Photo recap of my trip to Olympic National Park. Many aspects of nature here - beaches, Pacific Ocean, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, rainforests, and mountains. Also experienced all seasons: spring/fall rains and lush vegetation, winter snow, and summer sun.

May 27

Flight arrived Seattle airport at 10:30am. Picked up rental car, a Hyundai Elantra that got 50 MPG. We made a lunch stop in Elma, at Miller House restaurant. This restaurant had delicious sandwiches, soup, and cookies. Then continued to Quinault Rainforest. We focussed on three waterfalls, plus a short hike. Weather today reminded me of Iceland - rain, then sunshine, then more rain, then more sun.

Merriman Falls

Bunch Falls

Gattan Creek Falls

Our lodge for the first two nights. It is a short walk to the beach. Our room had a partial view of the ocean, and we could hear the waves.

Free firewood. It wasn't cold enough to light a fire though.

May 28

We set off early to Hoh Rainforest. Hiked the Hoh River Trail to Five Mile Island, which would be a 10 mile round trip hike. We had a picnic lunch at Five Mile Island, with views of Bogachiel and Hoh River.

Waterfall at Mt Tom Creek crossing.

Another view of Mt Tom Creek waterfall

We saw some large tree trunks. This trunk is taller than me.

Five Mile Island

Hoh River

We then visited Ruby beach.

Finally, we ended the day watching the sunset at the beach near Kalaloch lodge. Interesting cloud formations.

May 29

Headed to Rialto Beach. We stopped at In Place diner in Forks for breakfast - here many people know each other. We arrived at Rialto Beach in time for low tide, which caused "islands" (see pictures) and tide pools to appear. We hiked to Hole-in-the-Wall then enjoyed the beach while watching people surf.

Islands appeared in low tide. The tide gradually rose, and eventually covered the islands.

Hole-In-The-Wall. Hiking here is possible during low tide. The trail may be covered by the waves in high tide.

Sea anemone in a tide pool.

Saw several starfish.

Twin rocks where we saw the starfish.

We headed to Sol Duc Valley, and hiked to Sol Duc Falls.

Lover Lane Falls

Sul Doc Falls produced a double rainbow

We arrived at Five Seasuns, a bed-and-breakfast lodge in Port Angeles. This would be our home for the next two nights. The lodge has a fountain, pond, and a view of Hurricane Ridge. The owner baked cookies each day and also provided a delicious multi-course breakfast.

May 30

We drove to Storm King Ranger Station near Lake Crescent. Hiked to Marymere Falls, then climbed to the top of Mount Storm King. The Storm King trail is a steady climb for 2 miles - a real workout. The final section is fairly steep and there are ropes to help you climb. At the very top is a full view of Lake Crescent. If you don't want to do the ropes, there are a few places with a partial view of the lake. We saw some birds during the Storm King hike. During our time at Storm King, there was no rain, no wind, and no snow - I would not do the ropes section if one of those elements were present.

Then hiked Spruce Railroad Trail, including a visit to Devil’s Punchbowl and a walk through a tunnel. Lots of close views of Lake Crescent.

On the way back to Port Angeles, we stopped at Elwha River valley and did the short hike to Madison falls.

May 31

Today is Memorial Day. We honor those who sacrificed to protect our country and preserve its freedoms. This bench is in front of In Place diner in Forks.

We drove to Hurricane Ridge. Great views of the mountains. Still lots of snow in the region, including a snowmass across from the visitor center that was twice my height! The road to Hurricane Hill trail was open so we parked at the Hurricane Hill trailhead. Some parts of the trail were covered in snow. Upon arrival at the top of Hurricane Hill we could see the strait and peninsula branching out from Port Angeles. Several animal sightings too.

Marmot at top of Hurricane Hill

Chipmunk at top of Hurricane Hill

Hurricane Hill near the visitor center

Deer near the visitor center

Since it was sunny, we drove back to Lake Crescent - the lake becomes a beautiful dark blue under the sunlight. Then drove back to the Seattle area.

June 1

Before going to the airport, we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls park. The Snoqualmie Falls is 268ft/82m tall - this is 100ft/30m taller than Niagara Falls. Thanks to recent rains and snowmelt, the waterfall is much wider compared to my previous visit. The park has a hiking trail through the woods, connecting the lower and upper observation decks.