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Olympic National Park





The core of Olympic National Park, in western Washington, is one of the last great roadless areas in the lower 48 states. Temperate rain forests, dominated by enormous Sitka spruce and Douglas fir hundreds of feet tall, carpet the valleys. Furry epiphyte moss and dense, vibrant vegetation give a Tolkienesqe lushness to the mountain landscape. Mt. Olympus towers over the peninsula, clad with glaciers but hikeable on a well-maintained, although lengthy, trail. Beautiful beaches draw clammers, fishers, and families during sunny days of early summer. Aside from mountain sheep, moose, bears, and herds of elk, the park also has unique species of animals and plants found only on this mountainous peninsula. Therefore, Olympic National Park is a protected biological preserve very important for scientific study and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can reach Olympic National Park via ferry from Seattle or Victoria, British Columbia. There are also flights to nearby Port Angeles, so you can approach the park from the air; the views of the mountains can be fantastic, and you can arrange to rent a car at the small airport.

This article is based on work found at WikiTravel. A list of contributors is available a the original article. This article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license.

 

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