Wintering in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park in the northwestern corner of Washington might not appear on too many winter vacation agendas, but it’s the season when the park shows its more dramatic side. Sure,

Ruby Beach

you’ll run into wet weather, but the payoff in solitude and tranquility is worth it. There’s snow in the mountains, wild waves along the beaches, and the rainforests are never greener.

Most of the winter sporting activity is centered at Hurricane Ridge with skiing, cross-country, snowshoeing, and sledding. The road is open on weekends only (weather permitting) and all cars are required to carry chains. On the other hand, the lower altitudes in the park including the rainforests and beaches, receive only occasional snow but plenty of the damp stuff.  The wet season brings out the green lushness of the mosses and lichens making a hike through the Hoh or Quinault rainforests a drippy, but beautiful experience.  Pacific Ocean storms blow through frequently delivering spectacular waves for storm-watching and beachcombing along the coast.

Lake Crescent Lodge

One of the major highlights of a winter visit to the park is enjoying the indoor comforts of the lodges. While booked full in the busy summer months, reservations are much easier to obtain and the prices are reduced during the winter season. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is closed during the winter, but Lake Crescent Lodge is open until December 31, and Lake Quinault and Kalaloch Lodges are open year round.

Lake Crescent Lodge dates back to 1916, and enjoys an idyllic setting on the shores of a glacier-carved lake ringed with forests and mountains, about 18 miles west of Port Angeles. The Main Lodge features a lobby with a stone fireplace, a cozy sunroom, a wood-paneled dining room overlooking the lake, and rooms on the second floor with great views, but shared bathrooms.  The property offers a variety of other accommodations to choose from including the historic Singer Tavern Cottages and the Roosevelt Cabins as well as more modern motel-like rooms.

Sunroom, Lake Crescent Lodge

The Roosevelt Cabins are especially popular with guests because of their lakeside setting and fireplaces. While the rest of the lodge closes at the end of the year, these cabins remain open on weekends-only throughout the winter season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kayaks awaiting summer guests at Lake Crescent

 

Further south and just outside the park boundary is another rustic, lakeside inn, Lake Quinault Lodge. Built in 1926 by the same architect who designed Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone, it has an expansive front lawn leading down to the lake and a warm and inviting lobby with a large brick fireplace.  In addition to rooms in the main lodge, there is a more modern building with an additional 36 rooms as well as an indoor pool and sauna.

Lake Quinault Lodge

The lodge’s dining room is named after Franklin Roosevelt who lunched here in 1937. He must have enjoyed the meal and view as he signed the bill creating Olympic National Park only a few months later. Winter specials offer room rates equivalent in price to the average Motel 6.

 

 

 

 

 

Lobby, Lake Quinault Lodge

 



Driftwood brought in during storms

The Pacific Ocean coast can be an exciting place in the winter when storms bring in blustery winds and crashing waves.  There’s no better place to enjoy the action than the Kalaloch Lodge, perched on a bluff on the west side of the park.  There are rooms in the wooden, rustic main lodge as well as cabins with fully stocked kitchenettes. The dining room, also open year round, serves up Northwest cuisine accompanied by a sweeping ocean view. With easy access to beaches, a winter visit means great beachcombing and storm-watching. To accommodate guests, the lodge offers a special Brave the Storm package that includes ponchos, hand warmers, hot chocolate, and peppermint  schnapps.

To learn more about rates and seasonal packages, or make reservations at Lake Crescent and Quinault Lodges, check out www.olympicnationalparks.com.  The Kalaloch Lodge website is www.thekalalochlodge.com.  It should be noted that these park lodges are not suitable for guests addicted to wifi, cell phones, and big screen tv. Instead, the simple pleasures of sitting in front of a roaring fire, curling up with a good book, or working a jigsaw puzzle prevail. When visiting the park during the winter months, it’s always prudent to check weather and road conditions in advance.

Step into the Past at Port Townsend

It was supposed to be Seattle. With its strategic location on Puget Sound and a strong possibility of becoming the western terminus for the new transcontinental railroad, Port Townsend was destined for fame and fortune. Many were convinced it would become the biggest and busiest port on the West Coast.

Water Street

Captain George Vancouver, while sailing around the north Pacific in 1792, was one of the first to observe the excellent location at the entrance of Puget Sound and noted the “safe and spacious harbor” in his ship’s log. He named the spot, Port Townsend after his friend, the Marquis of Townshend. The town was founded in 1851 with high hopes of becoming the New York of the West. And, for a while, Port Townsend prospered by shipping Washington timber down the coast to a booming San Francisco. Sailors, sea captains, and speculators kept the downtown commercial district hopping; while proper families built their stately Victorian mansions on the bluff above. Times were good and bound to get better, but the Panic of 1893 led to a sharp economic downturn and the anticipated railroad never arrived. Seattle soon eclipsed Port Townsend to become the preeminent Puget Sound port and metropolis. Folks moved on in search of better prospects and the town languished for decades. The fancy Victorian homes were chopped up into apartments and many buildings in the downtown stood empty for years.

In the 1970s, the town was “rediscovered” by counter-culture folks and artists drawn to the town’s off-the-beaten-path and inexpensive lifestyle. Developers and architecture aficionados also took notice. Downtown commercial buildings were revitalized, and abandoned Victorian houses renovated and reinvented as bed and breakfast inns.

Today, much of the town is a designated a National Historic Landmark. Its location at the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula makes it a logical gateway to that area, and the town’s handsome architecture, shops, boutiques, restaurants, and pubs attract over one-million visitors annually.
Port Townsend is a good place to visit on foot. While you can drive there (about 100 miles north of Olympia), it’s more fun to arrive via the Washington State Ferry from Keystone on Whidbey Island.

 The fare is a bargain at $2.75 ($1.35 for the over-65 public) as a walk-on passenger and the scenic, 35-minute ride provides a good look at Puget Sound and its wooded islands. The ferry terminal is right downtown, making it easy to explore without a car. Grab a walking tour map from the Visitor Center and begin with a stroll down Water Street. While items in the boutique and gallery windows may catch your eye, be sure to look above the first story for a closer inspection of the impressive brick and cast-iron facades of these commercial buildings. Stop in at Elevated Ice Cream Parlor (631 Water St.) for a cone of homemade, Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip ice-cream before heading up the bluff to Uptown Port Townsend.

Starrett House

Here you will find a residential area dotted with well-preserved, historic houses and churches, most dating back to the 1880s and 1890s. Not to be missed is the Queen Ann mansion called the Ann Starrett House (744 Clay St.). Built in 1889 by George Starrett, a prosperous carpenter and architect, for his wife, this spectacular structure cost $6000. It now operates as a hotel and appears to be for sale (probably for more than $6000).

While a number of homes have been converted to inns or bed and breakfasts, most are private residences. The Rothschild house, at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor, is one property open to the public. Operated as a museum by the Jefferson County Historical Society, it provides a good glimpse of the life of a wealthy town merchant. Twice a year, several other homes open their doors to the public during the Victorian Festival in March and the Historic Homes Tour in late September.
Port Townsend celebrates its maritime heritage each September with its annual Wooden Boat Festival. The event, held this year from September 9 to 11, is the largest in the U.S. with nearly 300 wooden boats from schooners to kayaks.