
We love Olympic National Park and it's diverse climates and incredible nature and wildlife!
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