Olympic National Park is located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
, in the
Olympic Peninsula|||The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound and the Hood Canal...
. The park can be divided into three basic regions: the
PacificThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
coastline, the
Olympic MountainsThe Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific Ocean and are the wettest place in the...
, and the temperate rainforest. U.S. President
Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He is well remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" image. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Bull Moose Party...
originally created Olympic National Monument in 1909 and after Congress voted to authorize a redesignation to
National ParkA national park is a reserve of natural or semi-natural land, declared or owned by a national government, set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, and protected from most development...
status, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the legislation in 1938. In 1976, Olympic National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve, and in 1981 it was designated a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
. In 1988, almost all of the Olympic Peninsula was designated as the
Olympic WildernessOlympic Wilderness is a protected area comprising over 95% of Olympic National Park in Washington State. It includes of Pacific Ocean coastline. It is the largest wilderness area in Washington.- External links :***...
, further enhancing the protection of the region.
Coastline
The coastal portion of the park is a rugged, sandy beach along with a strip of adjacent forest.
It is long but just a few miles wide, with native communities at the mouths of two rivers.
The
Hoh RiverThe Hoh River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, located on the Olympic Peninsula. About long, the Hoh River originates at the Hoh Glacier on Mount Olympus and flows west through the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, then through the foothills in a...
has the
HohHoh is a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives on the northwest corner of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. The Hoh moved onto the Hoh Indian Reservation at the mouth of the Hoh River, on the Pacific Coast of Jefferson County, after the signing...
people and at the town of La Push at the mouth of the Quileute River live the
QuileuteThe Quileute , also known as Quillayute , are a Native American people in westernWashington state in the United States, currently numbering approximately 750. The Quileute people settled onto the Quileute Indian Reservation after signing the Quinault Treaty in 1855...
.
The beach has unbroken stretches of wilderness ranging from 10 to 20 miles (16 km to 32 km).
While some beaches are primarily sand, others are covered with heavy rock and very large boulders.
Bushy overgrowth, slippery footing, tides and misty rain forest weather all hinder foot travel.
(Times to hike should typically be doubled.)
The coastal strip is more readily accessible than the interior of the Olympics; due to the difficult terrain, very few backpackers venture beyond casual day-hiking distances.
The most popular piece of the coastal strip is the Ozette Loop.
The Park Service runs a registration and reservation program to control usage levels of this area.
From the trailhead at Lake Ozette, a leg of the trail is a boardwalk-enhanced path through near primal coastal cedar swamp.
Arriving at the ocean, it is a 3-mile walk supplemented by headland trails for high tides.
This area has traditionally been favored by the MakahThe Makah are a Native American people from the northwestern corner of the Continental United States in Washington. The Makah tribe lives in and around the town of Neah Bay, Washington, a small fishing village along the Strait of Juan de Fuca where it meets the Pacific Ocean...
from Neah Bay.
The third 3-mile leg is enabled by a boardwalk which has enhanced the loop's popularity.
There are thick groves of trees adjacent to the sand, which results in chunks of timber from fallen trees on the beach.
The mostly unaltered Hoh River, toward the south end of the park, discharges large amounts of naturally eroded timber and other drift, which moves north, enriching the beaches.
The removal of driftwoodDriftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds, tides, waves or man. It is a form of marine debris....
- logs, dead-heads, tops and root-wads from streams and beaches was a major domesticationDomestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans...
measure across North America.
Even today driftwood deposits form a commanding presence, biologically as well as visually, giving a taste of the original condition of the beach viewable to some extent in early photos.
Drift-material often comes from a considerable distance; the Columbia RiverThe Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
formerly contributed huge amounts to the Northwest Pacific coasts.
The smaller coastal portion of the park is separated from the larger, inland portion.
President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
originally had supported connecting them with a continuous strip of park land.
Glaciated mountains
Within the center of Olympic National Park rise the
Olympic MountainsThe Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific Ocean and are the wettest place in the...
whose sides and ridgelines are topped with massive, ancient
glacierA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
s. The mountains themselves are products of
accretionary wedgeAn accretionary wedge or accretionary prism is formed from sediments that are accreted onto the non-subducting tectonic plate at a convergent plate boundary...
uplifting related to the Juan De Fuca Plate subduction zone. The geologic composition is a curious
mélangeIn geology, a mélange is a large scale breccia, a mappable body of rock characterized by a lack of continuous bedding and the inclusion of fragments of rock of all sizes, contained in a fine-grained deformed matrix. The mélange typically consists of a jumble of large blocks of varied lithologies...
of basaltic and oceanic sedimentary rock. The western half of the range is dominated by the peak of
Mount OlympusMount Olympus is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains range of Western Washington. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is the central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains, however, peaks such as Mount Constance,...
, which rises to . Mount Olympus receives a large amount of
snowSnow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes...
