Olympic National Park Main Visitor Center and Wilderness Information Center
#7 in Best Things To Do in Olympic National Park
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- 5.0Value
- 4.0Facilities
- 4.0Atmosphere
According to recent visitors, this should be your first stop in the park. Found in Port Angeles, Washington, the center houses exhibits about Olympic National Park's natural and cultural history, a hands-on "Discovery Room" for kids, a 25-minute orientation film, the "Mosaic of Diversity," a bookstore and two short nature trails just outside the center. Visitors call the "rangers exceptionally knowledgeable and very friendly" and say the staff is very helpful.
Access to the center is included in park admission. The center is open daily, but hours vary according to season. Generally, it's open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check the NPS website for the most up-to-date opening and closing times. Access to the center is free.
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2 of 7#1 Hoh Rain Forest
With an annual rainfall ranging from 140 to 170 inches, the Hoh Rain Forest is a lush, green wonderland, with mosses and ferns covering every tree and surface. According to the NPS, it is one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States and is one of the park's most popular spots to visit. One visitor described walking in the forest as a "Hansel and Gretel-type of feeling" while another likened it to a fairy tale enchanted forest.
Most travelers begin at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, which is staffed with rangers who can offer advice on what to see and do. The visitor center also houses exhibits and a bookstore. Two short nature trails loop through the forest near the center, the Hall of Mosses Trail (.8 miles) and the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles). If you're up to the challenge, there is also a 17-mile trail that leads to Glacier Meadows, on the shoulder of Mount Olympus, called the Hoh River Trail.
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