Olympic National ParkIUCN category II (national park)
Cedar Creek and Abbey Island from Ruby Beach
Hoh Rainforest
Hurricane Ridge in winter
Location in WashingtonShow map of Washington (state)
Location in the United StatesShow map of the United StatesLocationJefferson, Clallam, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties, Washington, United StatesNearest cityPort AngelesCoordinates47°58′10″N 123°29′55″W / 47.96935°N 123.49856°W / 47.96935; -123.49856Area922,650 acres (3,733.8 km2)[1]EstablishedJune 29, 1938; 87 years ago (1938-06-29)Visitors3,717,267 (in 2024)[2]Governing bodyNational Park ServiceWebsiteOlympic National Park
Interactive map of Olympic National Park
UNESCO World Heritage SiteCriteriaNatural: vii, ixReference151Inscription1981 (5th Session)
Olympic National Park is a national park of the United States located in Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula.[3] The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier east side.[4] Within the park there are three distinct ecosystems, including subalpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific coast.[5]
President Theodore Roosevelt originally designated the park as Mount Olympus National Monument on March 2, 1909.[6][7] The monument was redesignated a national park by Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 29, 1938. In 1976, Olympic National Park was designated by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve, and in 1981 as a World Heritage Site. In 1988, Congress designated 95 percent of the park (1,370 square miles (3,500 km2)) as the Olympic Wilderness,[8][9][better source needed] which was renamed Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in honor of the former Washington state Governor and U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans in 2017.[10] During his tenure in the Senate, Evans co-sponsored the 1988 bill that created the state's wilderness areas.[11] It is the largest wilderness area in Washington.
Olympic National Park had over 3.7 million visitors in 2024, ranking 25th among all parks in the United States.[2]
Park purpose[edit]As stated in the foundation document:[12]
The purpose of Olympic National Park is to preserve for the benefit, use, and enjoyment of the people, a large wilderness park containing the finest sample of primeval forest of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Douglas fir, and western red cedar in the entire United States; to provide suitable winter range and permanent protection for the herds of native Roosevelt elk and other wildlife indigenous to the area; to conserve and render ailable to the people, for recreational use, this outstanding mountainous country, containing numerous glaciers and perpetual snow fields, and a portion of the surrounding verdant forests together with a narrow strip along the beautiful Washington coast.
Natural and geologic history[edit] Coastline[edit]The coastal portion of the park is a rugged, sandy beach along with a strip of adjacent forest. It is 60 miles (97 km) long but just a few miles wide, with native communities at the mouths of two rivers. The Hoh River has the Hoh people and at the town of La Push at the mouth of the Quileute River live the Quileute.[13]
Tide pools form at low tide
The beach has unbroken stretches of wilderness ranging from 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km). While some beaches are primarily sand, others are covered with hey rock and very large boulders. Bushy overgrowth, slippery footing, tides, and misty rainforest weather all hinder foot trel. 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.[14]
The most popular piece of the coastal strip is the 9-mile (14 km) Ozette Loop. The Park Service runs a registration and reservation program to control the usage levels of this area. From the trailhead at Ozette Lake, a 3-mile (4.8 km) 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 fored by the Makah from Neah Bay. The third 3-mile leg is enabled by a boardwalk which has enhanced the loop's accessibility.[15][16] Another popular trail is the 0.7-mile (1.1 km) path that leads to Second Beach, which includes views of offshore seastacks and wildlife.[17]
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. 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 River 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. Roosevelt originally had supported connecting them with a continuous strip of parkland.
A 3D computer-generated aerial view
The park is known for its unique turbidites. It has very exposed turbidities with white calcite veins. Turbidites are rocks or sediments that trel into the ocean as suspended particles in the flow of water, causing a sedimentary layering effect on the ocean floor. Over time the sediments and rock compact and the process repeats as a constant cycle. The park also is known for its tectonic mélanges that he been deemed 'smell rocks' by the locals due to their strong petroleum odor. Mélanges are large individual rocks that are large enough that they are accounted for in map drawings. The Olympic mélanges can be as large as a house.
Glaciated mountains[edit]Within the center of Olympic National Park rise the Olympic Mountains whose sides and ridgelines are topped with massive, ancient glaciers. The mountains themselves are products of accretionary wedge uplifting related to the Juan De Fuca Plate subduction zone. The geologic composition is a curious mélange of basaltic and oceanic sedimentary rock.[citation needed] The number of glaciers within the national park declined from 266 in 1982 to 184 by 2009 due to the effects of climate change.[18][19]
The western half of the range is dominated by the peak of Mount Olympus, which rises to 7,965 feet (2,428 m). Mount Olympus receives a large amount of snow 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 Hoh Glacier at 3.06 miles (4.93 km) in length. In the east, the range becomes much drier due to the rain shadow of the western mountains; the eastern mountains include numerous high peaks and craggy ridges. The tallest summit in the eastern Olympics is Mount Deception, at 7,788 feet (2,374 m).
Temperate rainforest[edit]
Downed western redcedar
The western side of the park is mantled by temperate rainforests, including the Hoh Rainforest and Quinault Rainforest, which receive annual precipitation of over 12 feet (370 cm), making this perhaps the wettest area in the continental United States.[20][21][22]
As opposed to tropical rainforests and most other temperate rainforest regions, the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest are dominated by coniferous trees, including Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Coast Douglas-fir and Western redcedar. Mosses coat the bark of these trees and even drip down from their branches in green, moist tendrils.
Valleys on the eastern side of the park also he notable old-growth forest, but the climate is notably drier. Sitka Spruce is absent, trees on erage are somewhat smaller, and undergrowth is generally less dense and different in character. Immediately northeast of the park is a rainshadow area where annual precipitation erages about 17 inches.
Ecology[edit]
Black-tailed deer
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation Types, the park encompasses five classifications: Alpine Meadows & Barren, aka Alpine tundra (52) potential vegetation type with an Alpine Meadow (11) potential vegetation form; a Fir/Hemlock (4) vegetation type with a Pacific Northwest conifer forest (1) vegetation form; a cedar/hemlock/Douglas fir vegetation type with a Pacific Northwest conifer forest (1) vegetation form; Western spruce/fir vegetation type (15) with a Rocky Mountain conifer forest (3) vegetation form; and a spruce/cedar/hemlock (1) vegetation type with a Pacific Northwest conifer forest (1) vegetation form.[23]
Because the park sits on an isolated peninsula, with a high mountain range dividing it from the land to the south, it developed many endemic plant and animal species (like the Olympic Marmot, Piper's bellflower and Flett's violet). 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 Maximum being about twice what it is today – it served as a refuge from which plants colonized glaciated regions to the north.
The park also provides habitat for many species (like the Roosevelt elk) that are native only to the Pacific Northwest coast. As a result, scientists he declared it a biological reserve and studied its unique species to better understand how plants and animals evolve. The park is home to sizable populations of black bears and black-tailed deer. The park also has a noteworthy cougar population, numbering about 150.[24] Mountain goats were accidentally introduced into the park in the 1920s and he caused much damage on the native flora. The NPS has activated management plans to control the goats.[25]
The park contains an estimated 366,000 acres (572 mi2; 1,480 km2) of old-growth forests.[26]
Forest fires are infrequent in the rainforests of the park's western side; however, a severe drought after the driest spring in 100 years, coupled with an extremely low snowpack from the preceding winter, resulted in a rare rainforest fire in the summer of 2015.[27][28]
Ecological zones - glaciated mountains, subalpine forests and meadows, temperate rainforests, and coastline
The summit of Mount Olympus from the Blue Glacier
