Olympic National Park
We take a ferry across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Angeles for lunch at Little Devil’s Lunchbox. We then drive to Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park for a walk through the temperate rainforest’s “Hall of Mosses.” We continue south to the Washington shoreline before arriving at beautiful Lake Quinault.
Ferry to Port Angeles
Dad and I took the morning car ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After weeks of late rains, summer had finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest, and the day was bright and warm.
Little Devil's Lunchbox
Directly off the ferry, we stopped at Little Devil's Lunchbox, a good and funky sandwich shop in Port Angeles.
Lunch acquired, we jumped back into the car and drove west into Olympic National Park, through wonderfully dense forests and aside the intensely blue waters of Lake Crescent. The second-deepest lake in the state, Lake Crescent gets its deep blue color from low levels of nitrogen in the water, which inhibits the growth of algae.
An hour later — now heading south around the western edge of the park through the town of Forks — we stopped near some empty ballfields to enjoy our sandwiches and move on toward the highlight of the day.
Hoh Rain Forest
In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt designated Mount Olympus in northwestern Washington as a national monument. The area was made a national park in 1938 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The park has four distinct regions: coastline, alpine areas, temperate rainforests on the western side of the peaks, and drier forests on the eastern side.If we'd had more time, we would have explored the mountain route into the park from Port Angeles, all the way up to the scenic viewpoints of Hurricane Ridge. But I most wanted to see the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States.
After some stop-and-go driving and a prolonged search for parking, we reached the starting point for a few park trails, including the “Hall of Mosses” trail. I took a walk while Dad looked around the Visitor Center.
The rainforest is dominated by Sitka spruce and western hemlock, some reaching more than 300 feet tall. But what draws the attention of visitors are the breezy mosses draped across branches and roots like tattered garments.
Water burbled here and there from creeks along the trails. It was impossibly clear, the ripples barely obfuscating the creek floor.
The trail was pleasant and not too crowded, given the parking situation. I managed to find peace at intervals, taking in the rich air and finding a few moments to empty my busy mind. I felt grateful that so much more of this park was relatively untouched, allowing homes for black bears, bobcats, cougars, Roosevelt elk, foxes, and more.
Washington Shoreline
Beyond Hoh Rain Forest, Highway 101 veers west, hugging the coast for a short stretch. We paused briefly to enjoy the empty beach and brilliant lupines sprouting on the small bluff.
Lake Quinault
Soon we arrived in Quinault, named for the tribe of Indigenous coastal Salish people who lived here. The town's highlight is the Lake Quinault Lodge, built in 1926 by Seattle architect Robert Reamer, who had designed the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park in a similar rustic style. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.I walked out onto the expansive lawn between the hotel and the water’s edge as we waited for our table to be ready at the lodge’s Roosevelt Dining Room. Lengthening shadows brought a sense of calm, an exhale from a long day of travel. Kids rolled bocce balls across the grass, songbirds chirped up in the surrounding pines, and couples sat placidly, facing the lake to capture a perfect moment in the mind’s eye.
