To many, it is the greatest remaining area of primitive America in the lower 48 states.
To others, it is three great parks in one, temperate rainforest, glacier-covered mountains,
and a spectacular coast.
Let each of us find something special here in Olympic National Park.
The towering Olympic Range with its 60-some glaciers is the heart of Olympic National
Park.
Today's spectacular mountains had their beginnings on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And 12 million years ago, this great mass of basalt, shale, and sandstone rose from
the ocean floor, creating a huge dome.
Moisture-laden westerly winds from the Pacific moving inland and up the slopes of the dome
produced a deluge of rain that still continues to this day.
Countless streams formed, radiating outward in all directions from the center, carving
and shaping the 4,000-square-mile mass of the dome.
Soon, erosion further sculpted the Olympics into the remarkable shapes and forms we find
today.
These streams eventually formed mighty rivers that, along with the giant glaciers of the
Ice Age, created the beautiful broad valleys of Olympic National Park.
This precipitation also helped create vast coniferous forests, including temperate rainforests
in the western portion of the park.
The same forces of nature shaped the beautifully rugged shoreline of the Olympic Peninsula.
A trip to Olympic National Park should include visits to all of these remarkable natural
features, and there is no better place to begin than at breathtaking Hurricane Ridge.
Its all-weather highway gently climbs from the park headquarters at the foot of the grade
to Hurricane Ridge at the top.
Along the way, dense stands of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar are
intermixed with scattered broadleaf trees.
The Alpine Visitors Center at Hurricane Ridge provides public services and a sweeping view
of the inner Olympic mountains and their lofty glaciers.
Rangers provide visitors with interpretive information at the center, as well as along
the trails of the ridge.
These magnificent mountains are not exceptionally high.
Mount Olympus is just under 8,000 feet, but their steep slopes, serrated peaks, deep canyons
and icy glaciers make them very special.
Over 600 miles of trails crisscross Olympic National Park.
The abundant wildlife that roams the meadows includes the Columbia black-tailed deer.
In the subalpine meadows, only the heartiest of trees and shrubs survive.
Alpine fir, mountain hemlock, and Alaska cedar must weather the fury of bitter winter gales
and driving snow.
The subalpine fir in particular often bears a plush growth at its base called an alpine
skirt.
The skirt is formed where snow, up to 30 feet in depth, presses lower branches to the ground
and protects them from damaging winter winds.
In taking root, the skirts may also create new trees.
The crushing pressure of the snow often twists and deforms the trees.
Deer find cooling shelter among the subalpine fir on warm days.
A 1.5 mile scenic trail takes the visitor to the 5,757 foot summit of Hurricane Hill.
During the winter, both downhill and cross country skiing are a major park activity in
nearby areas.
The sedges and grasses make an ideal home for the Olympic marmot.
A product of Ice Age isolation, this particular species is found no other place in the world.
There are several species of wildlife that are not native to the park.
Sure-footed mountain goats were introduced in the late 1920s and have spread throughout
much of the park.
With their voracious appetite, they represent a serious management problem by damaging native
plant life.
There are literally hundreds of species of wildflowers in the Olympics and they are spread
from the seashore to mountaintops.
Some high country flowers are found only here.
Exploring the park affords many hiking opportunities, some of which may require rudimentary climbing
skills.
Descending Hurricane Ridge Parkway brings the visitor to the Heart of the Hills Campground,
a beautiful spot set amid a healthy forest.
To the west, the Elwha River winds its way through the mountains toward the Strait of
Juan de Fuca.
It originates from deep within the heart of the Olympic Range.
Sparkling lakes dot the region.
The river's numerous rapids make it a favorite for the kayak enthusiast.
Further to the west, Lake Crescent is one of the beautiful lakes of the world.
It is hundreds of feet deep and so clear that many times you can see the bottom a considerable
distance from shore.
Located on the shores of the Crystal Blue Lake, historic Lake Crescent Lodge offers
a charming setting for visitors.
The cool waters are a real challenge to the fishermen, as is often the case with lakes
of this depth.
A number of interesting hiking paths begin near Lake Crescent, including North Shore
and MeriMir Falls trails.
Thick forests, heavy undergrowth, plentiful wildlife, and countless wildflower species
highlight the incredible beauty of these primitive forest trails.
There's an abundance of trickling rivulets and roaring streams.
It is easy to see why Lake Crescent is one of the most popular attractions within the
park.
Further west, the highway to Soldak Hot Springs brings us to Salmon Cascades on the Soldak
River.
A platform above the roaring cataract provides a spectacular view.
From August to October, visitors have a chance to see nature in action as salmon gather their
strength in this quiet pool before attempting to jump these plunging cascades.
Some fail.
Some succeed and go on to spawn and perpetuate their species.
The road through this beautiful valley ends at the trailhead to Soldak Falls near Soldak
Hot Springs.
It is one of the most rewarding trails in the park.
