Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is a place of incredible diversity: mountains, rainforest and rugged coastline, all within one park.
My day here was oneI took on my own. At the visitor center, I remember learning about a predator in the park, and that gave me pause. It shifted my mindset that I wasn’t quite as confident heading deep into the trails alone.
Instead, I followed the coastline. Driving the shore, I saw scenes of dramatic cliffs and waves rolling in steadily. There was a feeling of standing on the edge of something vast and untamed, and at the same time, quiet and very much alive.
The park was established in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, preserving this unique ecosystem. Olympic National Park protects one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States, while at the same time offering 70 miles of wild, undeveloped coastline.
What stayed with me most of this park was that Olympic is one of the national parks I would like to return to, next time with someone else, to explore it more fully. One day there was enough to show me its beauty, but not nearly enough to feel like I had seen it.
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