Off the beaten path on the Olympic Peninsula
Having been to rainforests in Costa Rica and Ecuador, which are really just jungles, I am surprised, impressed and a little awestruck with the beauty of the trees on the Olympic Peninsula. Washington State is home to the only rainforest on the continental United States.
After our ferry ride from Seattle, our first hike on the Peninsula in Olympic National Park is up Hurricane Ridge to see the foggy view of Puget Sound and Canada. The mile-and-a-half path is up, up, up. Mark and I set off at a quick, steady pace, resting once or twice and make it in 35 minutes. A thick, gray cloud is fast approaching from the north so I get a few shots off with my camera before it blankets the sky.
For some reason, the two-and-a-half-mile hike to the hot springs from Elwa Station takes a lot longer and seems much more strenuous though it is mostly flat. It’s known that many people bathe in the springs, but at the trail head a ranger posted a notice: bacteria levels in the springs are high due to stagnant water—and dirty bathers, we presume.
Further west into the Peninsula is Sol Duc hot springs with cabins and a small restaurant—more of a concession stand. We order burgers and sit at a picnic table by the thermally heated pool where a couple youngsters swim.
After eating, we hike a short trail to some unremarkable falls before heading back east to Port Angeles.
On our return we stop at Crescent Lake midpoint ranger station with the Salmon Cascades. No fish, let alone salmon, though there are deer so tame they practically pose for pictures. From the station we hike a mile-and-a-half trail to some pretty falls with a good 40-foot drop.
Back at our motel in Port Angeles, we clean up and go out for dinner. We find the uncrowded Carmichael’s, with good food, friendly service and meal-ending, complimentary, homemade cookies.
The next morning we drive lazily east so we can catch the afternoon ferry across the Sound to Seattle.
On our way, we stop at a state park at the Northeast of the Peninsula with a lighthouse at the end of a spit. The beach is easy to walk on with packed sand and gravel-sized, smooth gray rocks.
Everyone walks to a different beat, and while we pass some people, others pass us. A woman and her teenage son walk with us a bit. They say they have enough provisions for us if we want to accompany them to the lighthouse, which they say is five miles out though it doesn’t look that far. But when nothing but sea surrounds the destination, the distance is deceiving. Since we have to catch an afternoon ferry to Seattle, we decline and reverse direction.
Though we don’t have time to hike five miles out and then back again, we do have time to explore the peninsula further. We see a sign for The Olympic Game Farm, which sounds like it’s worth a visit.
The Olympic Game Farm is like a zoo with roaming animals—except for the lions and tigers and a rhino in cages. The grizzly bears, behind electric fence, are our favorites, and the bunnies hopping around with yellow, pink, white and purple hair are adorable. Mark doesn’t like the llamas near the beginning of the path that stick their heads into our car, sniffing out treats. The zebras we happen upon next aren’t at all interested in what we might offer them. Just before exiting, we drive through a field of buffalo and deer. The deer are different from what we’re used to. These deer are a pale cream color, and their fairly new-born bambis have long, white eyelashes. So cute.
After our ferry ride from Seattle, our first hike on the Peninsula in Olympic National Park is up Hurricane Ridge to see the foggy view of Puget Sound and Canada. The mile-and-a-half path is up, up, up. Mark and I set off at a quick, steady pace, resting once or twice and make it in 35 minutes. A thick, gray cloud is fast approaching from the north so I get a few shots off with my camera before it blankets the sky.
For some reason, the two-and-a-half-mile hike to the hot springs from Elwa Station takes a lot longer and seems much more strenuous though it is mostly flat. It’s known that many people bathe in the springs, but at the trail head a ranger posted a notice: bacteria levels in the springs are high due to stagnant water—and dirty bathers, we presume.
Further west into the Peninsula is Sol Duc hot springs with cabins and a small restaurant—more of a concession stand. We order burgers and sit at a picnic table by the thermally heated pool where a couple youngsters swim.
After eating, we hike a short trail to some unremarkable falls before heading back east to Port Angeles.
On our return we stop at Crescent Lake midpoint ranger station with the Salmon Cascades. No fish, let alone salmon, though there are deer so tame they practically pose for pictures. From the station we hike a mile-and-a-half trail to some pretty falls with a good 40-foot drop.
Back at our motel in Port Angeles, we clean up and go out for dinner. We find the uncrowded Carmichael’s, with good food, friendly service and meal-ending, complimentary, homemade cookies.
The next morning we drive lazily east so we can catch the afternoon ferry across the Sound to Seattle.
On our way, we stop at a state park at the Northeast of the Peninsula with a lighthouse at the end of a spit. The beach is easy to walk on with packed sand and gravel-sized, smooth gray rocks.
Everyone walks to a different beat, and while we pass some people, others pass us. A woman and her teenage son walk with us a bit. They say they have enough provisions for us if we want to accompany them to the lighthouse, which they say is five miles out though it doesn’t look that far. But when nothing but sea surrounds the destination, the distance is deceiving. Since we have to catch an afternoon ferry to Seattle, we decline and reverse direction.
Though we don’t have time to hike five miles out and then back again, we do have time to explore the peninsula further. We see a sign for The Olympic Game Farm, which sounds like it’s worth a visit.
The Olympic Game Farm is like a zoo with roaming animals—except for the lions and tigers and a rhino in cages. The grizzly bears, behind electric fence, are our favorites, and the bunnies hopping around with yellow, pink, white and purple hair are adorable. Mark doesn’t like the llamas near the beginning of the path that stick their heads into our car, sniffing out treats. The zebras we happen upon next aren’t at all interested in what we might offer them. Just before exiting, we drive through a field of buffalo and deer. The deer are different from what we’re used to. These deer are a pale cream color, and their fairly new-born bambis have long, white eyelashes. So cute.
We drive through twice. Then we stop at a casino for lunch and a bit of blackjack before our boat departs.
In the late afternoon, Mark drives our rental onto the ferry, and we nap in it for the 30 minutes east to land, dreaming about the fun, full day we just had.
A visit to the Olympic Peninsula is worth the ferry fare across Puget Sound if you make it as far west as Seattle.
posted by Elizabeth Evans Fryer | 5:43 AM
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