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The Olympic National Park

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With plenty of rain throughout the year, the park is in a constant state of insanely beautiful green. Much bigger than it first appears, Olympic spreads over 900,000 acres. The geography ranges from coastline to thick forest to mountains capped with glaciers. Much of the park is classified as a rain forest, which means you’ll need a coat to handle the cool temperatures most of the time. This is made up, however, by waterfalls that pour off of cliff faces into pools of crystal clear water.

Located roughly two hours outside of Seattle, Olympic National Park is 95 percent wilderness. This untamed geography is an odd contrast so close to a major city. Despite the close location, the park is home to over 1,000 plant species, 300 bird species and 70 mammal species. Of this collection, the park is the only place in the world where 15 types of animals and 8 plant species can be found.

With its northwestern location, water is a constant at Olympic National Park. Depending on the time of year, rain can be a constant. Annually, parts of the park receive roughly 12 feet of rain. This massive volume of rain has a side benefit, to wit, the forested areas of the park have grown massive. Old growth trees top 200 feet in some areas and the ground area is covered with ferns like you’ve never seen before in your life.

With so much rain, it probably isn’t a surprise the park contains over 3,000 miles of waterways and 29 species of fish. Of note, Steelhead and Pacific Salmon use the rivers to migrate to and from the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, no fishing is allowed in the park.

If you visit Olympic National Park, it is best to just start cruising the trails. With over 600 miles of them, you’ll have plenty to do.

The Olympic National Park

Although referred to as three parks in one sometimes the Olympic National Park is really just one park that encompasses several ecosystems. The three ecosystems that divide the park are the rainforest, Olympic mountains, and the Pacific coastline. Olympic National Park is located in the upper northwestern corner of the state in an area known as the Olympic Peninsula.

The park is very interesting to visit because of its location and its three different ecosystems, but also because there are species there that are not anywhere else on earth. The reason why is the mountain range closes the peninsula off from the rest of the land and certain species evolved here that did not elsewhere. The park is a biological reserve and it is studied on a regular basis to better understand what makes the park so special and how animals evolved here.

Tourists love the Olympic National Park because of the beauty, nature, and outdoor sports like hiking and backpacking. It is especially cool to backpack along the beach for several days. This is no problem because the coastline is very long and provides the perfect place for backpackers to trek through the natural beauty. Hurricane Ridge is a great place within the park to visit during the winter months for the Nordic and alpine skiing.

There are several roads on the peninsula, but none of them make it into the depths of the peninsula rendering much of it wilderness that may only be explored on foot. Because of this visiting the park for a brief time will not do it justice. So, plan a couple days or at the very least one full day to dedicate to exploring the beauty of Olympic National Park.

Some of the best things to do in the park, for those who don’t know, include the following. Doing these activities will ensure you get the best of the park. You should definitely climb all 7,965 feet of Mt. Olympus. Also, backpack the 57 miles of coast and raft the rivers. Hike the Grand Ridge Trail that is above the tree line and provides unbelievable views from a very precarious trail. Sea kayak the coast of the park, soak in the hot springs, and watch the salmon migrate. If you can fit all of these activities into your vacation to the park then you will certainly get the best experience possible.

There is a website that has great information on USA Vacations and Unique Travel Spots Listed State By State and Season, the website is called: Seasonal Vacation Spots, and can be found at this url:

http://www.seasonalvacationspots.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

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Both Rick Chapo & Robert Benjamin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Rick Chapo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Phishing, Home Improvement and Women. Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of . Visit us to read more articles about. Rick Chapo's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.

Robert Benjamin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Pets and Dog Breeds. Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet for over 6 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past 25+ years. He first released products on the AMIGA and C64 computer systems in the late 1970's-80's.Un. Robert Benjamin's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.

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