Olympic National Park facts for kids

Olympic National Park is a special place in Washington, USA, located on the Olympic Peninsula. It's like four different worlds in one park! You can explore its beautiful Pacific coastline, tall mountains with snowy peaks, a super wet temperate rainforest on the west side, and drier forests on the east. This park protects three main types of natural areas: mountain forests with colorful wildflowers, lush temperate forests, and the wild Pacific coast.

The park was first protected by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909 as Mount Olympus National Monument. Later, in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress made it a full national park. Because of its amazing nature, UNESCO recognized it as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and a World Heritage Site in 1981. A huge part of the park, about 95%, became the Olympic Wilderness in 1988. This wilderness area was renamed the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in 2017, honoring a former governor and senator who helped protect it. It's the biggest wilderness area in Washington state!

In 2024, over 3.7 million people visited Olympic National Park, making it one of the most popular parks in the United States.

Why We Protect Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park was created to keep a very special part of nature safe for everyone to enjoy. It protects some of the best old-growth forests in the United States, with huge trees like Sitka spruce and Douglas fir. The park also provides a safe home for Roosevelt elk and other amazing wildlife, especially during winter. It's a place where people can explore incredible mountains, see glaciers, and enjoy the beautiful Washington coast.

Exploring the Park's Natural Wonders

Olympic National Park is a place of incredible natural beauty and interesting geological history.

The Wild Coastline

The park's coastline is a rugged, sandy stretch of beach, about 60 miles long. It's narrow, with a forest right next to the sand. Near the mouths of the Hoh River and Quileute River, you'll find communities of the Hoh and Quileute people.

Tide pools form at low tide, showing amazing sea creatures.

Some parts of the beach are sandy, while others are covered with large rocks and boulders. Walking here can be tricky because of thick plants, slippery ground, changing tides, and misty weather. The coast is easier to reach than the park's deep interior.

A popular coastal trail is the 9-mile Ozette Loop. Part of this trail is a boardwalk through an ancient cedar swamp. When you reach the ocean, you can walk along the beach for 3 miles, using special trails during high tide. This area was important to the Makah tribe. Another favorite spot is Second Beach, known for its amazing sea stacks (tall rock formations in the ocean) and wildlife.

You'll see many fallen trees on the beaches. The Hoh River carries lots of natural wood and other materials to the coast. These driftwood piles are a big part of the beach's look and ecosystem.

The coastal part of the park is separate from the main inland area. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once wanted to connect them with a continuous strip of parkland.

A computer-generated view showing the park's mountains and coast.

The park's rocks tell a story of how the Earth changes. You can find unique rocks called turbidites. These are layers of sediment that settled on the ocean floor over millions of years. There are also huge rocks called mélanges, some as big as a house! Locals sometimes call them 'smell rocks' because of their faint petroleum scent.

Majestic Glaciated Mountains

In the middle of Olympic National Park, you'll find the Olympic Mountains. These mountains have huge, ancient glaciers on their sides and ridges. The mountains formed when Earth's plates pushed together, lifting up rocks from the ocean floor.

The number of glaciers in the park has decreased from 266 in 1982 to 184 by 2009. This change is due to the effects of climate change.

The western part of the mountains is dominated by Mount Olympus, which is about 7,965 feet tall. Mount Olympus gets a lot of snow and has the most glaciers of any non-volcanic mountain in the mainland United States, outside of the North Cascades. Its largest glacier is the Hoh Glacier. The eastern mountains are much drier because the western mountains block the rain. The tallest peak in the eastern Olympics is Mount Deception, at 7,788 feet.

Lush Temperate Rainforests

A fallen western redcedar in the rainforest.

The western side of the park is home to amazing temperate rainforests, like the Hoh Rainforest and Quinault Rainforest. These areas get over 12 feet of rain every year, making them some of the wettest places in the continental U.S.

Unlike tropical rainforests, these forests are full of tall coniferous trees such as Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, and Western redcedar. Thick mosses cover the tree bark and hang down from branches, creating a magical green world.

Forests on the park's eastern side are also very old, but the climate there is much drier. The trees are a bit smaller, and the plants on the forest floor are not as dense. Just northeast of the park, there's a "rain shadow" area that gets only about 17 inches of rain each year.

Amazing Plants and Animals: The Park's Ecology

Olympic National Park is like a natural laboratory because it's on an isolated peninsula. This means many plants and animals here are endemic, which means they are found nowhere else in the world! Examples include the Olympic Marmot, Piper's bellflower, and Flett's violet.

A Black-tailed deer in Olympic National Park.

The park is a vital home for many animals, like the Roosevelt elk, which only live in the Pacific Northwest. Scientists study these unique species to understand how life evolves. You can also find many black bears and black-tailed deer here. About 150 cougars also live in the park.

Unfortunately, mountain goats were accidentally brought into the park in the 1920s. They have caused damage to the native plants. The park service has plans to manage the goat population and protect the plants.

The park protects about 366,000 acres of very old forests, known as old-growth forests.

Forest fires are rare in the park's wet rainforests. However, in the summer of 2015, a very dry spring and low snow caused a rare rainforest fire.

Climate in Olympic National Park

The park has different climates depending on where you are. The western side has a temperate oceanic climate, meaning it's mild and wet. The eastern side has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, which means it has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

A Look at Human History in the Park

Sol Duc Falls, which means "sparkling waters" in the Quileute language.

