How well do you know Olympic National Park?
Olympic National Park combines glacier-capped mountains, lush forests and wild Pacific beaches in one park. Six questions, from easy to hard, with explanations.
Did you know?
- The Hoh Rain Forest's 'Hall of Mosses' trail is famous for maple trees draped in thick hanging moss. It is one of the most photographed short hikes in any national park.
- Hurricane Ridge's day lodge burned down in 2023. Rebuilding and planning for a new visitor facility has been underway, so visitors should check current services before going.
- Some plants and animals in the Olympic Mountains exist nowhere else on Earth, including the Olympic marmot, which evolved in isolation on the peninsula over thousands of years.
Three parks in one
Olympic National Park protects nearly a million acres of wilderness on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Its isolation, surrounded by water on three sides, allowed unique plants and animals to evolve. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, and most of it is protected as wilderness without roads.
Rainforest valleys
On the park's western side, heavy Pacific rain nourishes temperate rainforests in valleys such as the Hoh and Quinault. Giant Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees grow alongside ferns and mosses, creating a green world very different from tropical rainforests.
Mountains and glaciers
The Olympic Mountains rise steeply from the lowlands, their peaks holding dozens of glaciers. Hurricane Ridge offers sweeping views of the range, and in winter it becomes a small ski and snowshoe area. Weather in the mountains can change quickly, even in summer.
Wild coastline
The park protects over 70 miles of wild Pacific coastline, one of the longest undeveloped coasts in the contiguous United States. Visitors explore tide pools filled with sea stars and anemones, watch for whales and walk past driftwood and sea stacks.
The Elwha River restoration
The removal of two dams on the Elwha River was one of the largest river restoration projects in the world. Salmon quickly returned to stretches of river they had not reached in a century, and scientists continue to study how the ecosystem is recovering.
Quiet and wilderness
Because much of the park has no roads, it offers some of the quietest places in the country. Backpackers can hike for days through forests and along the coast. Visitors are encouraged to follow Leave No Trace principles to protect this fragile wilderness.
Native nations of the peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the homeland of several Native nations, including the Makah, Quileute, Hoh and Lower Elwha Klallam tribes. Their cultures are closely tied to salmon, cedar and the sea. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe played an important role in the campaign to remove the Elwha River dams and restore salmon runs.