Itinerary help - A week in Olympic NP and adjacent area

[photoprospect]

<p>I'm looking for help planning the itinerary in the Olympic NP and its vicinity<br>

After combing the net for places to see and photograph, I came up with the following list:<br>

Must see:</p>

<ul>

<li>Lake Quinault (starting place - coming from Portland, OR this is as far as I'm willing to drive in one afternoon)</li>

<li>La Push - Ruby beach, beach #2/#4</li>

<li>Cape Flattery - light hike</li>

<li>Hoh Rain Forest - light hike</li>

</ul>

<p>Nice to see:</p>

<ul>

<li>Lake Crescent</li>

<li>Ozette Lake</li>

<li>Hurricane Ridge (probably on my way out of the park)</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>Fixed dates:</strong></p>

<ul>

<li>June 7th - I'm driving from Portland, OR (in the afternoon) and Lake Quinault is as far as I'm willing to drive</li>

<li>June 14th - Have to be in Redmond by the end of the day</li>

</ul>

<p><strong>Actual itinerary:</strong><br>

<em>June 7th</em> - Lake Quinault<br>

Sleep and move on in the direction of LaPush, can visit some of the beaches on the way<br>

<em>June 8th</em> - La Push<br>

I'm currently thinking to spend 3-4 nights in La Push, which should give me enough time to photograph the must-see places above. Anything else would be a bonus. In theory I could spend one less day here, but it would reduce my chances of catching a nice light.<br>

<em>June 12th - 13th</em> <strong>???</strong><br>

This is where I'll probably start moving in the general direction of Redmond. <br>

I'd also like to see a sample of Skagit Valley and of Seattle, but it seems to be too much for the time I have - and this is where your recommendations come it :-)<br>

<em>June 14th</em> - Redmond</p>

<p>Suggestions please! Much appreciated! :-)<br>

Jean</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Your plan will have you doing a fair amount of driving to get around to the various entrances to the park, but that's kind of inevitable given the locations of lodging and area covered. When my wife and I visited there a couple of years ago, we spent several nights in Port Angeles (excellent accommodations and restaurants) and a few nights in Forks (disappointing lodging and restaurants). The Port Angeles base of operation was well suited to getting into the park on its north side, although we couldn't get but a short distance into the Elwa entrance because an old hydro-electric dam was being torn down causing closure of that area. That project must be completed by now. Staying in Forks, of course, gave use better access to the park's west side and to the coast. I suggest you consider splitting your stay between La Push and Port Angeles - it would be a bit easier on your driving.</p>

<p>My experiences with Seattle visits in summer have excellent - what my Dad used to call "Chamber of Commerce weather" every time. So my guess is that you'll have sunshine most (and maybe all) of the time. That's not always a good thing - fog on the coast can make for good shooting, and sunshine coming through the canopy of the rainforest makes contrast a real problem trying to shoot on the forest floor.</p>

<p>For the west side, I found it convenient to get into one of the park entrances first thing in the morning, and get over to one of the beaches on the coast in the second half of the afternoon (I like the light conditions). Bear in mind that I had no ambitions to hike - I'm disabled and getting to some of the beaches was a challenge, and walking much distance just wasn't in the cards. You will probably allocate the days' hours differently.</p>

<p>I found Hurricane Ridge to be a place I'd spend either a half day or a week, and since I didn't have a week, we went up early in the morning and were back down to sea level for lunch. Watch for deer up there, and lots of lupine. We spent the afternoon of that day in the Sequim area - lavender was fully in bloom and there were eagles along the beaches.</p>

<p>On your last day I think you'll have time for the Skagit Valley OR Seattle, but not both. The Skagit should be in bloom and have some amazing shots to offer. In Seattle, Pike Place Market is the major attraction, and there are some very nice restaurants along the waterfront. But other than that, I can't offer much info about what else is available.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

Keep an eye on the weather forecasts and save at least one good day for the Skagit valley.