Long before European settlers arrived, Native Americans lived on the Olympic Peninsula. They used the mountains and coast for fishing, hunting, and gathering. Recent studies show they used the mountain meadows much more than previously thought. Many Native American cultures were greatly affected by European diseases before settlers even arrived. Today, many cultural sites and important artifacts have been found in the Olympic mountains.

When settlers started coming, the demand for timber (wood) grew in the Pacific Northwest. People began cutting down many trees in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But in the 1920s, people started to worry about the clear-cut hillsides. More and more people were exploring the outdoors with cars, visiting places like the Olympic Peninsula.

The idea for a national park here began in the 1890s with explorers like Lieutenant Joseph P. O'Neil and Judge James Wickersham. They worked together to protect the area. In 1897, President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve. Later, in 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt created Mount Olympus National Monument. He did this mainly to protect the Roosevelt elk herds.

A park ranger giving a talk at sunset in the park, around 1960.

Public support for protecting the area grew, and in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill to create Olympic National Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the park's headquarters in 1939. This building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The park was made even bigger in 1953 to include more of the Pacific coastline and river valleys.

Even after it became a national park, there were still challenges to protect the valuable trees. Today, logging continues on the Olympic Peninsula, but not inside the park. In 1988, the federal government created the Olympic Wilderness, a special protected area within the park. It was renamed the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in 2017 to honor Governor and U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans, who helped create it.

Amazing Animals of Olympic National Park

Two deer on Shi Shi Beach.

Olympic National Park is home to many fascinating animals! You might spot small creatures like chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, and moles. There are also larger animals such as weasels, coyotes, muskrats, fishers, river otters, beavers, and red foxes.

The park is famous for its Roosevelt elk, black bears, and black-tailed deer. You can also find cougars here. Mountain goats were introduced to the park many years ago.

Out in the ocean near the park, you might see amazing marine animals like whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, and sea otters.

Many different birds fly through the park's skies. Some common birds include Winter wrens, Canada jays, Pine siskins, and ravens. Look for majestic bald eagles soaring overhead! You might also spot spotted owls, Red-breasted nuthatches, and Golden-crowned kinglets.

Fun Things to Do in the Park

A camping site on the shores of Lake Quinault.

Olympic National Park has many roads, but they don't go deep into the wild interior. The park has a great network of hiking trails. To reach the high mountains, you'll usually need more than a weekend trip. Exploring the rainforest, with its vibrant green plants, is a wonderful experience, even if it might rain! July, August, and September often have sunny, dry weather.

A rope ladder helps hikers climb over cliffs when backpacking along the coast.

One unique adventure is backpacking along the beach. The park's coastline is long enough for trips lasting several days. You can spend your whole day walking by the ocean. Be careful of the tides, though! At some narrow spots, high tide can block your path against the cliffs. You might even need to use fixed ropes to climb over some rocky areas.

In winter, Hurricane Ridge is a popular spot for snow sports. The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club runs a ski and snowboard area. It offers lessons, rentals, and affordable lift tickets. This small ski area has two rope tows and one poma lift. Many areas are open for backcountry skiing and snowboarding when the Hurricane Ridge Road is open. Currently, the road is open Friday through Sunday, depending on the weather. A community effort is working to open the road seven days a week in winter.

You can go rafting on the Elwha and Hoh Rivers. Boating is popular on Ozette Lake, Lake Crescent, and Lake Quinault. Fishing is allowed in several rivers, including the Ozette, Queets, Hoh, Quinault, Quillayute, and Dickey Rivers. You don't need a special license to fish in the park. However, you must release any bull trout or Dolly Varden trout you catch.

Panoramic view from near the Hurricane Ridge visitor center, which is to the right.

From the Hurricane Ridge viewpoint, you can see amazing panoramic views of Olympic National Park. A paved trail called the Hurricane Hill trail is about 1.6 miles long each way, with a climb of about 700 feet. It's common to find snow on the trails even in July! There are also other dirt trails of different lengths and difficulties. Picnic areas are open in the summer, with restrooms, water, and paved access.

The Hurricane Ridge visitor center unfortunately burned down on May 7, 2023. This center, built in the 1950s, had a 3D map of the mountains, a media center with nature documentaries, and a gift shop. There is no set date for when the center will be rebuilt, but $80 million in federal funding was allocated in late 2023 for rebuilding and setting up a temporary visitor center.

In March 2026, Washington's National Park Fund provided a grant of $768,483 to support improvements and youth science programs in the park. This funding helped with search and rescue training, astronomy programs, and providing mules for trail work in the backcountry.

A foggy day at Hurricane Ridge, as seen from the visitor center.

Elwha River Restoration Project

The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project was a huge effort to bring the Elwha River back to its natural state. It was the second-largest ecosystem restoration project ever done by the National Park Service. This project involved removing two large dams: the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam and the 108-foot Elwha Dam. Their reservoirs, Lake Mills and Lake Aldwell, were also drained.

After the dams were removed, the park worked to replant trees and plants on the slopes and river bottoms. This helped prevent erosion and sped up the natural recovery of the area. The main goal was to allow Pacific Salmon and steelhead fish to return to the upper 65 miles of the Elwha River. These fish had been blocked from their natural habitat for over 95 years because of the dams. The removal of the dams was completed in 2014.

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional Olympic para niños

• Madison Creek Falls
• La Push Beach
• Ruby Beach
• Rialto Beach
• Sol Duc River
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Olympic National Park
• List of national parks of the United States