Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Travel Guide

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Olympic Peninsula

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in Washington Regions

Created: 24 September 2012

The Olympic Peninsula is the land of diversity. On the west it borders with the Pacific Ocean, on the east with the Hood canal and on the north with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and at the same time it is home for majestic Olympic Mountains.

The main attraction on the peninsula is the Olympic National Park, but there are so many other destinations and places to visit around the area.

The Olympic National Park is a great place to visit with its sunny beaches, green rain forests, snow-capped mountains and a great variety of flora and fauna. The main characteristic of the park is wilderness, though many roads and trails will provide access to the most visited places.

The must see of the Olympic National Park is Hurricane Ridge. It is an easy trip that will take visitors to 5,

200 feet elevation. Numerous trails open great views on spectacular Olympic Mountains and their white glaciers, breathtaking view on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and stunning alpine meadows. Some of these trails are very easy and others are very difficult, but all of them give the opportunity to feel the real beauty of this region.

The Olympic Peninsula is home for gorgeous rain forests. Bigger part of the forests is situated in the western part of the region. Usually Pacific Ocean air brings a lot of rainfall to this part of the peninsula that result in the great conditions for temperate rain forests.

The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the U.S. which stretches from the mountains to the shore. The park was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. After visiting this area, the president was so impressed with the beauty of nature of the old trees and the magnificent wildlife within the forest that he decided to declare this area a national park.

The Hoh Rainforest is located beside the Hoh River, which was formed by glaciers many years ago. The Hoh Rainforest as every rainforest receives quite a lot of rain each year. Rainfall accumulates in the region between 140 to 170 inches per year.

What is special about the Hoh rainforest is that trees there may be more than 1000 years old, and every tree is covered with its own plant life. This fact makes it an individual small microcosm. The most predominant species of the Hoh Rainforest are: Sitka Spruce, Coast Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, Vine Maple, Red Alder and Black Cottonwood. As for the species of the fauna, the most dominant are: Olympic Black Bears, Raccoons, Northern Spotted Owls, Cougars, Bobcats and Black-tailed Deer.

The best way to explore the Hoh Rainforest is by hiking a forest's trail. There are two trails: the Hall of Mosses Trail and Spruce Nature Trail, which go through the most beautiful rainforest. There is the third trail for the experienced bikers; this path leads to Glacier Meadows. This trail goes through spectacular meadows, lush canopies and at the end of this path you’ll find the most stunning landscapes and the view Mount Olympus and Blue Glacier.

The Olympic Peninsula is very beautiful and differs from the other parts of the state.