Travel Journal
OLYMPIC PENINSULA
Mountains, Rainforests, and Rugged Coastlines Discovering Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula STORY AND PHOTOS BY DEBBRA DUNNING BROUILLETTE
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f you visited one of the 423 parks in the National Park System last year, you were in good company. Outdoor spaces provide safe options for people of all ages to commune with nature after months of staying at home due to COVID-19 precautions. Olympic National Park in Washington state, which ranks among the top 10 most visited U.S.
national parks, is one I had the opportunity to explore last October during the height of autumn color. With three distinct ecosystems — mountains, rainforests, and 73 miles of coastline — covering nearly one million acres, the Olympic Peninsula is as varied as it is vast. Even so, you can experience all three ecosystems in a day.
AS VARIED AS IT IS VAST From soaring mountains and glacial-cut lakes to natural waterfalls and rugged coastline, the Olympic Peninsula outside Seattle, Washington, is a nature lover’s paradise. Travel writer Debbra Dunning Brouillette rested her head at Lake Crescent Lodge during a tour of the Pacific Northwest last year.
MAY/JUNE 2022 EVANSVILLE LIVING
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