, and consequently has the greatest glaciation of any non-volcanic peak in the contiguous United States outside of the North Cascades. It has several glaciers, the largest of which is the Hoh glacier, nearly five kilometers in length. Looking to the East, the range becomes much drier due to the rain shadow of the western mountains. Here, there are numerous high peaks and craggy ridges. The tallest summit of this area is
Mount DeceptionMount Deception is a peak in the Olympic Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula.-Description:...
, at .
Temperate rainforest
The western side of the park sports a
temperate rain forestTemperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall.-Definition:For temperate rain forests of North America, Alaback's definition is widely recognized:...
, including the
Hoh Rain ForestThe Hoh Rain Forest is located on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state, USA. It is one of the few temperate rain forests in the U.S., and also one of the largest. Within Olympic National Park, the forest is protected from commercial exploitation. This includes of low elevation forest ...
and Quinault Rain Forest, the wettest area in the continental United States (the island of
KauaiKauai or Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the 21st largest island in the United States...
in the state of
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
gets more rain). Because this is a temperate rainforest, as opposed to a tropical one like the
Amazon RainforestThe Amazon rainforest , also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
in
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
, it is dominated by dense coniferous timber, including
Sitka SpruceThe Sitka Spruce is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50–70 m tall, exceptionally to 100 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m, exceptionally to 6–7 m diameter. It is by far the largest species of spruce, and the third tallest conifer species in the world...
,
Western HemlockTsuga heterophylla is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California....
,
Coast Douglas-firThe Coast Douglas-fir , a variety of Douglas-fir, is an evergreen conifer native to the coastal regions of western North America, from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west...
and Western redcedar and
mossMosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es that coat the bark of these trees and even drip down from their branches in green, moist tendrils.
Flora and fauna
Because the park sits on an isolated peninsula, with a high mountain range dividing it from the land to the south, it developed many unique plant and animal species (like the
Olympic MarmotThe Olympic Marmot, Marmota olympus, is a marmot . They are found in alpine and subalpine meadows and talus slopes of the Olympic Peninsula of the U.S. state of Washington, and are close relatives of the Hoary Marmot.Like most marmots, they are gregarious burrowing animals...
) that can't be found anywhere else in the world. The southwestern coastline of the Olympic Peninsula is also the northernmost non-glaciated region on the Pacific coast of North America, with the result that - aided by the distance from peaks to the coast at the
Last Glacial MaximumThe Last Glacial Maximum refers to the time of maximum extent of the ice sheets during the last glacial period, approximately 20,000 years ago. This extreme persisted for several thousand years. It is followed by the Late Glacial Maximum....
being about twice what it is today - it served as a refuge from which plants colonized glaciated regions to the north.
It also provides habitat for many species (like the
Roosevelt elkThe Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...
) that are native only to the Pacific Northwest coast. Because of this importance, scientists have declared it to be a biological reserve, and study its unique species to better understand how plants and animals evolve.
The park contains an estimated of old-growth forests.
Human history
Prior to the influx of European settlers, Olympic's human population consisted of
Native AmericansThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
, whose use of the peninsula was thought to have consisted mainly of fishing and hunting. However, recent reviews of the record, coupled with systematic archaeological surveys of the mountains (Olympic and other Northwest ranges) are pointing to much more extensive tribal use of especially the subalpine meadows than seemed formerly to be the case. Most if not all Pacific Northwest indigenous cultures were more or less severely adversely affected by European diseases (often decimated) and other factors, well before ethnographers, business operations and settlers arrived in the region, so what they saw and recorded was a much-reduced native culture-base. Large numbers of cultural sites are now identified in the Olympic mountains, and important artifacts have been found.
When settlers began to appear, extractive industry in the
Pacific NorthwestThe Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America, bound by the Pacific Ocean to the west. There are several partially overlapping definitions of the region, but they generally include the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon, and...
was on the rise, particularly in regards to the harvesting of
timberTimber may refer to:*Lumber, i.e. wood materials* Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Oregon* Timber , a 1984 arcade game by Bally Midway* An alternative spelling for Timbre...
, which began heavily in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Public dissent against
loggingLogging is the process in which certain trees are cut down for forest management and timber.In forestry the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard. In common usage...
began to take hold in the 1920s, when people got their first glimpses of the clear-cut hillsides. This period saw an explosion of people's interest in the outdoors; with the growing use of the
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, people took to touring previously remote places like the Olympic Peninsula.
The formal record of a proposal for a new national park on the Olympic Peninsula begins with the expeditions of well-known figures Lieutenant Joseph O'Neil and Judge James Wickersham, during the 1890s. These notables met in the Olympic wilderness while exploring, and subsequently combined their political efforts to have the area placed within some protected status. Following unsuccessful efforts in the Washington State Legislature in the early 1900s, President Theodore Roosevelt created Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909, primarily to protect the subalpine calving grounds and summer range of the
Roosevelt elkThe Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...
herds native to the Olympics.
