Olympic National Park Flashcards

In the Hoh Rain Forest, so much rain falls that moss grows on everything. On the Hall of Mosses trail, club moss hangs off the bigleaf maples in long green curtains.

Olympic is really three parks in one. Up at Hurricane Ridge you stand in alpine meadows with the Olympic Mountains across the valley, still holding snow in summer.

The park's third world is the wild coast. At Ruby Beach, tall rock towers called sea stacks stand in the surf and driftwood piles up on the sand. Always check the tide before you walk out.

At Sol Duc, a short walk through the forest reaches a waterfall that splits and drops into a rocky gorge in more than one place at once. The same valley has warm mineral hot springs.

Lake Crescent is a deep lake carved by glaciers, so clear you can watch the bottom drop away from the shallows. A short trail from its shore climbs to Marymere Falls.

The park's coast meets the land of the Makah Tribe, who have lived and fished here for thousands of years. Near Cape Alava, a storm once uncovered the Makah village of Ozette, kept whole under mud for centuries.