Olympic National Park - Part I The Coast

Rialto Beach, Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula in Washington State is home to Olympic National Park.  Like the peninsula, the park has several distinct parts: the Pacific Coast, temperate rain forests, high mountains, and glacial lakes.  We recently visited the park spending time in each area, beginning with the coastal region.

We began at Kalaloch, a NPS lodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  It had been raining on the 3 hour drive from Seattle, but when we arrived the clouds were parting and the rain had stopped.  Unlike our Atlantic beaches in the Southeast, there are few broad sandy beaches on the Olympic Peninsula.  Thick forests of spruce line the headlands and most beaches are reached by a trail that leads down to the water.

Kalaloch Creek reaches the Pacific Ocean at the Kalaloch Lodge and restaurant.

Evening light and clearing skies silhouette a tree on the coast.

Above and below: Pacific Ocean sunset

The Spruce trees at Beach #1 have formed large burls.  While burls are not unusual, the concentrations of them makes this area unique.

Numerous burls on spruce trees.

At beaches farther north we began seeing sea stacks, more drift logs (drift trees really) and some sea stars as the tide went out.  Enjoy the pictures!

Sea stars cling to rocks as the tide goes out.

Sea stacks at Ruby Beach.

Morning light through the trees.

Drift logs at Rialto Beach.

One huge drift log!

Rough surf and distant sea stacks.