Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the Western Hemisphere, protecting three entirely distinct environments within a single national park boundary. The Hoh Rain Forest on the western slope receives more annual precipitation than most tropical rainforests towering Sitka spruce and big-leaf maple grow alongside massive nurse logs carpeted with oxalis and sword ferns. Drive up the Hurricane Ridge road, gaining 5,200 feet in 17 miles, to reach panoramic views of the Olympic peaks and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca into Canada. Ruby Beach, the most photographed stretch of the wild coast, is scattered with enormous sea stacks and bleached driftwood logs. Lake Crescent, carved by Pleistocene glaciers, is so deep and clear that the water appears a luminous teal-blue in afternoon light. Sol Duc Hot Springs offers three mineral pools in an old-growth forest setting. The small town of Port Angeles serves as the main gateway and ferry port for sailings to Victoria, BC.