Olympic National Park: Overview

If you are a follower of Wandering But Not Lost you are keenly aware that we have an affinity for our National Parks.  They truly are America’s Best Idea and it is our mission to bring you information, the lay of the land, and insider tips of as many as we can.  Olympic National Park has been on the radar, yet has eluded this wanderer for years. Until now.  Anyone that you talk to that has been there raves about the incredible diversity and beauty of the park and after a recent visit, I can attest that is one of the biggest understatements EVER.  We love to do research prior to a visit and honestly, Olympic proved to be a challenge.  It’s large and there is much to see.  Lodging and food options are limited and it can be an easy place to miss gems if you aren’t prepared.  In this series, we’ll explore Olympic National Park. We’ll share our travel log, the hits, the misses, the missed, and the reasons we can’t wait to go back again.

First things first, let’s get acquainted with the numbers.  You can never beat the National Park Service website for stats, so here’s Olympic by the numbers: Natural Resources

• 922,651 acres
• 876,669 acres (95% of the park) are Congressionally-designated wilderness
• 73 miles of wilderness coast
• over 3,000 miles of rivers and streams
• 60 named glaciers
• over 1,200 native plants
• at least 16 kinds of endemic animals and 8 kinds of endemic plants
• 20 reptile and amphibian species
• 37 native fish species
• 300 bird species
• 56 mammal species, including 24 marine mammal species
• 22 species listed as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act
• 1 National Natural Landmark (Point of Arches)
• 50 – 70 research permits issues annually

Cultural Resources

• over 650 archaeological sites
• 4 certified and 27 potential cultural landscapes
• 130 historic structures
• nearly 500,000 museum objects
• over 160,000 archival pages
• 1 archeological site eligible for National Historic Landmark status (Ozette site)

Recreation Resources

• 16 developed campgrounds
• 64 trailheads
• 611 miles of trail
• 168 miles of road
• 457 buildings
• 175 outdoor wayside exhibits
• 4 overnight concession-operated lodges
• 2 day-use concession facilities
• 1 concession-operated downhill ski operation and 1 concession-operated river rafting operation
• 70 Incidental Business Permit holders who conduct a variety of guided hikes and trips in the park

North US 101 near Forks

Getting Around

As previously mentioned, Olympic NP is huge and you need to plan ahead so that you can make the most of your time.  US 101 circles the park and is the main artery that will lead you to the many adventures which await you.  All of the roads are two-lanes and the speed limits vary from 25 to 60, however, you should be prepared that it simply takes a little more time to get around here.  It is always a good idea to check road conditions ahead of your planned expedition, thankfully, the NPS has you covered so you don’t get caught in a closure or construction:  Road Conditions

Up next:  Mountains, Beaches, and Rainforests…stay tuned

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