We were actually pretty lucky yesterday though. The forecast wasn't great, and they're calling for showers on and off for the next week or so. Of course... the Olympic Peninsula gets a lot of rain.
First stop was a hike up to Marymere Falls.
We made our way to Lake Crescent. Nice drive on a scenic road...
Still lots of traffic.
Newly paved road.
Lake Crescent, Washington.
Lots of curves.
The ranger office.
Ruth, and a beautiful old tree!
Only about a 2 mile (3.2 km) round trip hike to the Marymede Falls. Really beautiful walking through the old growth forests here. This was just a short trail, so there were a few people on it, but actually pretty quiet because of the time of year.
Marymede Falls.
Lake Crescent.
Back at the parking lot, we decided to do a bit more hiking. There are over 600 miles (1,000 kms) of trails in Olympic National Park! Wow!
The wildlife here is not too skittish!
Lake Crescent canoes and fisherman.
We carried on to Sol Duc Road. At the end of the road is Sol Duc Falls, and there is another small waterfall called Salmon Cascade Falls.
Scenery along Lake Crescent.
Salmon Cascade Falls.
Big rocks worn smooth.
Salmon Cascade Falls.
And there were actual salmon in there trying to jump up the falls! We hadn't realized this until another woman said to us "Have you seen them?" And we didn't realize what she was talking about. Then, we saw the salmon jumping. Not very many, and you had to stand and watch for a while. But they were definitely there!
We watched for a while, then carried on up to Sol Duc Falls. Hardly anybody on the road up there, and at the fairly big parking area there were only five or six vehicles. Lots of room to park Sherman.
Ruth, in the old growth forest.
Short hike to Sol Duc Falls.
Sol Duc Falls.
It would be great to see these waterfalls in the spring. There must be a ton of water flowing down at that time of year.
Mushrooms.
When we added it all up, we ended up doing about 4.5 miles (7 kms) between the three short hikes. Not bad. And the weather held out, for the most part. It only spit on us a little bit during the last walk to Sol Duc Falls.
Yesterday's drive, 63 miles (100 kms).
There is no free camping in the National Park, but on the western edge of Olympic National Park, is Olympic National Forest where there are a lot of logging roads and you can find places to free camp there. We found a spot listed on iOverlander, and as soon as we got parked up it started to pour with rain. Never even got a photo of Sherman in his free boondocking spot!
Quiet as can be overnight. A great spot, except for the rain!
Today, we're headed further west. In fact, we're going as far northwest as you can go on mainland U.S.A... all the way to Cape Flattery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A big selection of top quality Streamlight flashlights are on sale today...
And in Canada...
I've done that road many times and it's always amazing to do or hike new trails. Last year we hiked in the rain with rain slickers to water falls. We did see the salmon jumping...lots of them in October too. We came across on ferry from Vancouver Island to Port Angels & then ferried back to Seattle from Port Townsend. The rain forest is so breath taking with mosses, ferns and many blue jays and other critters. We hiked several trails including the one to the beach near Forks on La Push Road. Looking forward to more of your photos.
ReplyDeleteWe really love hiking through these forests, as you say they are beautiful with all the moss and ferns.
DeleteWe will be headed to the beach soon.
Thanks for sharing! LOVE seeing all the natural, unspoiled beautiful forests/waterfalls!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. we love going out there and exploring. :-)
DeleteThere is still a lot of natural, unspoiled areas in the world, we really hope that they will stay that way for a long time to come.
Not sure that Sherman can fit into the parking lot for Cape Flattery. Maybe they made it bigger since I was there. Get there early though for less traffic. Check out the replica of Lewis and Clark Fort and climb the tower above the town.
ReplyDeleteSherman had no trouble getting into the parking lot. They actually have a few sites set aside for RV's and they also have an RV turn around area, providing of course that during the busy time of year cars don't park there. This time of year is great for exploring this area, we have said to each other a few times already that we wouldn't want to be here at during the summer, it would be a zoo then.
DeleteNot sure what replica or town you are talking about regarding the Lewis and Clark Fort? I couldn't find anything about one in this immediate area. I know there is one near the tip of Oregon.
We did this trip in 2016 with Pauly from Haida Gwaii all the way to SanFrancisco vía Hwy 101 and along the west coast. Cape Flattery was memorable and so were the rain forests and the beaches in Washington and Oregon. Your photos bring back nostalgic moments. Have fun and safe travels .
ReplyDeleteWe would like to try and stay close to the coast if we can, except for a side trip into the Columbia River Gorge but it will all depend on the weather. Today it is supposed to be not bad up until late afternoon and then it will start raining again and continue to rain for several days so we will see. There isn't much point in staying close to the coast if all it is going to do is rain.
DeleteI am glad that we could rekindle some good memories of your trip. It really is pretty and we were very lucky to have had a few good days at the start. :-)