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John Cletheroe's
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A ring of main roads surrounds the inland unit of the park, but due to the mountains and rivers in the area no main roads run through the park. US101 forms the western, northern and eastern sides of this ring, with US12 forming most of the southern side, although this southern side is a considerable distance south of the park's southern boundary. From this surrounding ring of main roads various spur roads extend in to the various areas within the inland unit of the park and also westward to various parts of the coastal unit. The ring of main roads around the inland unit of the park extends for a distance of over three hundred miles.
US101 runs alongside the ocean through the southernmost part of the Pacific Beaches unit of the park.
The entire Olympic Peninsula is subject to very high levels of rainfall throughout most of the year; this is of course responsible for the existence of the park's rain forests. Precipitation in the rain forests averages twelve to fourteen feet per year. Visitors to the area should be prepared for poor weather and dress appropriately. Unfortunately low clouds often obscure the views of the mountains.
Three spur roads run south from the Port Angeles area (in the north) to Deer Park, Hurricane Ridge and a third unnamed area, all on the northern side of the Olympic Mountains. The road to Deer park is unpaved for about half its length. The roads to Hurricane Ridge and the third area are paved for their entire lengths.
On a clear day excellent views of the Olympic Mountains can be seen from the Coho Ferry which runs between Port Angeles and Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Rain Forests - Hoh Rain Forest, etc.
A spur road runs east from US101 south of the town of Forks to the Hoh Rain Forest. This road is paved for its entire length and makes for a very pleasant drive. There is a visitor centre at the end of the road, plus hiking trails of various lengths which lead through parts of the rain forest, with its unusual and very interesting vegetation. A particular feature is the plant-life growing on the trees, made possible by the very high humidity level. A short, paved, virtually flat hiking trail near the Visitor Centre provides an ideal means of appreciating the rain forest for visitors with limited time or mobility, but there are also a number of longer trails.
Another spur road extends northeast from US101 near the town of Amanda Park to Quinalt Rain Forest and beyond. We have not yet explored this. The road is paved as far as Quinalt Rain Forest but unpaved over the latter part of its length.
A number of other spur roads, some of them unpaved over part of their lengths, extend into the inland unit of the park from the main roads which run round its perimeter. Some of these spur roads may well lead to other rain forest areas.
In addition, US101 runs very close to the Pacific Coast through the southern part of the northern half of the Olympic Peninsula. From the parking lot for each of these beaches there are trails, usually fairly short, down to the beach. Most of the parking areas are on the cliffs above the beaches so the trails normally involve a slope. Due to the area being densely forested, views of the ocean from US101 itself are extremely rare but in many cases a good view of the beach and the surrounding coastline can be obtained from each of the beach parking areas. The Pacific Coast is mainly very wild and rugged in this part of Washington State, with many huge logs washed up on the beaches, small islands and sea-stacks offshore, and huge waves crashing in from the ocean. These beaches are definitely not suitable for swimming and hikers should beware of being trapped by incoming tides.
Another road further north runs west out to Ozette, close to the coast. A trail (roughly three miles each way) runs from Ozette to the coast itself. We have not yet explored this area.
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Most recently modified 2-Sep-98