Tagabonds: Olympic Peninsula

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Olympic National Park | Part 2

After we left the mountainous side of Olympic National Park, we drove west to camp in the Olympic National Forest. After one failed camping attempt at a completely filled campsite we were thrilled to find a campground a ways down the road where we scored a campsite nestled into the surrounding rainforest landscape.

The next day we explored a couple of the walking trails near the Hoh Rain Forest Visitors Center, where all the plants and trees throughout the path were super lush and green (the rainforest is one of the largest remaining temperate rainforests in the US). It really felt like we were in a different country!

And, yes, for all you Twilight fans out there - we did drive through Forks. We didn't do much exploring of the area but we did see a good number of tour advertisements on the roadside, along with some Twilight firewood. I think the little town is making the best out of their claim to fame.

-Amanda

More: Part 1, Washington, Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest

Port Angeles on Dwellable

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Olympic National Park | Part 1

When we stopped at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, just inside the entrance near Port Angeles, we told the park ranger we had one goal for a hike that day: wildflowers! I had heard that this side of Olympic National Park is full of mountain range views and meadows filled with wildflowers. The park ranger told us to go hike the Hurricane Hill trail, as it was the only area with wildflowers during that time of year.

The drive over to Hurricane Hill was thrilling, with curvy roads and stunning outlooks of the mountain range. The hike itself was just as beautiful - we passed wildlife, wildflowers, and gorgeous viewpoints of Puget Sound and the Olympic Range while hiking up 700 feet over 1.6 miles to the summit. The only unfortunate part of the day was that I was sick, which made the hike a bit challenging for me... and, the worst part, I couldn't smell the wildflowers (don't worry, Taras did his part by making sure I knew just how beautiful the flowers smelt...).

-Amanda

More: Washington, Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest.