Olympic National Park is large with many roads that dead end which makes visiting all of the different areas of the park a challenge. Instead of trying to do just one post about the park I’m going to do short posts about each area. We visited Hurricane Ridge last year. This year we entered the park from the south so our first stop was Lake Quinault.
We drove around the lake on the Quinault Rain Forest Loop Drive. The loop road is 31 miles long and travels through the rain forest with good views of the lake and Quinault River. The middle section which is unpaved for about 10 miles has a few narrow parts and is not recommended for RVs. We had no problems but larger RVs should not be driven on it. The campgrounds on the southern half of the road are small and the sites are not long enough for RVs over 16’.
Two of the hiking trails along the north loop road are accessible. Wheelchair users may need to have help due to areas with loose stones and minor obstacles. Both of the trails start at the Quinault River Ranger Station. Maple Glades Trail is a 1/2 mile long and connects to Kestner Homestead Trail which is 1.3 miles. The trails loop back to the ranger station.
The parking lot has long RV spaces.
Park 47.50485, -123.82166
I am so looking forward to the day I can return to the PNW. It's been almost 30 years. I'm hoping maybe this fall. But that means rushing cross country. No so into that. xox
ReplyDeleteI know that it would be hard for you to do but visiting in the summer is so much better than any other time of the year. We've had sunshine everyday and no rain!
DeleteI am so happy you enjoyed the trail We love that trail with the long hanging moss and the lovely trees. Also the fact that no one is ever there makes it a delightful walk in the woods.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nelda! You're a good tour guide. :-)
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