Subalpine fir in a meadow on Hurricane Ridge
Bigleaf maples, Hoh Rainforest
Foggy sea stacks
Climate[edit]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Olympic National Park encompasses two classifications: a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) in the western half, and a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) in the eastern half.[29][30] According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the plant hardiness zone at Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center is 8a with an erage annual extreme minimum temperature of 14.5 °F (−9.7 °C).[31]
Climate data for Elwha Ranger Station, Washington, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–2017 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 64(18) 67(19) 70(21) 80(27) 87(31) 93(34) 96(36) 97(36) 91(33) 76(24) 70(21) 65(18) 97(36) Mean maximum °F (°C) 51.1(10.6) 51.9(11.1) 60.1(15.6) 70.6(21.4) 77.8(25.4) 82.6(28.1) 87.6(30.9) 87.0(30.6) 79.5(26.4) 67.1(19.5) 55.4(13.0) 49.8(9.9) 90.7(32.6) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 41.1(5.1) 43.8(6.6) 49.7(9.8) 56.3(13.5) 63.4(17.4) 67.2(19.6) 73.6(23.1) 74.5(23.6) 68.1(20.1) 55.5(13.1) 45.6(7.6) 40.7(4.8) 56.6(13.7) Daily mean °F (°C) 37.0(2.8) 38.3(3.5) 42.3(5.7) 47.1(8.4) 53.3(11.8) 57.2(14.0) 62.2(16.8) 63.0(17.2) 58.1(14.5) 48.5(9.2) 40.8(4.9) 36.7(2.6) 48.7(9.3) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 32.8(0.4) 32.8(0.4) 34.9(1.6) 37.8(3.2) 43.2(6.2) 47.2(8.4) 50.7(10.4) 51.6(10.9) 48.0(8.9) 41.5(5.3) 36.1(2.3) 32.7(0.4) 40.8(4.9) Mean minimum °F (°C) 24.3(−4.3) 24.5(−4.2) 28.5(−1.9) 31.3(−0.4) 35.3(1.8) 40.4(4.7) 44.2(6.8) 44.9(7.2) 40.6(4.8) 32.6(0.3) 27.1(−2.7) 23.5(−4.7) 18.9(−7.3) Record low °F (°C) 2(−17) 8(−13) 15(−9) 26(−3) 29(−2) 32(0) 31(−1) 36(2) 32(0) 21(−6) 10(−12) 8(−13) 2(−17) Average precipitation inches (mm) 8.87(225) 6.14(156) 6.94(176) 3.28(83) 1.91(49) 1.39(35) 0.74(19) 1.14(29) 1.63(41) 5.85(149) 10.06(256) 9.92(252) 57.87(1,470) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 17.8 15.4 18.2 13.8 11.5 9.5 4.9 4.8 8.0 15.0 18.6 18.4 155.9 Source 1: NOAA[32] Source 2: XMACIS[33] Climate data for Buckinghorse, Washington (2008-2025) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 66(19) 65(18) 63(17) 68(20) 72(22) 90(32) 84(29) 87(31) 81(27) 72(22) 64(18) 59(15) 90(32) Mean maximum °F (°C) 53(12) 52(11) 53(12) 59(15) 66(19) 73(23) 78(26) 80(27) 75(24) 65(18) 55(13) 49(9) 81(27) Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 39.5(4.2) 37.0(2.8) 39.1(3.9) 44.1(6.7) 52.0(11.1) 57.3(14.1) 66.0(18.9) 66.5(19.2) 57.6(14.2) 48.7(9.3) 40.3(4.6) 36.7(2.6) 48.7(9.3) Daily mean °F (°C) 34.3(1.3) 31.0(−0.6) 32.8(0.4) 36.8(2.7) 44.2(6.8) 49.1(9.5) 57.0(13.9) 57.9(14.4) 50.5(10.3) 42.8(6.0) 35.1(1.7) 31.6(−0.2) 41.9(5.5) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 29.5(−1.4) 24.9(−3.9) 26.5(−3.1) 29.5(−1.4) 36.4(2.4) 41.0(5.0) 48.1(8.9) 49.2(9.6) 43.4(6.3) 37.0(2.8) 29.9(−1.2) 26.5(−3.1) 35.2(1.7) Mean minimum °F (°C) 15(−9) 12(−11) 16(−9) 20(−7) 27(−3) 32(0) 37(3) 39(4) 33(1) 26(−3) 18(−8) 13(−11) 5(−15) Record low °F (°C) −3(−19) 2(−17) 8(−13) 16(−9) 21(−6) 28(−2) 34(1) 35(2) 28(−2) 18(−8) −3(−19) −4(−20) −4(−20) Average precipitation inches (mm) 21.26(540) 13.17(335) 14.50(368) 8.24(209) 4.72(120) 2.21(56) 1.10(28) 2.89(73) 4.26(108) 13.55(344) 24.45(621) 19.30(490) 129.65(3,292) Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 94(240) 113(290) 148(380) 149(380) 123(310) 64(160) 16(41) 2(5.1) 0(0) 8(20) 37(94) 70(180) 156(400) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 18.2 16.7 19.1 15.3 10.7 7.0 2.8 4.7 10.7 16.4 20.1 19.3 161 Source: NOAA[34] Climate data for Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center (elevation: 745 ft / 227 m), 1981–2010 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 44.7(7.1) 47.9(8.8) 51.4(10.8) 55.8(13.2) 61.8(16.6) 65.4(18.6) 70.8(21.6) 72.2(22.3) 67.4(19.7) 58.8(14.9) 48.9(9.4) 43.9(6.6) 57.5(14.2) Daily mean °F (°C) 39.8(4.3) 41.2(5.1) 43.5(6.4) 46.8(8.2) 52.1(11.2) 56.1(13.4) 60.5(15.8) 61.3(16.3) 57.5(14.2) 50.8(10.4) 43.2(6.2) 38.8(3.8) 49.3(9.6) Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 34.8(1.6) 34.4(1.3) 35.6(2.0) 37.8(3.2) 42.4(5.8) 46.8(8.2) 50.1(10.1) 50.5(10.3) 47.6(8.7) 42.7(5.9) 37.6(3.1) 33.8(1.0) 41.2(5.1) Average precipitation inches (mm) 20.59(523) 14.45(367) 14.78(375) 10.60(269) 6.39(162) 4.68(119) 2.16(55) 2.76(70) 4.15(105) 13.11(333) 22.55(573) 19.07(484) 135.29(3,436) Average relative humidity (%) 85.1 76.0 76.8 74.1 71.9 73.9 68.8 69.9 69.0 74.2 83.0 83.1 75.5 Average dew point °F (°C) 35.7(2.1) 34.2(1.2) 36.7(2.6) 39.0(3.9) 43.3(6.3) 47.9(8.8) 50.2(10.1) 51.4(10.8) 47.4(8.6) 42.9(6.1) 38.4(3.6) 34.1(1.2) 41.8(5.4) Source: PRISM Climate Group[35] Human history[edit]
