Arrived in Port Angeles, Washington and settled into the Peabody RV park located only blocks from the Victoria, BC ferry. The location of the RV park provided a central location for exploring Olympic National Park and easy walking to Port Angeles attractions. The first destination - Hurricane Ridge. The wind won't blow you away but the view will. From Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge is an 18 mile drive along Hurricane Ridge Road. Day two we visited Lake Crescent - a glacier lake 12 miles long and 600' deep! From Lake Crescent, Marymere falls is a short hike through an emerald green, moss covered rain forest.
Click on thumbnails for larger view:
Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, located 17 miles from the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, features interpretive exhibits, information, guides, and maps.
It also serves as the center of several hiking trails and offers spectacular views.
Paved trails provide excellent views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca on clear days.
This is a good area for seeing black-tailed deer and marmots.
There are several relatively flat loop trails approximately 1/2 mile long which are accessible to wheelchair users with assistance.
Everywhere you look along trails in this region is jaw-dropping scenery. In the distance the snow-clad peaks of the Canadian Cascades or the Olympics.
The Moments In Time Natural Trail is a 1/2-mile loop that weaves its way through old homestead sites, along the banks of Crescent Lake, and through old-growth lowland forest. Massive cedars and Douglas firs tower overhead, some with diameters over 35 feet and rising up offer two hundred feet from the forest floor. The trail is well marked and surprisingly quiet and offers several places to sit and reflect on the incredible wonder of this part of the country.
From the Storm King Ranger Station you can take the one-mile trail to spectacular 90 feet Marymere Falls, pictured below. The trail starts along the shores of Crescent Lake and passes through a tunnel under US Highway 101.
Massive cedars and firs tower overhead. Along the banks of Barnes Creek huge sword ferns grow where the shade still protects them from the sun, but the cool water of the creek can feed them and keep them moist. As you reach Barnes Creek you will cross two foot bridges before starting the last 1/8 of a mile on the trail.
Following the route of steep stairs and switchbacks the trail ends at an observation deck about halfway up and to the side of Marymere. The cascade drops 90 feet into Barnes Creek before finding its way to Crescent Lake. The observation deck has several benches on which to sit and you can feel the cool moisture coming off of the falls.
Stunning Marymere Falls. To see a brief movie of the falls Click here. (855K) Requires Windows Media Player.
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Return to West coast trip, 2001.
