Into the Woods

170 miles

This morning we checked out of Lake Crescent Lodge and made our way towards the western side of the Olympic Peninsula. We passed through the small town of Forks, but since we haven't read the books nor watched any of the "Twilight" movies, we didn't stop to look around for any vampires or werewolves. The movies weren't actually filmed in this area, but that hasn't stopped them from capitalizing on "Twihard" tourism.

About 90 minutes and 65 miles later, we arrived at the Hoh Rain Forest. Since it was midweek, the visitor center was closed 😢, so we just headed straight for the Hall of Mosses Trail. The 0.8-mile loop took us through an old growth forest where we saw an abundance of trees covered by club moss.

On our way back out to the 101, we stopped at the Peak 6 Gift Shop. Cute store - R found a shirt that he liked, and I picked up a couple postcards from a local photographer. Then we continued on to see the sea stacks at Ruby Beach. Unfortunately, our timing was off, so there would be no tidepooling for us today.

We bumped into the same couple we saw at Hoh Rain Forest, who kindly took another pic of us

After making the climb back up to the parking lot, we fixed sandwiches for lunch (they always taste better on vacation!) and then drove to see the Big Cedar Tree. Since the gravel road had lots of potholes, we had to drive super slow to get to the small parking area. From there, it was just a short walk to the base of the tree, or more accurately, what's left of it after a partial collapse from a storm in 2014.

After a quick stop at the Kalaloch Lodge Gift Shop for the passport stamp, we headed for the Quinault Rain Forest area of the park. Because it was still too early to check into our room, we decided to drive the scenic loop. 

First up - the world's largest Sitka Spruce!

Vital stats:

58' 11" circumference

191 feet tall

Approximately 1000 years old

That's a big tree!

We also stopped to see two waterfalls which were visible from the road.

Merriman Falls

Bunch Falls

Going back along North Shore Road was a bit of a white-knuckler because the road was gravel, climbed uphill, and was only wide enough for one car in spots. You'll have to take my word for it because my passenger was napping - guess that means he trusts my driving?!

After making it safely back to Lake Quinault Lodge, we checked in, unloaded our stuff, and then went outside to sit in the sun and enjoy the view. It's a bit pricey to stay at a historic lodge inside any national park (this one was built in 1926), but for us, the location is totally worth the splurge.

Having learned our lesson at Lake Crescent Lodge, yesterday I called ahead for dinner reservations in the Roosevelt Dining Room. Another lovely meal spent overlooking a lake at sunset!

This was our last day in Olympic National Park. We saw and did a lot during the 2.5 days we were here, but another day or two would have given us more opportunities to explore the beaches or hike other trails in the park. Guess we'll just have to come back someday...