Photo by: Jacob Lips
Beaches and mountains tend to be usually far from each other, but both coexist in harmony at the Olympic National Park, a 922,650-acre nature park in Washington State. Ninety-five percent of the area is wilderness but the rest covers lakeshores and a beautiful Pacific coastline.
History
Before the Europeans migrated to the United States, Olympic was inhabited by Native Americans, who depended on fish and animals for sustenance. With the arrival of Europeans, the native Indians were overpowered, and the place became popular among loggers. But later on, Americans comprehended the immense potential in the Olympic Peninsula as a place for tourism.
In the 1890s, expeditions to scout the place were initiated. These explorations resulted in the creation of the Olympic Forest Reserve, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on February 22, 1897. It came to be known as the Olympic National Forest in 1907. Later in 1938, the forest was declared as a national park in 1938, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the helm.
Wilderness
The Olympic National Park is known for its rich biodiversity, and human history dating back to thousands of years is ensconced, in this wilderness. Since most of this National Park is covered with forests, one major activity in the park would be wildlife viewing.
Wildlife at this park is abundant. The list of animals residing in the area is a long one, some of which are chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, weasels, coyotes, and muskrats. Marine animals in the park include whales, dolphins, seals, and otters. Some of the birds that can be spotted include the Canada jays, raves, spotted owls, and Wilson’s warblers. Frequently spotted animals in the Olympic National Park are red foxes, mountain goats, bobcats, black bears, Canada lynxes, and cougars.
Though the National Park is teeming with wildlife, they are not always easy to spot. For those who want to spot them, shall patiently wait during dawn or dusk, when they come outside of their shelters for food. Visitors, though, are not allowed to feed the animals.
The park is also the home to many endemic plant species like Piper’s bellflower and Fleet’s violet. Virgin forests also occupy about 366,000 acres of the Olympic National Park.
Photo by: Jacob Lips
Things to do
Since the park enjoys the benefit of two worlds: beach and wilderness, there are so many activities one could indulge in at the Olympic National Park. Here are some of them:
Backpacking – This is a great way for spotting wildlife in this vast stretch of green.
Boating – There are also various kinds of boating activities that visitors can indulge in. Tourists can rent motorized boats to enjoy the picturesque view of the park, and with some luck, they might even spot some sea mammals. Visitors can also kayak and canoe in selected rivers, lakes and the outer coast. There are also fishing boats and rafts for those interested in catching fish.
Camping – There are many campgrounds at the Olympic National Park with reservations available at Kalaloch and Sol Duc. The rest are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Stargazing – Summer nights at the Olympic Peninsula are known for its spectacular night skies. Many visitors enjoy stargazing in the park. What adds to the allure of the night skies is the absence of man-made lights since the area is officially a wilderness reserve.
Tide-pooling – The tide pools in the park’s coastline have so many beautiful and colorful corals, anemones, crabs, starfish, snails, and sponges. The Hole in the Wall is one of the better spots for tide-pooling.
Winter in Olympic
Several areas in the park are closed during winter. But one of the best activities in the park is only available during winter: snowshoeing. Following are the places visitors can enjoy during the cold months:
Hurricane Ridge – Activities don’t stop at the Olympic National Park just because it is snowing. That blanket of snow will be perfect to do some snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge. Other activities in the area are cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding and tubing.
Pacific Coast – Storms are never good unless it happens at the Pacific Coast. When it’s winter, there are massive swells of tides that crash against the shore due to the combination of rain, wind, and tide. It is a wonderful phenomenon to watch, making it one of the better winter activities in the park. The beach is not known to have snow, though, so visitors can still walk along the coastline.
Hoh & Quinault rainforests – When winter snow is thawing, then an exploration of the park’s famous rainforests is warranted.
Photo by: Jacob Lips