Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
which is usually open in the summer and at other seasons when a ranger is in
the station. From the Marymere Falls Trail, you can hike the steep 2 miles up
Mount Storm King
to a viewpoint overlooking Lake Crescent (climbing above
the viewpoint is not recommended). On the north side of the lake, the
Spruce
Railroad Trail
parallels the shore of the lake, crosses a picturesque little bridge,
and is one of the only trails in the park open to mountain bikes. As the name
implies, this was once the route of the railroad built to haul spruce out of these
forests during World War I. Spruce was the ideal wood for building biplanes
because of its strength and light weight. By the time the railroad was completed,
however, the war was over and the demand for spruce had dwindled.
There are several places on the lake where you can rent various types of small
boats during the warmer months. At
Lake Crescent Lodge
you can rent
rowboats, and at the
Fairholm General Store
(
&
360/928-3020
), at the lake's
west end, rowboats, canoes, and motorboats are available between April and
October. The
Log Cabin Resort
on the north side of Lake Crescent rents row-
boats, canoes, and pedal boats.
Continuing west from Lake Crescent, watch for the turnoff to
Sol Duc Hot
Springs
(
&
360/327-3583
). For 14 miles the road follows the Soleduck River,
passing the Salmon Cascades along the way. Sol Duc Hot Springs were for cen-
turies considered healing waters by local Indians, and after white settlers arrived
in the area, the springs became a popular resort. In addition to the hot swim-
ming pool and soaking tubs, you'll find cabins, a campground, a restaurant, and
a snack bar. The springs are open daily from late March to late October; admis-
sion is $10 for adults. A 4.5-mile loop trail leads from the hot springs to
Sol
Duc Falls,
which are among the most photographed falls in the park. Alterna-
tively, you can drive to the end of the Sol Duc Road and make this an easy
1.5-mile hike. Along this same road, you can hike the half-mile
Ancient Groves
Nature Trail.
Note that Sol Duc Road is one of the roads on which you'll have
to pay an Olympic National Park admission fee.
EXPLORING THE PENINSULA'S NORTHWEST CORNER
Continuing west on U.S. 101 from the junction with the road to Sol Duc Hot
Springs brings you to the crossroads of Sappho. Heading north at Sappho will
bring you to Wash. 112, which is an alternative route from Port Angeles. It is
about 40 miles from this road junction to the town of
Neah Bay
on the Makah
Indian Reservation.
Between Clallam Bay and Neah Bay, the road runs right alongside the water
and there are opportunities to spot sea birds and marine mammals, including
gray, orca, humpback, and pilot whales. Between February and April, keep an
eye out for the dozens of bald eagles that gather along this stretch of coast. In
Clallam Bay, at the county day-use park, you can hunt for agates and explore
tide pools. Near Slip Point Lighthouse, there are fossil beds that are exposed at
low tides.
Neah Bay is a busy commercial and sportfishing port, and is also home to
the impressive
Makah Cultural and Research Center
, Bayview Avenue
(
&
360/645-2711;
www.makah.com/museum.htm), which displays artifacts
from a Native American village that was inundated by a mudslide 500 years ago.
This is the most perfectly preserved collection of Native American artifacts in
the Northwest; part of the exhibit includes reproductions of canoes the Makah
once used for hunting whales. There's also a longhouse that shows the traditional
lifestyle of the Makah people. Between Memorial Day and September 15, the
