Kimberly Anderson
Olympic National Park
Another spectacular area close to Seattle is Olympic National Park, an ecologically diverse wonderland occupying much of the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington. It preserves the Olympic Mountains and their magnificent temperate rainforest vegetation, in which a rich array of animal species thrive. Of note is the Hoh River rainforest on the range’s western slope that supports growths of giant Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees and a forest floor thickly carpeted with mosses, lichens, and ferns. Large yellow Pacific banana slugs are often seen there. A small unit of the park on the west coast of the peninsula contains scenic beaches and islets.
