June 30, 2021

Olympic National Park has 2 parts: the entrance at Port Angeles and the Hoh Rain Forest which is 2 hours away. Because of the drive, I did the Port Angeles side first.

First stop is the visitor center, which has a nice little trail, the Peabody Trail, that will prepare you for what you will see as you go deeper into this park. Since the center wasn’t open yet, I did the trail.

It was serene and like entering another world. The sounds of water, stepping under fallen trees, and hearing the birds chirp was absolute paradise for me. It seemed like a popular place early in the morning because I ran into people walking their dogs on the trail.

After I did the trail, I went to the visitors center for a map and souvenirs. I was excited to do the 17 mile drive up to Hurricane Ridge near the top of Hurricane Hill, which is 5757 ft. high.

The drive up there was very scary at first. The fog sits so low here in the mornings so you literally drive through fog so thick that you can barely see in front of you.

Along the way, the higher I got, I pulled over to see waterfalls (they’re so abundant here)! and marveled at the amount of people I saw on bikes going up the road – it’s so steep.

And then you make it to the top. You can practically hear The Sound of Music in the background. You are above the clouds and the grass looks like it’s been landscaped. Deer sleep in the plush grass, and the wind blows harder because you’re so high up.

The visitors center had everything you need. The back of the center faces the mountains, and you can see Canada on a clear day!

There’s a little trail you can do by the parking lot and it was totally worth it. Big Meadow and Cirque Rim takes you in a walk above the clouds and deer are abundant, grazing mere feet in front of you.

After exploring this area, I’m sad to leave it behind but it’s back to the 101 highway to continue on through the park. I come to Lake Crescent and Mount Storm King. The legend is that Storm King through down a boulder when the Quileute and Clallam were clashing and split the lake in 2, creating Lake Sutherland and Lake Crescent separately, though Lake Crescent is much much larger than Sutherland.

Then you come to Storm King Mountain ranger station, which was really crowded with hikers and picnickers. But the flower fields were nice to take photos of.

A left off the 101 and I drove to Sol Duc Falls, which also has hot springs! The visitor center has the springs converted into a pool, and that didn’t appeal to me with all the families splashing around like it was a public pool. Outside the center were homely little cabins where the mountains surround you.

The Sol Duc Falls requires just a little hike, and along the way you pass a ranger built emergency shelter.

The falls are loud and lovely and plenty of people were there to see the falls. I even got a rainbow shot:

After driving out the park, I stop in the city of Forks to get a hearty meal I’m craving. Then it’s off to La Push to my campsite and a night of sleeping in the car.