Sol Duc Falls, meaning "sparkling waters" in the Quileute language
Before the influx of European settlers, Olympic's human population consisted of Native Americans, whose use of the peninsula was thought to he consisted mainly of fishing and hunting. However, recent reviews of the record,[citation needed] 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 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 he been found.
When settlers began to appear, extractive industry in the Pacific Northwest was on the rise, particularly in regards to the harvesting of timber, which began heily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Public dissent against logging 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 automobile, 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 P. 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 he the area placed within some protected status. On February 22, 1897, President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve, which became Olympic National Forest in 1907.[36] Following unsuccessful efforts in the Washington State Legislature to further protect the area 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 elk herds native to the Olympics.
A park ranger gives a sunset naturalist talk at the park, ca. 1960.
Public desire for preservation of some of the area grew until President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill creating a national park in 1938. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a headquarters in 1939 with funds from the Public Works Administration. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.[37] The national park was expanded by 47,753 acres (19,325 ha) in 1953 to include the Pacific coastline between the Queets and Hoh rivers, as well as portions of the Queets and Bogachiel valleys.[38]
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.[39] The Olympic Wilderness, a designated wilderness area, was established by the federal government in 1988 that contained 877,000 acres (355,000 ha) within Olympic National Park. It was renamed the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in 2017 to honor Governor and U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans, who had co-sponsored the 1988 legislation.[10] A proposed expansion of the wilderness area by 125,000 acres (51,000 ha) in 2022 was not successful.[40]
Fauna[edit] See also: Mammals of Olympic National Park and List of amphibians and reptiles of Olympic National Park
Shi Shi Beach
Animals that inhabit this national park include chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, six species of bats, weasels, coyotes, muskrats, fishers, river otters, beers, red foxes, mountain goats, martens, bobcats, black bears, Canadian lynxes, moles, snowshoe hares, shrews, and cougars. Whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, and sea otters swim near this park offshore. Birds that fly in this park including raptors are Winter wrens, Canada jays, Hammond's flycatchers, Wilson's warblers, Blue Grouses, Pine siskins, rens, spotted owls, Red-breasted nuthatches, Golden-crowned kinglets, Chestnut-backed chickadees, Swainson's thrushes, Red crossbills, Hermit thrushes, Olive-sided flycatchers, bald eagles, Western tanagers, Northern pygmy owls, Townsend's warblers, Townsend's solitaires, Vaux's swifts, band-tailed pigeons, and evening grosbeaks.
Recreation[edit]
Camping site on the shores of Lake Quinault
There are several roads in the park, but none penetrate far into the interior. The park features a network of hiking trails, although the size and remoteness mean 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 July, August, and September frequently he long dry spells.