Public desire for preservation of some of the area grew until President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
declared ONP a national park in 1938. Even after ONP was declared a park, though, illegal logging continued in the park, and political battles continue to this day over the incredibly valuable timber contained within its boundaries. Logging continues on the Olympic Peninsula, but not within the park. A book detailing the history of the fight for ONP's timber is
Olympic Battleground: The Power Politics of Timber Preservation by Carsten Lien.
Recreation
There are several roads in the park, but none penetrate far into the interior. The park features a
network of hiking trailsThere are many diverse trails within Olympic National Park. These trails traverse many different biomes, allowing hikers to explore from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the summit of Mount Olympus. The trails vary in length from less than a mile and a few minutes hike to many miles and multiple...
, although the size and remoteness means that it will usually take more than a weekend to get to the high country in the interior. The sights of the rain forest, with plants run riot and dozens of hues of green, are well worth the possibility of rain sometime during the trip, although months of July, August and September frequently have long dry spells.
A nearly unique feature of ONP is the opportunity for backpacking along the beach. The length of the coastline in the park is sufficient for multi-day trips, with the entire day spent walking along the beach. Although idyllic compared to toiling up a mountainside (
Seven Lakes BasinSeven Lakes Basin is a basin in Olympic National Park. The trail to the basin is round trip with about of elevation gain. The loop trail starts by following the Sol Duc River and eventually heads south and begins a rapid elevation gain. The trail winds out of the rain forest and eventually ends...
is a notable example), one must be aware of the tide; at the narrowest parts of the beaches, high tide washes up to the cliffs behind, blocking passage. There are also several promontories that must be struggled over, using a combination of muddy steep trail and fixed ropes.
During winter, the popular viewpoint known as
Hurricane RidgeHurricane Ridge is a mountainous area in Washington's Olympic National Park. It can be accessed by road from Port Angeles and is open to hiking, skiing, and snowboarding....
offers alpine and Nordic skiing opportunities. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club operates
Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard AreaThe Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area is a small ski resort located within Olympic National Park south of Port Angeles, Washington, United States. Hurricane Ridge is one of only two lift serviced ski areas operating in a US National Park...
, a not for profit alpine ski area which offers ski lessons, rentals, and inexpensive lift tickets. The small alpine area is serviced by two rope tows and one poma lift.
Backcountry skiersBackcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen snow,...
often make their way down to the main Hurricane Ridge Road in order to
hitchhikeHitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long. The latter may require many rides from different people; a ride is usually but not always free...
their way back to the top. Rafting is available on both the Elwha and Hoh Rivers.
Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project
The
Elwha Ecosystem RestorationThe Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project in the United States is the largest dam removal project in history and the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service, after the Restoration of the Everglades....
Project is the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
after the
EvergladesThe Everglades are subtropical wetlands located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. It will consist of removing the
Glines Canyon DamGlines Canyon Dam , built in 1927, is a high concrete arch dam that forms Lake Mills upstream from the Elwha River's mouth....
and draining its reservoir,
Lake MillsLake Mills may refer to some places in the United States:*Lake Mills, Iowa, a city*Lake Mills, Wisconsin, a city*Lake Mills , Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Lake Mills...
and removing the
Elwha DamThe Elwha Dam is a 108-ft high dam located in the United States, in the north western state of Washington, on the Elwha River approximately upstream from the mouth of the river on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The dam was built under the direction of Thomas Aldwell...
and its reservoir
Lake AldwellLake Aldwell is a reservoir located about 4.9 miles from the mouth of the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington. The reservoir was created in 1913 behind the Elwha Dam...
from the
Elwha RiverThe Elwha River is a 45-mile-long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National...
. Upon removal, the park will revegetate the slopes and river bottoms to prevent erosion and speed up ecological recovery. The primary purpose of this project is to restore anadromous stocks of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead to the
Elwha RiverThe Elwha River is a 45-mile-long river located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. From its source at Elwha snowfinger in the Olympic Range of Olympic National Park it flows generally north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of the river is contained within Olympic National...
, which have been denied access to the upper of river habitat for more than 95 years by these dams.
External links and literature
- Olympic National Park
- University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – The Pacific Northwest Olympic Peninsula Community Museum A web-based museum showcasing aspects of the rich history and culture of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula communities. Features cultural exhibits, curriculum packets and a searchable archive of over 12,000 items that includes historical photographs, audio recordings, videos, maps, diaries, reports and other documents.
- The Evergreen Playground Online museum exhibit that highlights the history of tourism on the Olympic Peninsula, including the development of the Olympic Loop Highway (U.S. Highway 101) and the Olympic National Park.
- Tim McNulty (1996): Olympic National Park: A Natural History Guide. ISBN 0395699800
- Travel feature on the Olympic National Park The Independent
The Independent is a British newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National...
, 25 July 2009, Mark Harris.