Sunday, September 26, 2010

Olympic National Park in USA


Olympic National Monument was established in 1909 and up-graded to the status of national park in 1938. It was further designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976, and evolved into a World Heritage Park in 1981. Currently, nearly 96% the Olympic National Park is incorporated into the Olympic Wilderness.


Overall, the Olympic Peninsula has a moderate marine climate with pleasant summers and mild, wet winters. The Olympic Mountains, part of North America's western coast range, rise suddenly from near sea level to ~8000 feet, intercepting Pacific moisture which is dumped as large amounts of rain. The climate grows wetter from east to west on the Olympic Peninsula. Sunny days are likeliest in July and August. Nearby Sequim is actually in the rain-shadow of the Olympics and is known for sunny days and minimal rain.


You will want a car to explore Olympic National Park. Unlike many national parks, there are no roads through the park. In fact, the central part of the park is one of the last great roadless patches in the lower 48 states. There are a number of roads running from US 101 into the park: Hurricane Ridge, Elwha, Sol Doc, Hoh, and Quinault. The park also includes much of the Pacific coast along the peninsula which is accessible from US 101 at Klalaloch, La Push, Cape Alava and Neah Bay. The park is a big park, so think about your trip, and take driving times into account. You don't want to spend all your time on the road.

Hall of Moss Trail. This mile and a half stroll crosses a small creek and up to an older grove of trees. Western Hemlock, Douglas Firs, bigleaf maple, western cedar, red alder, vine maple, black cottonwood, and the sitka Spruce live together with a slew of different Epiphytes-- plants which live on other plants.


There are numerous beaches that can be visited, most are simply numbered, i.e. Beach trail 3. Ruby beach is one exception, which also happens to be very hard to get to. This makes Ruby beach one of many ideal locations to visit if you are seeking solitude while you enjoy nature. Despite the small populations in this part of the state, some of the beaches can be quite crowded during a small period in the summer months (usually 3 weeks or so in late June and early July), with fishermen, clamers, and screaming children.

The Olympic National Park has a very extensive trail system, both through the interior and along the coast. Much of the interior and the coast is wilderness and can only be seen from the trails.

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