Rope ladder used to climb inland to round impassable capes when backpacking along the coast
An unusual 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 Basin is a notable example), one must be aware of the tide; at the narrowest parts of the beaches, the high tide washes up to the cliffs behind, blocking passage. Several promontories must be struggled over, using a combination of muddy steep trails and fixed ropes.
During winter, the viewpoint known as Hurricane Ridge offers numerous winter sports activities. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club operates Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area, a not-for-profit alpine ski area that offers ski lessons, rentals, and inexpensive lift tickets. The small alpine area is serviced by two rope tows and one poma lift. A large amount of backcountry terrain is accessible for skiers, snowboarders, and other backcountry trelers when Hurricane Ridge Road is open. Winter access to Hurricane Ridge Road is currently limited to Friday through Sunday weather permitting. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Access Coalition is a community effort to restore seven-day-a-week access via the Hurricane Ridge Road (the only park road accessing alpine terrain in winter).
Rafting is ailable on both the Elwha and Hoh Rivers. Boating is common on Ozette Lake, Lake Crescent, and Lake Quinault.[41] Fishing is allowed in the Ozette River, Queets River (below Tshletshy Creek), Hoh River, Quinault River (below North Shore Quinault River Bridge), Quillayute River and Dickey River.[41] A fishing license is not required to fish in the park. Fishing for bull trout and Dolly Varden trout is not allowed and must be released if incidentally caught.[42]
Panoramic view from near the Hurricane Ridge visitor center which is to the right
Views of the Olympic National Park can be seen from the Hurricane Ridge viewpoint. The road leading west from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center has several picnic areas and trailheads. A ped trail called the Hurricane Hill trail is about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long each way, with an elevation gain of about 700 feet (210 m). It is not uncommon to find snow on the trails even as late as July. Several other dirt trails of varying distances and difficulty levels branch off of the Hurricane hill trail. The picnic areas are open only in the summer and he restrooms, water, and ped access to picnic tables.
The Hurricane Ridge visitor center burned down on May 7, 2023. Constructed in the 1950s, it contained a 3D topographical map of the Olympics, a media center which showed nature documentaries of the area as well as other interpretive exhibits, and a gift shop.[43] There is currently no timeline for when the center will be replaced; the project to rebuild the lodge and establish a temporary visitors' center was allocated $80 million in federal funding in late 2023.[44]
A foggy day at Hurricane Ridge, as seen from the visitor center
Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project[edit]
Main article: Restoration of the Elwha River
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project is the second-largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service after the Everglades. It consisted of removing the 210-foot (64 m) Glines Canyon Dam and draining its reservoir, Lake Mills and removing the 108-foot (33 m) Elwha Dam and its reservoir Lake Aldwell from the Elwha River. Upon removal, the park will revegetate the slopes and river bottoms to prevent erosion and speed up ecological recovery.[45] The primary purpose of this project is to restore anadromous stocks of Pacific Salmon and steelhead to the Elwha River, which he been denied access to the upper 65 miles (105 km) of river habitat for more than 95 years by these dams. Removal of the dams was completed in 2014.
See also[edit] List of national parks of the United States Madison Creek Falls La Push Beach Ruby Beach Rialto Beach Sol Duc River National Register of Historic Places listings in Olympic National Park References[edit] ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2013. (National Park Service Acreage Reports) ^ a b "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2024". National Park Service. Retrieved July 6, 2025. ^ "Directions and Transportation". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ "The Economy of the Olympic Peninsula and Potential Impacts of the Draft Congressional Watershed Conservation Proposal" (PDF). Bozeman: Headwaters Economics. March 2012. p. 6. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States (7th ed.). Washington, DC: National Geographic Society. 2011. p. 402. ISBN 9781426208690. ^ Olympic National Park. "Park Newsletter July/August 2009". National Park Service. Retrieved July 8, 2011. ^ "Proclamations and Orders Volume 2". National Park Service. Appendix III - National Park Service. ^ "The National Parks: Index 2009–2011". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ "Daniel J. Evans Wilderness". Wilderness Connect. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ a b Landers, Rich (December 7, 2016). "Olympic Wilderness re-named for Sen. Dan Evans". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 18, 2017. ^ Ollikainen, Rob (August 18, 2017). "Ceremony marks change of name to Daniel J. Evans Wilderness". Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved August 18, 2017. ^ "Foundation Document Overview: Olympic National Park, Washington" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023 – via National Park Service History eLibrary. ^ Olympic National Park. "Coast". National Park Service. Retrieved August 23, 2009. ^ "The best hikes in Olympic National Park offer sea stacks, waterfalls and ancient petroglyphs". Lonely Planet. October 14, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ Olympic National Park. "Ozette Loop". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ Olympic National Park. "Lake Ozette Area Brochure". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ "Second Beach Trail". National Park Service. Retrieved June 22, 2025. ^ "Glaciers and Climate Change". National Park Service. Retrieved November 27, 2024. ^ O'Sullivan, Joseph (August 25, 2021). "The majestic Hoh Rain Forest is one of the natural wonders of Washington state; venture in and wander". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024. ^ Olympic National Park. "Weather Brochure". National Park Service. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ "11 Things You Didn't Know About Olympic National Park". Blog of the Interior. U.S. Department of the Interior. June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023. ^ Wolford, Brooke (January 6, 2021). "Rainforest in Washington is the wettest in the continental US, officials say". The Olympian. McClatchy. ^ Kuchler, A. W. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". Uploaded by Conservation Biology Institute. Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Data Basin. ^ Blair, Seabury Jr. (May 17, 1992). "Cougar warning issued for Olympics". Kitsap Sun. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2014. ^ "Mountain Goats in Olympic National Park: Biology and Management of an Introduced Species". National Park Service. Retrieved January 8, 2014. ^ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (December 1993). Area of Old-growth Forests in California, Oregon, and Washington. Resource Bulletin. Vol. PNW-RB-197. Portland: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. hdl:2027/umn.31951d02996301m. OCLC 31933118. ^ "Paradise Fire". InciWeb. 2015. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. ^ Olympic National Park. "Current Fire Status". National Park Service. Paradise Fire (2015). Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2023. ^ "World Maps of Köppen-Geiger climate classification". Climate Change & Infectious Diseases Group. ^ "Koppen climate classification: climatology". Britannica.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023. ^ "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". Agricultural Research Service. USDA. View Maps. Retrieved January 13, 2023. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Elwha RS, WA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 10, 2022. ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 15, 2023. ^ "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2022. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". www.prism.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved July 15, 2019. ^ Olympic National Park. "Timeline of Human History". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2023. ^ "Olympic National Park Headquarters - Port Angeles WA". Living New Deal. Retrieved August 6, 2021. ^ Setzer, Christopher (July 16, 2019). "Olympic National Park". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 26, 2021. ^ Lien, Carsten (August 31, 2000). Olympic Battleground: The Power Politics of Timber Preservation. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9781594858949. ^ Scruggs, Gregory (December 31, 2022). "Wild Olympics wilderness expansion proposal falls short in Congress". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 3, 2024. ^ a b Olympic National Park. "Boating". National Park Service. Retrieved December 7, 2022. ^ Olympic National Park. "Fishing". National Park Service. Retrieved November 6, 2021. ^ "Hurricane Ridge". National Park Service. ^ Scruggs, Gregory (October 27, 2023). "Murray earmarks $80M to rebuild Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 3, 2024. ^ Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (June 17, 2019). "Elwha River Restoration Project". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved March 4, 2022. External links[edit] Olympic National Park at Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Commons
Trel information from Wikivoyage
Official website
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-166, "Olympic National Park Road System, Port Angeles, Clallam County, WA", 46 photos, 39 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
"The Pacific Northwest: Olympic Peninsula Community Museum". University of Washington.
"The Evergreen Playground". Olympic Peninsula Community Museum. University of Washington.
Kirk, Ruth. "Olympic National Park". Full Focus. KBTC Public Television. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011.
Kirk, Ruth (November 3, 2009). Full Focus: Olympic National Park. PBS.
"Hurricane Ridge". National Park Service.
