srini Posted March 25, 1999 Share Posted March 25, 1999 I will be in Seattle during the first week of May and was planing on spending 3/4 days at either Mt Rainier or Olympic National Park. Having not visited either park before, i am unable to decide which would be a better place at this time of the year. I am interested mostly in landscapes. Would most of the higher elevation of Olympic NP be closed still? Is this the right time for wild flowers? <p> Thanks,<br> --Srini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_windom Posted March 25, 1999 Share Posted March 25, 1999 Olympic NP will offer you more variety this time of year. Mount Rainier received and is continuing to receive a tremendous amount of snow this winter and there will still be plenty up there by early May. If the weather is good you might want to plan a day trip up to Paradise, however, there probably won't be any snow on the trees at this time of year so keep that in mind for landscape work. Hurricane Ridge should be open with great views of the Olympic Mtns. There will be snow on the ground so forget wildflowers up there this early in the year. If it's overcast, which it most likely will be, I would recommend Sol Duc Falls and the Hoh Rain Forest, both in Olympic NP. If the weather is good you might want to try the coast at Second Beach and Rialto Beach, both in Olympic NP. Further down the coast is Ruby Beach which is nice but not as impressive as Rialto and Second. Personally, I spend most of May in Olympic NP. You can't go wrong out there. The weather will dictate where in the Park you go. The good thing is that most of these areas are quite close to one another and it's relatively easy to bounce back and forth between them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_harris1 Posted March 26, 1999 Share Posted March 26, 1999 Another something you might want to consider is Mt.St. Helens..Not much for beauty that Olympic and Ranier might offer..I went there about two years ago. It was a very rewarding experience spiritually and to also witness the aftermath of the power of nature. It is a challenge for any photographer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug_mckeever1 Posted March 26, 1999 Share Posted March 26, 1999 Srini: I have lived in western Washington all of my life and have taken countless trips to both parks as a geologist and mountaineer. Mark was correct: our mountains have been getting snow like we haven't seen since the mid seventies. There is about 30 feet of snow on the ground at Paradise at 5500' on Mt. Rainier right now. Hurricane Ridge on the northern side of the Olympics has nearly as much. Even in a typical year, May is too early to see the alpine flowers in all their magnificence. There will be flowers in bloom in the valleys in both parks, but only there and not high up. We will still have lots of snow above 5,000' in late July and into August. In Olympic N.P., you can find lots to see and photograph during May in the rain forests (Hoh, Queets, Quinault River Valleys especially) and along the coast especially at Cape Alava (a 3 mile walk). The eastern valleys such as the Dosewallips, Duckabush, and Hamma Hamma are generally not as special in May to a casual visitor, in my opinion. Have lots of fun! And be prepared for wet, cool weather....we have a cool Mediterranean (dry summer) climate in the lowlands here, but in May we usually haven't entered the dry period yet. Doug McKeever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_collins1 Posted April 9, 1999 Share Posted April 9, 1999 Srini, I will also be visiting Seattle for a week (19-23 April) and hope to spend the 19th (afternoon) and 20th (full day) in Olympic Peninsula. Right now I plan on visiting the Hoh River valley on the 19th and walking the Cape Alava/Sand Point loop, or just a portion of it depending on time and weather, on the 20th. On my way back to Seattle I may venture up to Hurricane Ridge. Will let you know how this works out. Feel free to email me if have any questions about Olympic NP for which I may be able to get answers while I am there. Cheers, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanley_mcmanus Posted April 9, 1999 Share Posted April 9, 1999 Check the Olympic National Park website for information on snow at Hurricane Ridge. The road was closed last month when I though of driving out there for a day. They are having record snowfalls and the road may not be open yet. Was in Seattle last week and the local paper claimed that they might break the record for the most snowfall in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_di_biase Posted May 10, 1999 Share Posted May 10, 1999 There is a new mailing list expressly for the purpose of discussing photography of the Pacific Northwest. You can find it by going to www.onelist.com and searching for the pnwphoto group. Follow the instructions to join. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian vega Posted May 10, 1999 Share Posted May 10, 1999 Paul ,I tried to find the site but was unable. Would you mind posting the link here, if that is possible? Thanks, BV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_di_biase Posted May 10, 1999 Share Posted May 10, 1999 This URL is suppossed to take you directly to a sign up page. http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/pnwphoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srini Posted May 12, 1999 Author Share Posted May 12, 1999 Thanks for all your responses. As suggested I went to Olympic. Hurrucan ridge had opened only a few days back and had lots of snow on ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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