This is a hike through Hemlock and Douglas Fir Forest alongside the Soldak River, which
is the longest on the Olympic Peninsula.
Constantly replenished by frequent rains and melting snow, the river makes a dramatic leap
to create lovely Soldak Falls.
Indians have at least a 2,500-year-old history on the peninsula.
They continue the tradition of their forefathers by working with native materials, although
some glass beads are now used in Indian artwork.
One of the prime reasons that Olympic National Park was formed in 1938 was to protect the
largest Roosevelt elk herd in the United States, some 5,000 strong.
During the elk rut, which begins in September, bull elks violently thrash bushes and trees
while staking out their territories.
Each bull strives to round up and breed his own herd of cows.
The sound of a 1,000-pound bull elk bugling is something that most never forget.
Olympic National Park encompasses the greatest remaining temperate rainforests in the contiguous
United States.
They are the Hole, Quetz, and Quinault, all found in the western portions of the park.
Here are found some of the largest trees in the world, with trunks measuring up to 12
to 15 feet in diameter and towering to 300 feet.
The 50-mile-long Hole River Valley has been created by glacial action and the river itself.
This sometimes mighty stream returns to the sea some of the heaviest precipitation of
snow and rain in the world, ranging up to 200 inches per year atop Mount Olympus.
The Hole Rainforest is the most readily accessible of the three temperate rainforests.
Several excellent trails traverse its great forests.
Vast areas of mosses cover the forest.
Lichen and mosses grow on tree trunks.
Ferns perch in crooks of branches.
Club mosses hang in three-foot draperies.
Even twigs are upholstered.
About 90 species of plants have been found growing in trees in the Hole.
A wide variety of plant life carpets every square foot.
Club moss does not hurt the trees.
Some trees even obtain nutrients from them.
High densities of ferns, oxalis, wild berries, and fine maple compete intensely for growing
space.
On the forest floor, a multitude of life ebbs and flows in endless variety.
The brightly colored giant banana slug even comes in more than one color.
Every insect, no matter how strange in appearance, has its important role in nature.
The black ground beetle is another dweller of the forest floor.
By feeding on dead plants, they return valuable minerals and nutrients to the soil.
The three-quarter mile long Hall of Mosses is one of two dramatic trails.
The water of Taft Creek, beneath the foot bridges, is incredibly clear, fed by underground
springs and seeps.
You may explore this fascinating trail on your own or join a ranger-led group that will
explain the amazing forest in detail.
Temperate rainforests are rare in the world.
They're associated with heavy winter rainfall, mild temperatures, and summer fogs.
The name Hall of Mosses is derived from these giant moss-covered trees that create the impression
that you're in a cathedral of soaring green.
Some of these trees have moss-laden limbs up to 40 feet long, weighing up to a ton.
They may occasionally break and fall.
The mosses and licorice ferns obtain some nutrition from decaying bark, but most nourishment
comes from sunlight, airborne particles, and moisture.
Even the air in these rainforests seems to have turned green.
Fungi are unable to make their own food like most plants, so they feed upon other organisms.
As they do so, they release valuable nutrients through rot and decomposition.
The continuity of life keynotes the rainforest.
Colonnades of trees have survived from starts on nurse logs.
Some are hundreds of years old, yet they retain the shape of the log on which they first pressed
their roots long ago.
Unable to compete with established ground cover, new tree seedlings take root in unusual
places.
This fallen giant is another indication of the massive size of many of these trees.
The trail to Blue Glacier high atop Mount Olympus begins here at the Ho Visitor Center.
Ten thousand years ago, the Ho Valley was filled with 2,000 feet of solid ice.
Today, the Ho River is still fed by meltwater from the Blue, Ho, and White glaciers.
Wildlife and birds may be seen along the trail.
Hundreds of streams and rivulets flow into the Ho, and as a result, it is as untamed,
wild, and dangerous today as it was thousands of years ago.
But it is home to these playful little creatures, the river otters.
Their streamlined bodies and webbed toes make them well adapted to aquatic life.
Though otters are mainly fish eaters, they also feed on frogs and other small animals.
A belted kingfisher perches patiently while waiting for an opportunity to plunge head
first to catch a fish, while a large and powerful pileated woodpecker hammers away making a
sound like a man chopping wood.
Garter snakes are familiar to many.
There are no poisonous snakes in the Olympics.
The two-foot-long rubber boa is closely related to the python, constricting its prey until
the victim suffocates.
Many welcome a stop to explore the stream banks.
Once the trail leaves the Ho River, it starts a steeper ascent to Glacier Creek, and the
climb to the high country has begun.
Those who would attempt to climb up Mount Olympus should have some training in climbing
with ice axe and crimpons.
Here the three largest glaciers in the park, the Blue, the Ho, and White, along with five
others radiate from a crown of three peaks.
Their giant ice fields are as much as a thousand feet deep.
