A Visit to Olympic National Park

North Olympic  Peninsula is one of the most enchanting and diverse regions on Earth.Coastline,mountains,towns,valleys and historical sites are breathtaking and memorized.It is a treasure trove of natural beauty.People fall in love with the North Olympic Peninsula of its variety of flora and fauna from world record evergreens to tiny    flowers found nowhere else.This is close to cities like Seattle,Victoria,and North Columbia.

we started in our car from Kirkland to catch the ferry at Edmonds and it was a long wait to get into the ferry almost two hours.Finally we got into ferry and within thirty minutes we were at Kingston to get into our car and headed towards Port Angeles.On our way we went to Sequim to have a look of the lavender gardens.

Sequim:

Sunny weather is one of many things that make Sequim,a favorite retirement spot. This has trademarked itself as the lavender capital of North America with good reason.Sequim Lavender Festival is one of the most attended events on the North Olympic Peninsula and the largest lavender festivals in North America.It is good to know that it is used to make dozens of different products with dried blossoms and steam-distilled lavender oil.Many farms are open to the public throughout the season and we are thrilled to cut the lavender stems of flowers having the touch of the plant.

Hurricane Ridge:

Drive from Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge is about thirty five minutes.This is five thousand three hundred and twenty feet from sea level.It offers a panoramic view of both the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the alpine meadows and glassier-capped peaks of the Olympic mountains.This is a recreation area with picnicking and hiking in summer.Snow-capped mountains and deep,forested valleys,often swathed in low hanging clouds present a vast landscape.Star gazers come in the night to watch the heavens from a view point above the reach of the city’s ambient light.It is the taking - off point for many  back country hikes and snow shore trails.It has three distinct ecological systems:glacier-capped mountains ,pacific coastline,and temperate rain forest.It contains varied plant and animal life and each offers unforgettable sights and experiences.

In clear weather Hurricane Ridge awe-inspiring beauty of the park especially during sunrise and sunset.During the spring,wild flowers cover the ground of the subalpine meadows and black tail deer are often spotted grazing.

The fresh scent of hemlock and fir wafts on the breezes that sweep Hurricane Ridge.Delicate mountain flowers ,from early- blooming alpine lilies that poke their drooping white heads from melting snow patches to the bright red Indian paintbrushes and tiny pink phlox blossoms,there is a panoply of pretty.

When it comes to biking,whether you are a road biker or a mountain biker ,you will find something to your liking on the Olympic Peninsula.In Port Angeles the water front trail is a popular route for bikers Some venture up Hurricane Ridge also.

Dungeness Spit:

This has become a prime destination of many North Olympic Peninsular visitors.We have gorgeous views of Canada,Mount Baker and protection island on clear days.

The vast sand beach –inhabited by assorted waterfowl and critters-rarely seems crowded,even on hot days.At about five miles long ,the spit is the largest natural sand hook in the nation.It was formed from sand and clay that eroded from the high bluffs to the west and were deposited by tidal and wave action near the mouth of the Dungeness River.The bay formed by the spit is often breached in harsh weather but it then gently heals itself.

The sunset is beautiful here.

This is the most easily accessed mountain area within  Olympic National Park.It is located seventeen miles south of Port Angeles.The road is open throughout summer,and scheduled to be open Friday through Sunday during winter months ,weather permitting. 
The Olympic mountains are not very high-Mount Olympus,the highest ,is just under 8,000 feet-but they rise almost from the water’s edge and intercept moisture rich air mosses that move in from the pacific.As the air is forced over the mountains ,it cools and releases moisture in the form of rain or snow.At lower levels ,rain nurtures the forests,while at higher elevations snow adds to glacial mosses that relentlessly carve the landscape.These mountains have arisen from the sea.

Glaciers

Glacier ice is one of the foremost scenic and scientific values of Olympic National Park.There are about 266 glaciers crowning the Olympics peaks.The prominent glaciers are those on Mount Olympus covering ten square miles.They receive the full impact of pacific storms.Access to the glaciers is by trails and cross country routes.The most visited glaciers in the park are the Blue and Anderson.From the Hoh Rain Forest,the upriver hiking trail leads 18 miles up to the snout of Blue Glacier.

Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent is one of the deepest in Washington at nearly six hundred fifty feet.With its pristinely clear ,teal-tinted water and majestic mountain views ,is just a twenty minute drive from Port Angeles.The bottom of the lake is hundred feet below sea level.We experience  the uniqueness of the lake in several ways.Olympic National Park offers five hiking trails along the shores of Lake Crescent ,with different degrees of difficulty and length.From any spot along the lake we find crescent shape very clearly visible giving the appropriateness to its name.

Rain Forest

The temperate rain forest in the valleys of the Quinault,Queets and Hoh rivers are protected and contain some of the more spectacular examples of the Sitka spruce community.This ecosystem stretches along the coast from Oregon to Alaska;other temperate  rain forests are found in several isolated areas throughout the world.Precipitation ranges from one hundred forty to one hundred sixty seven inches –twelve to fourteen feet –every year.

The mountains to the east also protect the coastal areas from severe weather extremes.Seldom does the temperature drop below freezing in the rain forest and summertime highs rarely exeed eighty degrees.Nearly every bit of a space is taken up with a living plant.Some plants live even on others.These are the epiphytes,plants that do not come into contact with the earth,but also are not parasites.They are partly responsible for giving the rain forest its “junky”appearance.Mosses,lichens and ferns cover just about everything else.A temperate rain forest is more than a collection of trees,mosses and other plants.

Park’s Hoh Rain  Forest

The  center is set in a pocket of deep forest easily accessible to the visitors.Drive south of Forks  for about twelve miles along U.S.Highway 101we have to take a left turn on Upper Hoh Road and go another twelve miles up the scenic road.

A wheelchair –accessible one –tenth-mile trail provides an up close look at the old growth forest and its ethereal,moss-covered big leaf maple and vine maple trees.

But unlike Chile and New Zealand,the flora and fauna are not tropical.Instead the wilderness is temperate and primeval,with ferns growing the size of large shrubs and trees as tall as sky scrapers blocking out the sun.   Even if we stay in our car ,the green giants of the Hoh Rain Forest are visible.These trees can grow as tall as three hundred feet with a circumference of twenty three feet around.One of the biggest tree aged five hundred years old is right next to a parking lot.