The Mountains Are Calling: Olympic National Park

At last: We have reached the Mountains!  

(Okay, way back in June we reached the mountains... I'm a little behind in my writing.)

My home is in the lowlands, but the mountains will forever call my name.  (Literally, for those of you who know me...)  While the Sierra Nevada are my mountains, I feel a particular affinity to all of our western mountain ranges, including the magnificent Cascades of Oregon and Washington.

In this fourth installment of posts covering our summer travels in the Pacific Northwest, we will explore the mountains and forests of Olympic National Park.

Part I: Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock
Part II: Pacific Northwest Coast
Part III: Inland Valleys and Lowland Forests
Part V: North Cascades National Park
Part VI: Mount Rainier National Park
Part VII: Crater Lake National Park



It might be disloyal of me to say, but it is quite possible that my favorite National Park (of the 30 I have visited) is Washington's Olympic National Park.  From snow-capped mountains, to vibrant green temperate rainforests, to rugged, wave-sculpted coastline, this park has it all!  Here, you don't have to agonize over the mountains vs. beach debate: you can have both!  And, in my opinion, first-rate examples of both!

We spent our first night at Olympic National Park camping in the Hoh Rainforest.  After a drizzly (okay, rainy) night, we woke to a beautiful sunny morning and birds galore!  Vaux's Swifts darted and swooped high above the Hoh River, Belted Kingfishers coursed by on strong wings, following the curves of the river, Band-tailed Pigeons preened in nearby snag, and warblers sung fervently from the willows.  

Morning along the Hoh River


In the forest, Hammond's Flycatchers, Pacific Wrens, Varied and Swainson's Thrushes and American Robins filled the air with a symphony of song.  The drumming of Pileated Woodpeckers and raucous calls of Steller's Jays punctuated the air.  

Mossy maples and ferns in the Hoh Rainforest

The damp, mossy rainforests of Olympic National Park are certainly beautiful, but as this was my third visit to this park, I knew where I wanted - needed - to go.  On our second day in the park, we headed up in elevation to the park's most spectacular (and easily accessible) viewpoint: Hurricane Ridge.

Iconic view from Hurricane Ridge

Every time I visit Hurricane Ridge, especially when beginning the drive to the top along the shore of a very Lake Luzern-ish lake (called Lake Crescent), I feel like I've taken a mini vacation from my vacation, a quick day trip to Switzerland.  I expect to be met by alphorns every time we reach the Hurricane Ridge visitor Center, which itself faintly resembles one of the innumerable chalet-style restaurants that perch a top so many Swiss mountaintops!  (As a Swiss, bear in mind that saying something "reminds me of Switzerland" is pretty much the highest compliment I can bestow!) 

The views from Hurricane Ridge never fail to blow my mind.  I don't know what else to say, but for me, this is pretty much the best of the best (outside of Switzerland or, you know, Heaven!)

Perfection.  The photos certainly don't do it justice. 

The temperature was somewhere in the 40's (Fahrenheit) when we visited, so Eric elected to read in the car while I wandered around the mountainside looking for birds.  But even the birds couldn't hold my attention: those views were too much for me! 

Utterly overwhelmed (and, unbelievably, not at all cold), I sat down on a rock to feast my eyes and senses on the beauty before me for nearly an hour.

My mountaintop perch, seat of awe and wonder.


But, of course, I did notice the birds... 

Canada Jay


Here I met daring yet darling Canada Jays for the first time.   Bold as brass and cute as a button, these corvids look and act more like overgrown chickadees than relatives of crows and jays.  Also called Gray Jays or, colloquially, "camp robbers," these jay-sized birds are often found hanging around high elevation campgrounds and picnic areas, hoping for handouts.  Whatever their reputation, I enjoyed their curious, almost friendly nature and absolutely fell in love with these birds and their antics!  

Canada Jay close-up

From my mountaintop perch, I also watched Common Ravens, Townsends Solitaires, American Robins and American Pipits, Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, and several species of warblers, including Townsend's, Black-throated Gray and Yellow-rumped.  

Singing Chipping Sparrow


It was certainly a wrench to leave this enchanting place!  But... the snow flurries that met us at the top of Hurricane Hill were pretty good motivation to head back down in elevation and on to our next destination: North Cascades National Park!


Olympic Marmot


Part I: Seabird Colony at Haystack Rock
Part II: Pacific Northwest Coast
Part III: Inland Valleys and Lowland Forests
Part V: North Cascades National Park
Part VI: Mount Rainier National Park
Part VII: Crater Lake National Park

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