vteNational parks of the United StatesList of national parks of the United States (by elevation)
Acadia
American Samoa
Arches
Badlands
Big Bend
Biscayne
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Carlsbad Cerns
Channel Islands
Congaree
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Denali
Dry Tortugas
Everglades
Gates of the Arctic
Gateway Arch
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Haleakalā
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes
Hot Springs
Indiana Dunes
Isle Royale
Joshua Tree
Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Kings Canyon
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Ce
Mesa Verde
Mount Rainier
New River Gorge
North Cascades
Olympic
Petrified Forest
Pinnacles
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Saguaro
Sequoia
Shenandoah
Theodore Roosevelt
Virgin Islands
Voyageurs
White Sands
Wind Ce
Wrangell–St. Elias
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion
vteWorld Heritage Sites in the United StatesNortheast
Independence Hall
Statue of Liberty
Morian
Midwest
Cahokia
Hopewell
South
Everglades
Great Smoky Mountains
Mammoth Ce
Monticello and the University of Virginia
Poverty Point
San Antonio Missions
West
Carlsbad Cerns
Chaco Culture
Grand Canyon National Park
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Kluane-Wrangell–St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek1
Mesa Verde
Olympic National Park
Pueblo de Taos
Papahānaumokuākea
Redwood
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park1
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
Multiple locations
The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright
Territories
La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico
1 Shared with Canada
vteProtected areas of WashingtonFederalNational Estuarine Research Reserves
Padilla Bay
National Fish Hatcheries
Carson
Makah
Quilcene
Quinault
National Forests
Colville
Gifford Pinchot
Idaho Panhandle
Kaniksu
Mount Baker–Snoqualmie
Okanogan–Wenatchee
Olympic
Umatilla
Wenatchee
National Heritage Areas
Maritime Washington
Mountains to Sound Greenway
National Historic Sites and Historical Parks
Fort Vancouver
Klondike Gold Rush
Lewis and Clark
Manhattan Project
Nez Perce
San Juan Island
Whitman Mission
National Marine Sanctuaries
Olympic Coast
National Monuments
Hanford Reach
Mount St. Helens Volcanic
San Juan Islands
National Parks
Mount Rainier
North Cascades
Olympic
National Recreation Areas
Lake Chelan
Lake Roosevelt
Mount Baker
Ross Lake
National Reserves
Ebey's Landing
National Trails
Cascadia Marine
Ice Age Floods
Lewis and Clark
Oregon
Pacific Crest
Pacific Northwest
National Wild and Scenic Rivers
Illabot
Klickitat
Pratt
Skagit
Snoqualmie
White Salmon
National Wildlife Refuges
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually
Columbia
Conboy Lake
Copalis
Dungeness
Flattery Rocks
Franz Lake
Grays Harbor
Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer
Little Pend Oreille
McNary
Pierce
Protection Island
Quillayute Needles
Ridgefield
Saddle Mountain
San Juan Islands
Steigerwald Lake
Toppenish
Turnbull
Umatilla
Willapa
Other
National Historic Landmarks
National Natural Landmarks
National Register of Historic Places
Wilderness Areas
Layser Ce
The Enchantments
StateState Parks
Alta Lake
Anderson Lake
Battle Ground Lake
Bay View
Beacon Rock
Belfair
Birch Bay
Blake Island
Blind Island
Bogachiel
Bottle Beach
Bridgeport
Bridle Trails
Brooks Memorial
Cama Beach
Camano Island
Camp Wooten Retreat Center
Cape Disappointment
Clark Island
Columbia Hills
Columbia Plateau Trail
Conconully
Crawford
Curlew Lake
Cutts Island
Daroga
Dash Point
Deception Pass
Doe Island
Dosewallips
Doug's Beach
Eagle Island
Federation Forest
Fields Spring
Flaming Geyser
Forks of the Sky
Fort Casey
Fort Columbia
Fort Ebey
Fort Flagler
Fort Simcoe
Fort Townsend
Fort Worden
Ginkgo Petrified Forest
Goldendale Observatory
Grayland Beach
Griffiths-Priday
Harstine Island
Hope Island (Mason County)
Hope Island (Skagit County)
Ike Kinswa
Illahee
Iron Horse
Jackson House
James Island
Jarrell Cove
Joemma Beach
Jones Island
Joseph Whidbey
Kanaskat-Palmer
Kinney Point
Kitsap Memorial
Klickitat Trail
