Olympic National Park

This is a huge national park with hundreds of miles of trails. The wildlife are fairly accustomed to people and offer great viewing opportunities. A hike along any of the river valleys brings you into old growth forest habitat, and some of these ancient trees are the largest of their kind. Elk are a signature animal of the park and can be found in winter and spring along river valleys, although many of these animals move into the high country during the summer months. In October the males can be heard calling with their unique bugling. The wild coast, accessed via a 3 mile trail from Lake Ozette, is host to a huge variety of marine and terrestrial wildlife including Sea otters. Although the park is crowded during the summer months, during April and May, and September and October, there are fewer people and on a rainy weekday you might have a trail all to yourself.

The easiest access point to the high country is to drive to Hurricane Ridge. There are several trails through the sub alpine flower meadows. On the wet, west side the Hoh river is a favorite place, and during the winter and spring the elk are often found right along the trails near the visitor center. A less traveled, but equally impressive rainforest can be found along the Bogachiel river. Also along the wet west side the Quinualt Valley, which is east of Lake Quinualt offers an excellent hike along the Quinualt River. This is another good place for elk and also black bears frequent Enchanted Valley, a problem for backpackers who must secure their food.

Olympic park websites

Olympic Park Map
Olympic National Park Official Park Website