[SCL]

<p>If you can get a cabin at Lake Crescent (probably too late now - as I recall I always needed to book it right after the beginning of the new year), you may never want to leave. The hiking trails are great, scenery is delicious forest, and the main cabin, now a historical site, was built for Teddy Roosevelt during his visit there. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge, while occasionally harrowing, is beautiful as is the scenery at the top. If you go there, and have a clear sighting of Mt. Olympus , and then eventually drive over to the Hoh rainforest...it is only a 13 mile hike to Mt. Olympus...but it seems like about a million miles away. My family & I periodically stayed at Kalaloch when on that side of the park, but I've heard that there has been some deterioriation in the facilities.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Fort Townsend is a nice litle "fudgie" town on your way to Olympic NP. Once you get past Port Angeles, pickings for eating and lodging are pretty meager. I stayed in Forks, and went to the Hoh National Rain Forest the next morning - about an hour's drive. It's like a scene from Jurassic Park, without large green predators (AFIK). Forks has something to do with vampire movies. You millennials probably know more about that than me. The highway takes you around 3/4 of Crescent Lake. There are a few pull offs with photogenic views. If more than 3 cars are lined up behind you, pull off and let them pass, even if you're doing the limit. You can get a ticket for impeding traffic.</p>

<p>The beaches are open to the Pacific Ocean - big waves all the time. You can tell they're beaches because the rocks are smaller. The most scenic beaches near Hoh are about a mile walk along trails from the highway in the Quileute Reservation.</p>

[allenahale]

<p>Consult tide tables for the beach locations to ensure that you can enjoy and experience them at low tide.</p><div></div>

[bob_flood1]

<p>The Twilight movies were filmed in and around Forks, and the local folks lean heavily on that credential. We even saw a road-side stand selling Twilight firewood for campers.</p>

<p>As already advertised, the beaches offer the best (and truly classic) shooting opportunities at low tide, but good coastal scenery shots can be had from the bluffs above the beaches when the tide is in. The difficulty with this is that find vantage points for such shots along wooded bluffs is quite timeconsuming, a significant problem for those us who are just visitors and do not have the time for this that locals have.</p>

[J.W. Wall]

<p>The town is Port Townsend, a neat old Victorian waterfront location with good views. (It is maybe 25 minutes east of Sequim.) There is an old Fort Townsend park which is rather small. We prefer the larger, early-1900's Fort Worden State Park, on the north end of (smallish) town. It has lots of preserved Army buildings and the old large-gun emplacements on Artillery Hill. From the Hill, there are great views across Admiralty Inlet, including Marrowstone, Whidbey Island, and on clear days, the San Juan Islands and distant Victoria, BC. There's a pretty, curved beach ending in an historic lighthouse, and views of Mt. Baker (volcano) on clearish days. Good trails up to and on Artillery Hill (climb over and into the huge concrete gun emplacements; no guns though). Good museums including the Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum, and a marine life research center with exhibits, plus the interesting old barracks, officers' quarters (you can rent), etc. <br /> Several good restaurants in town, old buildings, shops, wooden boats etc. Ferry from town to Whidbey Island if you're headed to the mainland that way. But, about a half hour or so south of town, in Keyport, is the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Museum -- one of the best museums we've been to. http://www.navalunderseamuseum.org (Near Bangor Navy Base, home of the ballistic missile subs -- you might see one headed in or out past Admiralty Inlet, with two escort vessels).<br /> Good luck and have a good trip.</p>

[photoprospect]

<p>Thanks everyone for you help. I'm now back home and would like to say that your help is really appreciated. It was an excellent, I would say exceptional, trip - and the place was chosen solely based on <em>your</em> feedback! Probably in part due to not being prepared for the view, I was awed by the views offered by the Olympic park and Skagit valley. I'll say it's definitely in the top 4 of my trips, and given that it was much shorter than the others on this list (Galapagos islands, New Zealand, Croatia) and how easy it is to get there for some of you - it's quite a feat.<br /> When I'm done sorting through 3.5K photos made in a single week, I'll post some to <a href="http://www.photoprospect.com">www.photoprospect.com</a> - but even those made with a cell phone are beautiful, so I'm attaching one as a teaser. It comes straight from the phone, with only resize and resharpening done at home.</p>

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