There are so many places to explore in Olympic National Park that we had to go back a second time and we still didn’t get to everything! Unlike most national parks, for the most part, you can only access the park’s perimeter unless you plan to do some serious backpacking. So sometimes it’s difficult to choose which side of the park to visit.
This trip we started off by driving up Queets River Road, where my husband fly-fished and caught a trout. Frogs and caterpillars hopped over the smooth stone beach like a giant jungle gym.
Then we traveled past Kalaloch Lodge (See Olympic National Park – Part 1) up to the Hoh Rain Forest. The Hoh is one of the largest, protected temperate rain forests in the United States. After driving 18 miles inland, there are multiple trails to take to hike into the forest. Green moss hangs down like serpents slithering off the lofty trees.
After leaving the Hoh, we drove north through Forks (home to the infamous Twilight series) to Cape Flattery. If passing through Forks, consider stopping at Sully’s Drive-in for tasty burgers and more.
Cape Flattery is not actually in the national park but is a great place to watch the sunset and a worthy detour. You can access the point through the Makah Indian Reservation and Neah Bay. After a hike back in the dark, we drove through the fog to Port Angeles.
Our last stop on this trip to the park, after a detour to Victoria B.C. (See Sailing Away to Victoria, B.C.) was the Sol Duc Hot Springs area. It’s only a short 0.8 mile hike to the falls, making for a perfect end to our trip around the Olympic Peninsula this time around.
Here’s the route!
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[…] Park Beat XII: Olympic National Park (Part 2) […]