In some years more snow falls during the winter than melts during the summer.
Rovasses 100 or more feet deep form as the glaciers continue to flow down the steep slopes.
The view from the top is overwhelming.
Deer Lake is located on the High Divide Trail, which connects with the Ho River Trail.
All Olympic bears are black, it's a good idea to give them a wide berth.
Backpacking is quite popular on the long trails in the more remote regions.
The panoramic views from the ridges which the trail follows are marvelous.
The Glacier Scoured Seven Lakes Basin is a striking sight.
A major challenge facing the National Park Service today is allowing visitors to enjoy
these beautiful primitive areas while still preserving their resources for future generations.
Fortunately visitors are becoming increasingly conscientious about their protection.
The climax of the trail is reached at the High Divide, a vast panorama of seemingly
endless peaks and ranges stretching to the horizon.
To the west lies the vastness of the Pacific Ocean and one of the most primitive coastlines
in the United States.
The Strait of Juan de Fuca, as well as Puget Sound, fill glacial troughs carved by immense
ice flows.
The shoreline here is quite scenic with numerous inlets and small bays.
25 miles across the strait is Vancouver Island.
The seashore is kept alive with plants and living organisms such as bull kelp.
Packing protective covering, hermit crabs crawl into empty snail shells.
The sea stars, commonly known as starfish, come in many colors.
Although the sea is serene at times, storms can whip waves into a frenzy that can move
huge boulders.
Here a sea lion remains undisturbed by the furious seas.
Seashore rocks are covered with barnacles and mussels.
Park rangers explain the delicate ecological balance of the shore's sea life.
Moose neck barnacles have rubbery stalks.
This is a group of ochre sea stars.
Also found here are the blood star, sun star, and rose star.
The giant green sea anemones have stinging cells on their tentacles which they use to
stun their prey.
On the Pacific shore, the northern beaches are accessible near the Quillute River and
LaPush, a quaint Indian fishing village.
Here the fury of giant waves that have traveled across 5,000 miles of open Pacific Ocean pound
the Olympic shore.
They have created large sea stacks, arches, and needle-eye slits, as well as depositing
thousands of giant logs washed down by flooding rivers.
Further south, Ruby Beach is wide and sandy.
It permits miles of unobstructed strolling with a background of occasional sea stacks,
blowholes, and large inshore rocks.
Claylock Beach has several excellent campgrounds and Claylock Lodge.
Nurse logs are found in strange places.
This one is located on the banks of the Claylock River where it joins the ocean.
A picturesque lighthouse flashes its beacon near Claylock while a whale blows at the left
center.
A popular wide sandy beach stretches along the shoreline.
The less visited Quetz Rainforest is reached by a highway that follows the Quetz River
for about 12 miles.
It passes through great stands of spruce, hemlock, and red cedar.
To the south, Lake Quinault is another of the Olympics' beautiful lakes.
Located amid the third of the great rainforests at Quinault, it has an annual rainfall of
about 140 inches.
During the summer, the lake's placid water is a popular spot for various water activities.
Its northwest shore is a part of Olympic National Park, while the southeast shore lies within
the Olympic National Forest.
The lake itself is part of the Quinault Indian Reservation.
In the 1930s, historic Lake Quinault Lodge was a popular vacation spot for many of Hollywood's
top stars seeking seclusion and the tranquility of nature.
This giant rain gauge measures rainfall by the feet rather than inches.
Remember that rainfall averages about 12 feet per year here.
Lake Quinault is four miles long by two miles wide.
A 25-mile loop road provides excellent views of Quinault Lake, River, and Rainforest and
gives the visitor an opportunity to see wildlife.
The rivers of the rainforests are short in length but full term in size.
These large rivers can rise several feet overnight, and during winter floods, 200-foot trees can
be yanked out by their roots and tumbled downstream like toothpicks.
The moist rainforests of Quinault have created trees of enormous size and a lush undergrowth
of vegetation.
A number of fascinating trails parallel the shoreline while others extend deep into the
Rainforest.
Here the sound of splashing water mixes with the chatter of birds and other small animals.
The countless streams serve as important nurseries for small fish.
Big leaf maple trees are draped with club moss and licorice ferns.
A walk through these great forests is an experience not soon forgotten.
The forest floor is alive with small creatures.
The change of the seasons brings fall to the Olympics and a shower of brightly colored
flowers.
And soon the winds of fall bring low clouds filled with moisture from the Pacific.
At Hurricane Ridge, higher decks of clouds override the Olympic range and soon the rains
of late fall begin.
Finally, winter comes to the high country of Olympic National Park.
But at winter's end, the glory of spring returns to the peninsula.
So the cycle of the seasons is complete.
There is inspiration here for all that need it.
There is adventure here for those who seek it.
There is solitude here for those who want it.
There is a measurable natural grandeur here for all that see it.
It's protected for future generations.
Thanks for watching!