Random Thoughts Post - Olympic National Park

 

Olympic National Park - The most unique national park in the country 

Olympic National Park holds the honor of being the most unique national park out there. This national park is infamous for having a three for one deal. Who doesn’t love getting three things all for the price of one? Olympic’s appeal comes from its three different yet all stunning landscapes within the park. The list includes: 

  • the coastal

  • the rainforest

  • the meadows. 


I have a goal – which will take a lifetime – to experience all of the national parks in the country. For as long as I can remember, right at the top of my list of most anticipated national parks was Olympic National Park. This past Labor Day weekend, I spent a total of 3 days visiting Olympic National Park with my girlfriend and brother, and now I can confirm that it is as unique and distinct as can be. 


Olympic National Park

High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop — Washington Trails Association 

7 Lakes Basin

We spent our first day backpacking through the meadows on the seven lakes basin trail. We initially planned on hiking around 17 miles to our camping site, but, with about 25 pounds of gear on our back, we had to settle on 13 miles. 


On those 13 miles up, we scavenged wild berries – which were incredibly sweet. We occasionally stopped by some of the lakes to cool off in the water, and at one point were accompanied by a male elk. As a consolation prize for failing to hike the full 17 miles to our campsite, we settled on a spot right in front of the peak of Mt. Olympus.  


Rialto Beach - Wikipedia 

Rialto Beach 

On our second day, we visited the coastal area of the park and camped out on Rialto beach, a black sand beach. This beach is known as one of the most dangerous places to surf. The tides rise high and the waves are fierce, so trees are commonly ripped from the soil and taken into the current. With surfers looking to catch the biggest wave, this beach is a very popular spot in Washington, but it’s common for surfers to get taken out by the trees that wash back onto shore.  

Inside Washington's Eerie Hall of Mosses 

Hall of Mosses 

As a tip for anyone planning on visiting a national park, allocate at least five days for your trip. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to hike throughout the rainforest portion of the park, but, if we did, we would’ve carved out time to visit the Hall of Mosses. 


Stepping into the Hall of Mosses is like stepping into a completely different world. Every inch is covered in a vibrant green moss. It’s definitely one of the most extraordinary portions of the park.The Hall of Mosses is also home to one of the quietest spots in the world. There is a small section of the rainforest that is free of any form of air traffic which is said to result in absolute silence. 

 

Nature has always acted as a way for me to ground myself in such a fast paced society, so I look forward to knocking some more national parks off my bucket list in the future. Maybe one day I’ll even find one to decrown Olympic National Park as the most unique national park out there.




Comments

  1. Lexi BrooksOctober 9, 2022 at 1:04 PM

    Hi Marc! I have never heard of Olympic National Park, but it looks like a really beautiful place. It looks like such a diverse place where you can get a look at a lot different types of nature!

    ReplyDelete

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