8 Wild and Beautiful Things You Have to See at Olympic National Park

Moss and really-big-tree enthusiasts love Olympic National Park. This photograph was taken at the Fairholm camping grounds. Visit the Hoh and Quinault Rain Forests for more giant trees, moss-covered canopies, and some of the best hiking in the park.

Kalaloch Beach is one long stretch of wave-battered beauty. Any time you can stay in a national park lodge you should. A good place to do that here is Kalaloch Lodge, where bluff top cabins sit less than 100 feet from the Pacific.

Olympic National Park is famous for spotting Roosevelt elk—one of the great wildlife experiences of the West. President Theodore Roosevelt, after whom the elk are named, designated the land a national monument in 1909 to protect the elk; it became a national park in 1938. Look for Olympic's legendary Roosevelt elk on Upper Hoh Road or on your way to the park from Forks, Washington (shown here on Bell Hill with a view Sequim, Washington).

This glacially-carved lake, hidden among the northern foothills of the Olympic Mountains, offers plenty of day activities and stunning natural beauty. Its waters present clear views almost 60 feet deep. It is the only place where rare Beardslee “blueback” trout live. Rent a rod (and a canoe) from Lake Crescent Lodge to hook a closer look.

From Port Angeles, drive south on Hurricane Ridge road for 17 miles. Named for the 75-mile-an-hour winds that can blow here in winter, in summer the Ridge is merely spectacular, offering amazing views of the Olympic Mountains and the Olympic Peninsula coastline.

Some of the prettiest hikes in Olympic National Park are along the waterfall trails. See the wild beauty of Sol Duc on the 0.8-mile hike to Sol Duc Falls. You'll cross a canyon by bridge for an up-close view of three sheets of white water crashing down into a crevasse of black rock.

The Hoh Rain Forest, a swath of green on the western edge of Olympic National Park, is one of the dampest places in the continental United States (it soaks in an average of 12 to 14 feet of rain each year). See a rich spectrum of greens: the deep emerald of licorice fern, the wan olive of hanging club moss, and the turquoise of Sitka spruce needles. One of the best ways to see this verdant brilliance is the Hall of Mosses Trail by the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.

Solitary surfers and sea stacks dot this stunning, moody Olympic National Park coast. Take a stroll along Rialto Beach or Ruby Beach to take in the otherworldly views.