Kopachuck
Lake Chelan
Lake Easton
Lake Lenore Ces
Lake Sammamish
Lake Sylvia
Lake Wenatchee
Larrabee
Leadbetter Point
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark Trail
Lime Kiln Point
Lincoln Rock
Lyons Ferry
Manchester
Maryhill
Matia Island
Matilda Jackson
McMicken Island
Millersylvania
Moran
Mount Pilchuck
Mount Spokane
Mystery Bay
Nolte
Obstruction Pass
Ocean City
Olallie
Olmstead Place
Pacific Beach
Pacific Pines
Palouse Falls
Palouse to Cascades
Paradise Point
Patos Island
Peace Arch
Pearrygin Lake
Penrose Point
Peshastin Pinnacles
Pleasant Harbor
Posey Island
Potholes
Potlatch
Rainbow Falls
Rasar
Reed Island
Riverside
Rockport
Sacajawea
Saddlebag Island
Saint Edward
Saltwater
Scenic Beach
Schafer
Seaquest
Sequim Bay
Shine Tidelands
Skagit Island
South Whidbey
Spencer Spit
Spokane River Centennial Trail
Spring Creek Hatchery
Squak Mountain
Squilchuck
Steamboat Rock
Steptoe Battlefield
Steptoe Butte
Stretch Point
Stuart Island
Sucia Island
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Tolmie
Triton Cove
Turn Island
Twanoh
Twenty-Five Mile Creek
Twin Harbors
Wallace Falls
Wanapum Recreational Area
Wenatchee Confluence
Westport Light
Willapa Hills Trail
Willie Keil's Gre
Yakima Sportsman
State Forests
Ahtanum
Capitol
Elbe Hills
Green Mountain
Loomis
Loup Loup
Tahuya
Teanaway
Tiger Mountain
Yacolt Burn
Natural Area Preserves
Admiralty Inlet
Badger Gulch
Bald Hill
Barker Mountain
Bone River
Camas Meadows
Carlisle Bog
Castle Rock
Charley Creek
Chehalis River Surge Plain
Chopaka Mountain
Clearwater Bogs
Cleveland Shrub Steppe
Columbia Falls
Columbia Hills
Crowberry Bog
Cypress Highlands
Dabob Bay
Dailey Prairie
Dis Canyon
Entiat Slopes
Goose Island
Gunpowder Island
Hamma Hamma Balds
Ink Blot
Kahlotus Ridgetop
Kennedy Creek
Kings Lake Bog
Kitsap Forest
Lacamas Prairie
Little Pend Oreille River
Marcellus Shrub Steppe
Methow Rapids
Mima Mounds
Monte Cristo
Niawiakum River
North Bay
Oak Patch
Olivine Bridge
Pinecroft
Point Doughty
Riverside Breaks
Rocky Prairie
Sand Island
Schumacher Creek
Selah Cliffs
Skagit Bald Eagle
Skookum Inlet
Snoqualmie Bog
Spring Creek Canyon
Trombetta Canyon
Trout Lake
The Two-Steppe
Upper Dry Gulch
Washougal Oaks
Whitcomb Flats
Willapa Divide
Natural ResourcesConservation Areas
Ashford
Cattle Point
Clearwater Corridor
Cypress Island
Devils Lake
Dishman Hills
Elk River
Ellsworth Creek
Granite Lakes
Hat Island
Hendrickson Canyon
Klickitat Canyon
Lake Louise
Loomis
Lummi Island
Merrill Lake
Middle Fork Snoqualmie
Morning Star
Mount Si
Naselle Highlands
Queets River
Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area
Shipwreck Point
Skamokawa Creek
South Nemah
South Nolan
Stis
Stevenson Ridge
Table Mountain
Tahoma Forest
Teal Slough
Washougal Oaks
West Tiger Mountain
White Salmon Oak
Woodard Bay
Aquatic Reserves
Cherry Point
Cypress Island
Fidalgo Bay
Maury Island
Nisqually Reach
Protection Island
Smith and Minor Islands
OtherFormer state parks
Damon Point
Fay Bainbridge
Fort Okanogan
Fort Ward Park
Griffin Bay
Mukilteo Lighthouse Park
Osoyoos Lake Veteran's Memorial Park
Skull Island
Upright Channel
Wenberg
Westhen
Marine protected areas
Goose Island
Mount Adams Recreation Area
Sehome Hill Arboretum
Yellow Island
Category
Seattle
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Commons
vteNational Park Trelers Club Conventions
2003: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
2004: Rocky Mountain National Park
2005: Mammoth Ce National Park
2006: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
2007: Olympic National Park
2008: Lowell National Historical Park
2009: Sequoia National Park
2010: El Malpais National Monument
2011: National Mall
2012: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
2013: Shiloh National Military Park
2014: Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
2015: Chamizal National Memorial
2016: Independence National Historical Park
2017: Mount Rushmore National Memorial
2018: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
2019: Flagstaff, Arizona area national monuments
2020: Virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic
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