Homeschool Family Camping Destination: Olympic National Park
Looking for a little homeschool camping adventure? Olympic National Park has 1,441 square miles of rainforest, glacier-fed lakes, mountains, and coastline to explore.
by ANGIE COLLINS
Headed to Olympic National Park this spring? Keep these tips in mind.
“Take advantage of informed hiking.”
Hiking is one of the best ways to explore the park. Kids can check out a Discover Backpack at any visitor center, stocked with nature identification guides, binoculars, magnifying lens, nature journal, safety whistle, and light. The included field worksheets are a fun way to add a little focused study to your family hike, whether you’re elk-spotting in the park’s southwest corner, catch-and-release fishing at Crescent Lake, hiking through old-growth forest to Marymere Falls, or soaking in the spectacular mountain views from famously windy Hurricane Ridge. Pay a visit to the Makah Museum, an archaeological and anthropological research center focusing on the Makah people of the Pacific North- west. A mudslide sometime between 300 and 500 years ago buried the summer village of Ozette, and the — well-preserved — village was rediscovered in the 1970s, offering a fascinating look into the past.
“Don’t stop with one rainforest.”
Olympic National Park is home to four separate rainforests. The most accessible is the Hoh Rainforest — the 0.8- mile Hall of Mosses trail feels like a secret road through Fairyland. This trail is like a rainbow all in shades of green: turquoise spruce, emerald ferns, olive moss in the trees, and chartreuse moss on the rocky banks of the Hoh River. The Quinault Rainforest is a bit of a drive — about three hours from Port Angeles — but it’s also home to the world’s largest Sitka spruce tree, a 1,000-year-old tree that stands 191 feet high. Let your kids see how far they can stretch their arms around the gigantic trunk. If you’re feeling adventurous, head even further afield to Bogchiel or Queets, the most remote rain forest, accessible only via 11 miles of curvy rustic roads. (If you have issues with car sickness, skip Queets with my full support.)
“Make time to play in the water together.”
Stop by a visitor center to grab an Ocean Steward booklet for your Junior Ranger, and explore the diversity and beauty of the park’s coastal ecosystem. Kaloch Beach is one of the best places to go tide- pool hunting, but make sure you pack a tide chart because the water levels can change quickly and you don’t want to be caught unawares. Thirty minutes before low tide is the best time to scout tidepools. Visit in April, and you may catch sight of gray whales on their migration to LaPush. Rialto Beach is the place to spot sea stacks, dramatic rock-like columns formed by erosion. The choppy sea is not a great place for young swimmers, but the beach dotted with enormous logs of driftwood and rocky coves is picturesque.
“Camping is the best way to experience the park’s natural beauty.”
Campsites are distributed on a first-come basis, so plan your arrival time accordingly, especially if you’re camping over a weekend or holiday. The Graves Creek campground is a magical spot nestled in the heart of the Quinault Rainforest — if you want to explore the rainforest, there’s no better home base. It’s a good alternative to the also-fabulous Hoh Rainforest campsites, which tend to fill up fast. If the beach is more your family’s thing, snag a site at the Kalaloch campsite, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Not a camper? Rent one of the rustic, vintage cabins at Lochaerie Resort on Lake Quinault — it’s the next-best thing to roughing it.