As the fifth and final daytrip in our Olympic National Park series, we we’ve saved the best for last! In fact out of the five hikes we’ve featured, Lake Crescent may likely be the location that you will most want to return to time and time again.

Arguably one of the most idyllic spots in the entire Pacific Northwest, the fjord-like Lake Crescent, is over eight miles long and is one of Washington State’s deepest lakes. The lake is located entirely within the Olympic National Park and is known for its brilliant sapphire blue waters and exceptional clarity (caused by a natural lack of nitrogen in the lake which inhibits the growth of algae).

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As the fourth of our five Olympic National Park Daytrips, the Ozette Wilderness Hike is certainly not to be missed! Described as a truly spectacular look at the rugged Washington coast, people from all over the world find themselves mesmerized by this unique day hike.

Did you know? The old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest produce three times the biomass (living or once living material) of tropical rain forests.

This fascinating and picturesque adventure will take you along three miles of pristine northwest beach bracketed by two, three-mile boardwalk trails through deep coastal forest. It is advisable to begin your journey early in the day to enjoy all nine miles of this stunning trail loop. The drive is about three and half hours from Pacific Beach which is a much shorter journey that the typical five hours it usually takes from Seattle.

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The Hoh Rainforest receives over 150 inches of rain per year, creating an environment where trees may be more than 1000 years old, ferns line the forest floor, and plant life covers every surface. Protected by the Olympic Mountains to the east, the mild temperatures seldom drop to below freezing in the winter or rises above 80 degrees in the summer.  Temperate rainforests only exist in a few locations around the world and the Olympic National Park is home to the largest temperate rainforest in North America and more than 3,000 species of plant life.

Did you know? The old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest produce three times the biomass (living or once living material) of tropical rain forests.

The Hoh Rainforest is dominated by Sitka spruce which grow up to 3OO feet in height and 23 feet in circumference, however it is the big leaf maple whose arching limbs provide the frame work to support the mosses which give the forest its unique and surreal feeling.  Western hemlock, Douglas fir, western red cedar, and black cottonwood are also found throughout the forest. The forest floor is carpeted with ferns. Nearly every bit of space within the forest is taken up with a living plant, and its biomass may be the greatest in the world. In some areas of the forest the vegetation is so thick that snow cannot reach the ground.

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Before we dive into this week’s post on Olympic National Park day trips, we would like to congratulate and thank Cassie Lentz for sharing her Lake Quinault story. Send us an email and we’ll get your $25 Mill 109 gift certificate in the mail!

OK, now to the adventure!

As the second of five of our favorite Olympic National Park daytrips, this week we are featuring Kalaloch and Ruby Beach.

We start our trip at the Kalaloch (pronounced clay-lock) Lodge which is located on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula and approximately a 60-mile drive from Pacific Beach, WA.  The drive does not follow the coast line as there is no road through the Quinault Tribal reservation, but it will take you through beautiful areas on the peninsula and past Lake Quinault which we featured in our last Olympic National Park daytrip blog.

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Soaring mountains, towering rain forests, glacier-carved lakes, lush river valleys, and rugged beaches. Where else other than Olympic National Park can claim these diverse and breath-taking characteristics?

In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation creating Mount Olympus National Monument to protect the summer range and breeding grounds of Olympic Elk.  In fact, when re-designating it as a National Park in 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt nearly named it “Elk National Park” due to it being home to the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt Elk in the world.

The largest herd of Elk in the world; how big is Olympic National Park?

This incredible park encompasses nearly one million acres of land, with 95 percent specifically designated as wilderness. Olympic National Park also protects 73 miles of wild Pacific coastline (added to the park in 1956) and is also home to the third largest glacial system in the contiguous U.S.  The park boasts the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service (next to the Everglades) which encompasses the tallest dam removal project ever in US history with the removal of the Glines Canyon Dam.  In 1976, the Olympic National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve, and in 1981 it was designated a World Heritage Site.

In other words, it is really really big! And, really really cool!

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